







































Humanitas: Indonesian Psychological Journal  

Vol. 21 (1), August 2025, 169-180 

ISSN:  2598-6368(online); 1693-7236(print)                                                                 

       humanitas@psy.uad.ac.id             http://journal1.uad.ac.id/index.php/Humanitas            https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v22i1.1031 

Adaptation and validation of the Indonesia version social media 

engagement scale for adolescent 

Ratri Pratiwi, Ainurizan Ridho Rahmatulloh, Rahimmatussalisa 

Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Mercu Buana Yogyakarta, Indonesia 

Corresponding author: ratri.pratiwi@mercubuana-yogya.ac.id 

 

This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. 

 

Introduction 

Indonesia is the third largest country in the Asia-Pacific region with active social media users, 
with 191.4 million people in 2022 and 68.9% social media penetration (Nurhayati-Wolff, 
2023). In addition, Indonesia is also the second country that has the longest time after the 
Philippines, which spends about 3 hours and 20 minutes per day using social media 
(Nurhayati-Wolff, 2023). Social media cannot be separated from the lives of modern humans. 
The emergence of social media makes it easier for modern humans to connect with each other. 
Through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, individuals 
can share information in the form of photos, videos and writings. The easy and fast exchange 
of information makes individuals more attached to these platforms until it becomes a lifestyle 
to share information about life and a place to get social recognition. A survey conducted by 
the Indonesian Internet Providers Association (APJII, 2022) on 7,568 Indonesians shows 
98.03% of respondents use the internet to access social media compared to other websites. 

ARTICL E  INF O  
 

ABSTRACT  

 

Article history 

Received: 10 September 2024 

Revised: 13 June 2025 

Accepted: 13 July 2025 

 

 The rise of social media has reshaped how people, especially 

adolescents, communicate and express themselves. Accurate 

assessment of social media engagement quality is critical for 

understanding its psychological, social, and behavioral effects, 

highlighting the need for psychometrically sound measurement tools. 

This study aims to adapt and test the psychometric properties of the 

Indonesian version of the SMEA scale. The study involved 851 

participants aged 12–21 years. Content validity was assessed using 

Aiken’s V index based on ratings from 25 expert judges. Construct 

validity was evaluated through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), 

and reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. Results showed 

Aiken’s V values ranged from 0.67 to 0.91, indicating good content 

validity. CFA supported the model’s goodness of fit, confirming 

construct validity. The instrument demonstrated high internal 

consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.83. These findings indicate 

that the Indonesian version of the SMEA is a valid and reliable tool 

for assessing adolescents' social media engagement. Its application 
can support evidence-based interventions to foster healthy social 

media use and digital literacy. 
     

 

Keywords 

Adaptation Indonesian version 
Measurement 
Scale 
Social media 
Social media engagement   

 

 

 

mailto:humanitas@psy.uad.ac.id
http://journal1.uad.ac.id/index.php/Humanitas
https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v22i1.1031
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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These internet users spend an average of 1-5 hours a day accessing social media. Indonesia is 
ranked as the 4th largest social media user in the world with 237 million active social media 
users. Based on a survey (APJII, 2022), the teenage age group of 13-18 years in Indonesia is 
the most active user of social media. 

Social media has become a central part of adolescents' daily routines, shaping the way 
they connect, communicate, and form identities (Ofcom, 2018). While platforms such as 
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat offer opportunities for interaction and self-
expression, increasing evidence links social media use among adolescents to various 
psychological and behavioural issues. Recent research shows that the use of social media by 
adolescents has associations with psychological problems such as depression (Rahmatulloh 
& Retnowati, 2021; Twenge, et al, 2018), body dissatisfaction (Jiotsa et al., 2021), alcohol 
consumption (Alhabash et al., 2022) and cyberbullying behaviours (Garett et al., 2016). These 
findings suggest that it is not only the time spent on social media that matters, but also how 
adolescents engage with these platforms. 

