Social media use for everyday life information: Information-seeking behavior of Saudi university students

This study explored how students at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Saudi Arabia use social media to find information for everyday life. It compared how often students use social media and how much they trust it, in comparison to other information sources. The study also identified which social media platforms are used most and what types of everyday life information they provide. In addition, it looked at how students search for information on each platform. The research further explored how gender affects the use of social media for these purposes. Data was collected through an online survey of 585 undergraduate students (363 males and 222 females) and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that social media was the second most used source of everyday information, after web search engines, but was the least trusted. WhatsApp was the most commonly used platform, while Twitter was considered the most trustworthy. The study analyzed information-seeking behavior across eight everyday life topics and ten social media platforms, showing different patterns of use for each. Gender had a significant effect: female students used social media more often, trusted it more, and found it more useful. Gender also influenced which information topics were important, which platforms were preferred, and how students searched for information.