Factor structure and interpretation on the Thai-Social Media Engagement Scale (T-SMES)

Due to the fact that social media has become an integral part of daily life, particularly in the new normal society, there are few instruments for measuring social media usage with a cut-off score. As a reason, the objective of this study was to develop a Thai-Social Media Engagement Scale (T-SMES) that has been verified for validity and reliability as well as a cut-off score for interpretation. Data was collected from 403 participants through an online questionnaire. The findings of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that the T-SMES was extracted into three components; accounted for 66.44% of the total variance, including (1) feeling at ease and not missing out, (2) making it a habit, and (3) a sense of being attracted to and connected to others. The test items were satisfactory in terms of validity and reliability. For identifying high social media engagement, a cut-off score of 24 was found to be optimal (sensitivity = 80.9%, specificity = 72.2%, positive predictive rate (PPR) = 92.3%, negative predictive rate (NPR) = 47.9%, and accuracy rate = 79.2%). Overall, the findings suggest that the T-SMES is an empirically valid and reliable instrument for measuring social media engagement, with optimal cut-off scores that can be used in practice.