To gain a deeper understanding of the psychological and behavioural impacts of social 
media, researchers must look beyond quantitative metrics such as frequency or duration. The 
concept of social media engagement, which captures the quality of users' interaction with 
digital platforms, offers a more comprehensive framework. Social media engagement refers 
to the quality of user experience with technology characterised by feedback, interactivity, 
sensory appeal, perceived control, aesthetics, awareness, interest, and influence (O'Brien & 
Toms, 2008). McCay-Peet, and Quan-Haase (2016) define social media engagement as the 
quality of user experience with web-based technologies that allow users to interact with, 
create, and share content with individuals and organisations in their social networks. 
Engagement is a multidimensional concept that focuses not only on behaviour, but also 
cognition and affective (Hollebeek, 2021). In the context of social media, engagement is the 
quality of social media use, not just the quantity. Previous research (Orben & Przybylski, 
2019) shows that the main factor influencing adolescents' comprehensive use of social media 
is engagement on social media, not just the time spent using social media. Dessart (2017) 
states that social media engagement consists of three contract dimensions, which consist of 
affective, cognitive and behavioural dimensions. The concept of social media engagement is 
a strong construct that captures the complexity of users in participating in social media 
(Dessart et al., 2015). 

Various instruments have been developed to measure social media use, including The 
Social Media Motivations Scale (SMM-S) (Pedruzzi et al., 2021), Social Networking Activity 
Intensity Scale (Li et al., 2016), Social Networking Addiction Scale (SNAS) (Shahnawaz, & 
Rehman, 2020) and The Multidimensional Facebook Intensity Scale (MFIS) (Orosz et al., 
2016). These measuring instruments have several limitations, namely only measuring the 
initial purpose of using social media, focusing too much on objective behaviour, only 
measuring the intensity of social media use, only measuring the use of social media at an 
excessive intensity, and only measuring the use of one type of social media. The scale is 
suitable for measuring specific social media use and suitable for accurately measuring time 
of social media use. However, many of these tools do not account for the full spectrum of 
user experience, particularly the affective and cognitive dimensions of engagement. 

To address these gaps, Ni et al. (2020) developed the Social Media Engagement 
Assessment (SMEA), which consists of affective engagement, behavioural engagement, and 
cognitive engagement.  Affective aspects are emotional dimensions related to positive or 
negative emotions towards objects or problems. The cognitive aspect refers to the 
understanding and comments on certain objects or problems that can present individual 
perceptions in the mind. The behavioural aspect refers to the daily habitual activities involved 
in the object or issue, which can subconsciously pervade an individual's daily life. Despite 
the utility of the SMEA, the scale has not yet been adapted for use in the Indonesian context. 
Cultural adaptation is crucial as social media behaviors are shaped by cultural norms, values, 



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Pratiwi et.al (Adaptation and validation of the Indonesia version social media engagement scale for…) 

and communication patterns. Indonesia, as a collectivist society (Himawan, 2024), 
emphasises social harmony (Lestari et al., 2013) and group affiliation that can significantly 
influence how adolescents engage with social media. 

Understanding social media engagement will be very useful in understanding humans 
in the cyber world and the impact that may arise from social media behaviour. Conducting 
this research is essential for adapting a valid and reliable measurement tool for social media 
engagement, which is crucial for understanding human behaviour in the cyber world. A robust 
instrument allows researchers to accurately assess how individuals interact with social media, 
providing insights into engagement patterns and their psychological, social, and behavioural 
implications. By offering a standardised method for measurement, this study can uncover the 
impact of social media on various aspects of life, including mental health, relationships, and 
digital citizenship. 

Research on specific measurement tools that measure social media engagement is still 
very limited in Indonesia. Adaptation of social media engagement measurement tools is 
needed in the Indonesian cultural context. Scale adaptation in a cultural context will help 
produce measuring instruments that have robust psychometric properties (Ambuehl & 
Inauen, 2022). This study provides significant contributions by adapting a culturally valid and 
reliable tool to measure social media engagement among adolescents in Indonesia. It 
enhances the understanding of engagement patterns specific to this demographic and offers a 
standardised instrument that can inform future research in similar contexts. The findings also 
support practical applications, such as guiding interventions and policies to promote digital 
literacy and address potential negative impacts of social media use, particularly among 
adolescents. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the validity and reliability of the 
social media engagement scale for adolescents in Indonesia. 

