The role of social networks in shaping the knowledge and attitudes of Saudi scholarship students towards local issues: A survey study

This study aimed to identify the role played by social networks in shaping the knowledge and attitudes of Saudi students towards local issues, by identifying the patterns of their use of these networks, the motives for their exposure to them, the goal of this exposure and the cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects. The result of it, in addition to identifying the most important networks they use as a source of information on local issues, and measuring the extent of their dependence on them and their level of confidence in them, in addition to monitoring the most important local issues that receive the most attention from the study sample. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used the survey method, both descriptive and analytical, and the (electronic) questionnaire as a tool for data collection, and after verifying the procedures for validity and reliability, the electronic questionnaire was published on the Internet according to specific mechanisms to ensure its access to the study community. The study sample consisted of a random sample of (600) Saudi scholarships affiliated with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, or students at their own expense, or on scholarships from government or private agencies. The study was based on the theory of media dependence, as a theoretical and analytical input to the results of the study.