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Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): January

Copyright (c) 2026 Zabihullah Merzayee, Zabehullah Bashardost

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The Role of Media Literacy in Academic and Social Use of Facebook among Master’s Students of Social Sciences at Kabul University

https://doi.org/10.62810/jssh.v3i1.189
Zabihullah Merzayee
Master’s Student, Department of Mass Communication, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan
Zabehullah Bashardost
Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Communication & Journalism, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan

Corresponding Author(s) : Zabihullah Merzayee

z.merzayeee@gmail.com

Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): January

Abstract

The rapid enlargement of social networking platforms has significantly influenced how university students communicate, information, and engage in academic and social activities. This study examines how media literacy relates to the effective use of Facebook among master’s students of Social Sciences at Kabul University in 2025. Applying a quantitative definitive-survey approach, data were gathered from 221 master’s students using an organized questionnaire based on media literacy. The instrument's reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.79), and the data were analysed using SPSS version 27. Media literacy was examined across four domains: knowledge of media messages, recognition of hidden purposes, attentive selection of content, and analytical evaluation. The findings show that students demonstrate strong abilities in understanding media messages and in deliberately selecting Facebook contexts, suggesting an active and ambitious pattern of use. In contrast, lower levels were perceived in recognizing hidden motives and critically analysing content, marking ongoing obstacles in recognizing implicit intentions and possible biases within social media messages.  Throughout, the results suggest that higher levels of media literacy are connected with more purposeful, reflective, and effective use of Facebook for academic and social purposes within the specific context of student at Kabul University. This research emphasis the importance of integrating media literacy education into Kabul University curricula to support the development of informed, critical, and responsible digital engagement among Kabul University students.

Keywords

Effective Use Facebook Kabul University Master’s Students Media Literacy
Merzayee, Z., & Bashardost, Z. (2026). The Role of Media Literacy in Academic and Social Use of Facebook among Master’s Students of Social Sciences at Kabul University. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1), 32–47. https://doi.org/10.62810/jssh.v3i1.189
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Author biographies is not available.
Received 2025-09-27
Accepted 2026-01-26
Published 2026-01-31
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