Method 

Participants 

Table 1 

Participants' Demographic Data (N=851) 

 
 Number Percentage 

Gender  

Male 280 32.9% 

Female 571 67.1% 

Age  

12-15 years 244 28.7% 

16-18 years 227 26.7% 

19-21 years 380 44.7% 

Education level  

Diploma/ Bachelor's 445 52.3% 

Senior High School 169 19.9% 

Junior High School 236 27.7% 

Elementary School 1 0.1% 

Duration of using social media in a day  

< 3 hours 220 25.9% 

4-6 hours 204 24% 

7-9 hours 184 21.6% 

10-12 hours 117 13.7% 
> 12 hours 126 14.8% 

 



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The study involved 851 participants aged between 12 years to 21 years (M = 17.53; SD = 
2.25).  of the total samples, 67.1% were females, and 32.9% were males.  Based on the level 
of education, 0.1% were in elementary school, 27.7% in junior high school, 19.9% in senior 
high school, and 52.3% were pursuing or had completed a Diploma or Bachelor's degree. 
Regarding daily social media use, 25.9% of participants reported using it for less than 3 
hours; 24% for 4–6 hours; 21.6% for 7–9 hours; 13.7% for 10–12 hours; and 14.8% for more 

than 12 hours. Table 1 provides detailed demographic information about the participants 

Instruments 

This study used the 11 items of Social Media Engagement Scales for Adolescents (SMES-A) 
developed by Ni et al. (2020). Affective engagement refers to the feelings that arise in 
individuals towards existing objects or issues; behavioural engagement refers to a daily 
activity that involves a certain object; while the cognitive engagement refers to individual's 
understanding of an object or issue that appears in his perception. The SMES-A comprises 
three factors: affective engagement (4 items), behavioral engagement (4 items), and cognitive 
engagement (3 items). Responses are rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (Very 
Unsuitable) to 5 (Very Suitable). The original SMES-A had Cronbach alpha reliability 
coefficients of 0.71 to 0.80, and construct validity by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) 
found that the three-factor model of the SMES-A had a satisfactory fit Ni et al. (2020). The 
Social Media Engagement Scales for Adolescents (SMES-A) has never been adapted and 

tested for validity and reliability in other countries. 

Adaptation Process 

The adaptation of the SMES-A followed the guidelines of Beaton et al. (2000). In the first 

step, the original scale was forward-translated into Indonesian by two colleagues with 

undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology, both fluent in English and with 

overseas academic experience in English-speaking countries. In the second step, the 

researcher synthesized the forward translations. The third step involved back-translation of 

the Indonesian version into the original language by the same professionals from the first 

step, followed by comparison with the original scale. The fourth step consisted of expert 

review, involving measurement specialists and linguists, to evaluate the translated version. 

In the fifth step, a pilot test was conducted with five participants to assess the linguistic 

clarity and readability of the scale items.  

Data Collection 

Data was collected by compiling a scale into an online form (i.e., google form) which was 

distributed through social media and face-to-face directly to schools. The study employed 

purposive sampling, a non-probability sampling method involving the deliberate selection 

of participants based on specific criteria aligned with the research objectives (Paramita et al., 

2021). The sample consisted of adolescents aged 12 to 21 who were active social media 

users. Participants were drawn from 27 provinces across Indonesia, including North 

Sumatra, Riau Islands, Bengkulu, Jambi, West Sumatra, Lampung, South Sumatra, DKI 

Jakarta, DI Yogyakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Kalimantan, Central 

Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, 

Central Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West 

Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Papua, West Papua, and Bali. 

 



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Validity and Reliability Analysis 

Content validity was assessed through expert judgment using the Aiken’s V method. A total 

of 25 experts—holding bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology, with experience in 

psychological scale development and familiarity with the study context—evaluated the scale 

items. Construct validity was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), 

conducted through JASP software. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in this study was 

conducted using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation method. Prior to CFA, data suitability 

was assessed using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure and Bartlett’s Test of 

Sphericity. A KMO value above 0.5 indicates adequate sampling adequacy, while values 

below 0.5 suggest that the data may not be appropriate for factor analysis. A significant result 

in Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (i.e., a low p-value) indicates that the item correlation matrix 

differs from an identity matrix, supporting the suitability of the data for factor analysis. 

