The position of technical competence in establishing digital data security awareness

This research aimed to investigate the explanatory and predictive relationships between digital literacy components and digital data security. The study was carried out with 322 students enrolled in the education faculties of eight randomly selected universities. In the research, the attitudes, cognitive and social variables of digital literacy were exogenous. A mediation model has been established in which the technical variable is the mediator, and the digital data security awareness is endogenous. According to the analysis results of the mediation model, the technical variable fully mediates between the attitude, cognitive and social variables, and the awareness of digital data security. These results show that developing digital literacy skills and if these skills are supported with technical knowledge can contribute to developing digital data security awareness. As a result, digital literacy skills will only have the expected effect on creating digital data security awareness with the technical information tool variable. According to our mediation model, the technical competence to be developed with the support of digital literacy skills and the creation of digital data security awareness can guide researchers and instructors working in the field.