Social media envy scale: a Turkish adaptation, validity, and reliability study

Nail Değirmenci; Femke Geusens; Kamolthip Ruckwongpatr; Po-Ching Huang; Fatma Ongur; Ufuk Güneş; Nihat Şimşek; Ali Gökalp

doi:10.29329/jsomer.74

Authors

Nail Değirmenci Gazi University, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7537-7345
Femke Geusens Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Kamolthip Ruckwongpatr Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, Christian University of Thailand, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Po-Ching Huang Department of Physiotherapy, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, HK https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2047-2246
Fatma Ongur Anadolu University, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4492-0834
Ufuk Güneş Ministry of National Education, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3194-562X
Nihat Şimşek Kilis 7 Aralık University, Kilis, Türkiye
Ali Gökalp Department of Educational Sciences, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Türkiye

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29329/jsomer.74

Keywords:

Social media envy scale, Satisfaction with life, DASS-21, Turkish adaptation study, Psychometric testing

Abstract

Social media envy is a complex social emotion that involves a mix of unpleasant, often painful feelings that occur when someone perceives a lack of a superior quality, achievement, or possession that another person has (based on positively distorted content on social media). This study aims to adapt the Social Media Envy Scale (SMES), developed by Tandoc et al. (2015), to Turkish culture and examine its psychometric properties. To assess the scale's structural validity, criterion validity, and reliability, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 410 participants (57.3% female). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to assess whether the original seven-item, single-factor structure of the scale held in the Turkish sample. One item was removed due to low factor loading. The fit indices from the final model indicated that the single-factor structure was acceptably confirmed in the Turkish context. The internal consistency coefficients also showed that the scale has adequate reliability. To evaluate its criterion validity, Pearson correlation analyses were performed using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the DASS-21 subscales (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress) as external measures. The results showed that the SMES had a significant moderate negative correlation with the SWLS, and moderate positive correlations with depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms, supporting the scale’s criterion validity by reflecting relationships in expected directions. This study added value to the current literature by providing a valid scale to measure envy arising from social media in Turkish culture. Within only six items, the one-dimensional structure of Turkish SMES still demonstrates acceptable psychometric properties, including internal consistency and criterion validity. Its robustness supported the future use in a larger-scale study focusing on psychological mechanisms among Turkish social media users.

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