Conversely, a non-significant result (high p-value) suggests that inter-item correlations may 

be insufficient for factor extraction. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency 

using both Cronbach’s Alpha and McDonald’s Omega. Employing both methods provides a 

more comprehensive evaluation: Cronbach’s Alpha offers a practical estimate of item 

homogeneity (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011), while McDonald’s Omega yields a more precise 

reliability estimate without assuming equal factor loadings (Dunn et al., 2014; McNeish, 

2018). The use of both indices aligns with current methodological recommendations to 

improve the robustness of reliability assessments (Cortez & Nussbeck, 2021). 

Results  

Table 2 

Translate English – Indonesia 

No SMEA Original SMEA Indonesian Version 

A1 Using social media is my daily habit Menggunakan media sosial merupakan kebiasaan 

saya sehari-hari 

A2 I browse social media whenever I have time Saya menjelajahi media sosial kapanpun saya ada 

waktu 

A3 Even if it’s late, I’ll take a look at social media 

before sleep 

Meskipun sudah larut, saya akan melihat-lihat media 

sosial sebelum tidur 

A4 I often use social media to relax in habit Saya sering menggunakan media sosial untuk 

bersantai dari rutinitas 

B1 I get fulfilled from the attention and comments 

of others on social media 

Saya mendapatkan kepuasan dari perhatian dan 

komentar orang lain di media sosial 

B2 The support and encouragement of others on 

social media is very important to me 

Dukungan dan semangat dari orang lain di media 

sosial sangat penting buat saya 

B3 Using social media, I am satisfied with the 

relationship between myself and my friends. 

Menggunakan media sosial membuat saya merasa 

puas dengan hubungan saya dan teman-teman saya 

B4 Compare to the real world, social media makes 
me feel more comfortable. 

Dibandingkan dengan dunia nyata, media sosial 
membuat saya lebih nyaman 

C1 I feel bored when I can’t use social media Saya merasa bosan ketika tidak bisa menggunakan 

media sosial 

C2 Compare to the real world, I am happier when 

I socialize on social media 

Dibandingkan dengan dunia nyata, saya lebih 

Bahagia ketika bersosialisasi di media sosial 

C3 I feel anxious when I can’t use social media Saya merasa cemas ketika tidak bisa menggunakan 

media sosial 

 



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The results of the adaptation process that has been carried out by following the adaptation 
steps of Beaton et al. (2000). Table 2 provides an explanation of the original SMEA scale 
and the results of the SMEA adaptation in Indonesian. Following adaption, the SMES-A 
scale was tested for content validity using Aiken's V approach. The expert evaluation 
provided Aiken's V indices ranging from 0.67 to 0.91, which are regarded valid according 
to the criteria stated by Aiken (1985). 

Psychometric properties 

The reliability analysis of the 11 SMES-A items, conducted using Cronbach’s Alpha, 

produced item discrimination indices between 0.39 and 0.62, resulting in an overall 

Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.83. The Omega study for McDonald’s revealed 

coefficient values of 0.818 for the affective factor, 0.62 for the behavioral factor, and 0.60 

for the cognitive factor, resulting in a total Omega coefficient of 0.80. These results indicate 

that the Indonesian version of the SMES-A demonstrates satisfactory internal consistency. 

See Table 3.  

 

Table 3 

Reliability Test Results 

 
 McDonald Omega (ω) Cronbach Alpha (α) 

Affective 0.81 0.81 

Behavioral 0.62 0.68 

Cognitive 0.60 0.69 

Total 0.80 0.83 

Suggested cutoff ≥ 0.07 ≥ 0.07 

  

The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test showed a value of 0.83 (KMO> 0.50) and 

Bartlett's test of chi-square <0.001, indicating that the data were suitable for factor analysis. 

Meanwhile, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) of the Indonesian version of the 

SMES-A revealed factor loadings ranging from 0.54 to 0.68 for the affective factor, 0.42 to 

0.56 for the behavioral factor, and 0.36 to 0.77 for the cognitive factor. Most items 

demonstrated acceptable loadings above 0.40. Despite item C2's factor loading of 0.361, 

which is somewhat beneath the widely recognized criterion, it was included since its 

presence did not significantly undermine the overall measurement quality of the scale. See 

Table 4.  

