Adaptation of the social media self-presentation scale to Turkish culture: A psychometric validation study

Abstract

This study aims to adapt and validate a measurement tool to explore multidimensional aspects of self-presentation on social media in the Turkish cultural context. The "Self-Presentation on Social Media Scale" (SMBSS) was adapted from the "Real, Ideal, and False Self-Presentation on Facebook" scale. However, the original sub-dimensions were restructured into three dimensions: "strategic impression management," "real self-presentation," and "online self-differentiation," making them more appropriate to Turkish digital identity dynamics. Two independent samples were used in the study. The first sample used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) consisted of 259 participants (female 75.7%; mean age = 24.95, SD = 6.15). The second sample used for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) consisted of 386 participants (female 79.3%; mean age = 21.92, SD = 4.39). Both EFA and CFA were conducted to assess the construct validity of the adapted scale, and the three-factor structure was consistently supported. Robust internal consistency coefficients (alpha= 0.840-0.913; omega= 0.835-0.914) and concurrent validity analyses provided strong empirical evidence for the psychometric reliability of the scale. Furthermore, correlations with social anxiety, self-objectification, and social media addiction in the expected direction supported the discriminant validity. Gender-based measurement invariance analyses indicate that the factor structure is generally maintained.