Table 4  

Factor Loading of the Indonesian Version of SMEA 

 
Factor Indicator Std. Estimate 

Affective 

 

 

 

A1 0.67 

A2 0.68 

A3 0.67 

A4 0.54 

Behavioral 

 

 

 

B1 0.51 

B2 0.56 

B3 0.53 

B4 0.42 

Cognitive 

 

 

C1 0.77 

C2 0.36 

C3 0.59 



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The Goodness-of-Fit analysis for the Indonesian version of the SMES-A, as presented 

in Table 5, indicated that most fit indices met the acceptable criteria, with the exception of 

the chi-square test. Although the chi-square was significant—suggesting a discrepancy 

between the observed data and the theoretical model—it is known to be highly sensitive to 

sample size and should be interpreted with caution. The model demonstrated acceptable fit 

based on alternative indices: RMSEA = 0.07 (≤ 0.08), GFI = 0.99 (≥ 0.90), SRMR = 0.05 (< 

0.08), CFI = 0.93 (≥ 0.90), and TLI = 0.91 (≥ 0.90). These results support the conclusion 

that the model demonstrates a good overall fit. 

Table 5 

Goodness of Fit of the Indonesian version of SMES-A 

 

Estimation Criteria Result Description 

Chi-Square p > 0.05 p < 0.001 Not fit 
RMSEA < 0.08 0.07 Good fit 

Goodness of Fit Index 
(GFI) 

≥ 0.90 0.99 Good fit 

SRMR < 0.08 0.05 Good fit 
CFI ≥ 0.90 0.93 Good fit 
TLI ≥ 0.90 0.91 Good fit 

Discussion 

This study aims to adapt Social Media Engagement Scales for Adolescents to the Indonesian 
cultural context and assess the psychometry property of the scale.  The results showed that 
the Indonesian version of the SMES-A demonstrates adequate content validity. This suggests 
that the scale items are considered relevant and representative of the construct of social 
media engagement among adolescents. According to Azwar (2019), strong content validity 
reflects the extent to which the instrument adequately covers the domain it intends to 
measure, ensuring that the scale captures the essential dimensions of the engagement 
construct within the Indonesian cultural context. This indicates that the scale is not only valid 
but also culturally appropriate for measuring social media engagement among Indonesian 
adolescent.  

The results also showed that the total Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.83, while the total 
McDonald’s Omega was 0.80, indicating a good level of internal consistency across items. 
Specifically, for the affective factor, α = 0.81 and ω = 0.81; for the behavioral factor, α = 
0.68 and ω = 0.62; and for the cognitive factor, α = 0.69 and ω = 0.60. According to Nunnally 
and Bernstein (1994), a reliability coefficient of 0.70 or higher is generally considered 
acceptable for early-stage research, while values closer to 0.80 or above are preferable for 
established scales. Hair et al. (2014) also posited that reliability values between 0.60 and 
0.70 are still acceptable in certain situations. In this context, the affective dimension clearly 
meets acceptable reliability standards in both coefficients. However, the behavioral and 
cognitive dimensions approach the minimum acceptable threshold, suggesting that future 
refinement or item revision may improve their internal consistency. The Indonesian version 
of the SMES-A demonstrates satisfactory internal consistency overall, particularly in the 
affective domain. The behavioral and cognitive domains, although marginal, remain within 
an acceptable range for preliminary validation studies. 

 The Social Media Engagement Scales for Adolescents from Ni et al. (2020) with the 
context of adolescents in China was found to be adaptable to the Indonesian context. The 
researchers made a model modification by allowing a residual covariance between items B4 
and C2 due to their high residual covariance values, which indicated a mismatch between 



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Ratri Pratiwi et.al (Adaptation and validation of the Indonesia version social media engagement scale for…) 

the hypothesized model and the observed data. This modification involved correlating the 
error terms of B4 and C2 to improve model fit, based on the theoretical justification that both 
items share similar wording and represent overlapping aspects of the cognitive dimension. 
According to Brown (2015) and Kline (2016), correlating residuals in confirmatory factor 
analysis is acceptable when item content is similar, as this similarity can produce shared 
variance not fully captured by the latent construct. This adjustment was made to enhance the 
model fit indices without compromising construct validity. After the adjustment, the model 
demonstrated good fit: RMSEA = 0.07 (≤ 0.08), GFI = 0.99 (≥ 0.90), SRMR = 0.05 (≤ 0.08), 
CFI = 0.93 (≥ 0.90), and TLI = 0.91 (≥ 0.90). These results are consistent with goodness-of-
fit criteria established by Hair et al. (2010, 2014), Hooper et al. (2008), Brown (2006), and 
Wijanto (2006), indicating that the model achieved acceptable fit and supports the construct 
validity of the Indonesian version of the SMES-A. This suggests that the scale's factor 
structure remains stable even after cross-cultural adaptation, and the measured constructs—
affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement—are conceptually meaningful in the 
Indonesian adolescent context. Achieving acceptable model fit reinforces the validity of 
using this instrument to assess social media engagement in a culturally different population, 
demonstrating both theoretical consistency and empirical adequacy 

In contrast, Wisessathorn et al. (2022), in developing the Thai-Social Media 
Engagement Scale (T-SMES) based on engagement theory and social media behavior among 
Thai adolescents, identified a different factor structure. Their exploratory factor analysis 
yielded three dimensions—feel at ease and not missing out, make it a habit, and sense of 
being attracted to and connected to others—which predominantly reflect affective and 
behavioral components. Although their scale was grounded in engagement theory, the 
cognitive dimension was not distinctly represented. This differs from both the present study 
and Ni et al.’s (2020) findings, in which affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement 
were consistently retained as core constructs. These differences may reflect cultural or 
contextual variations in how adolescents experience and interpret engagement with social 
media platforms. 

The practical implications of these findings are that the SMEA can be a valid 
instrument that can be used to support evidence-based interventions to promote healthy 
social media use and digital literacy. By providing objective and quantitative data on social 
media engagement patterns, this tool enables educators, counselors, and public health 
officials to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of social media. Consequently, 
stakeholders are able to develop customized intervention programs to address specific 
problematic behaviors identified by the scale, such as compulsive use or excessive emotional 
investment. 

This study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. Although the findings 
demonstrated adequate content validity and internal consistency, the reliability values for 
the behavioral and cognitive dimensions were at the lower acceptable threshold, suggesting 
that some items may not fully capture the constructs of social media engagement in the 
Indonesian cultural context. In addition, the present study did not assess criterion-related 
validity, so it remains unclear how well the scale correlates with external measures 
theoretically related to social media engagement. This study primarily emphasized content 
validity, internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis. However, additional 
evidence such as temporal stability (test-retest reliability) and measurement invariance 
across groups would further strengthen the robustness of the instrument. 

Future studies are recommended to conduct further refinement or revision of items, 
particularly within the behavioral and cognitive dimensions, to improve reliability. 
Subsequent research should also include criterion-related validity testing by examining the 
correlations between this scale and other established measures of social media use, well-
being, or related constructs. In addition, conducting measurement invariance analyses across 
groups (e.g., gender, education level, or frequency of social media use) as well as test-retest 



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reliability would provide stronger evidence of temporal consistency and construct 
equivalence. 

Conclusion 

Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the Indonesian version of the 
Social Media Engagement Assessment (SMEA) scale demonstrates strong psychometric 
properties, with satisfactory validity and reliability. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) 
supports a three-factor structure (affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement), which 
offers the best model fit in representing the construct of social media engagement among 
Indonesian adolescents. The results showed that the SMES-A adapted to the Indonesian 
context can be considered a valid and reliable tool by researchers and practitioners. The 
primary strength of this study is its substantial sample size and the inclusion of participants 
from diverse regions across Indonesia. This validated version of the SMEA scale provides a 
reliable and culturally appropriate tool for future research on social media engagement in the 
Indonesian context. It is expected to facilitate more accurate assessments and support the 
development of targeted interventions and digital literacy programs. 

Acknowledgment 

The author gratefully acknowledges all contributors, especially the participants, and the 

supporting institutions involved in this research. 

 

Declarations 

Author contribution. The first author contributed to designing the study, collecting data, 
and analysing data. The second author contributed to writing the manuscript draft, collecting 
data and finalising the manuscript. The third author contributed to collecting data and writing 
the manuscript. 
Funding statement. This research was conducted with Universitas Mercu Buana 
Yogyakarta's funding support 

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.   

Additional information. No additional information is available for this paper. 
 

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