Digital Platform Engagement and Behavioural Attitudes of Young Adults: An Analytical Study

Background: The rapid integration of digital platforms into the daily lives of Indian young adults has transformed their behavioural orientations, yet research on the convergence of usage purposes, platform preferences, and psychological attitudes remains fragmented. Objective: The study aims to identify the primary purposes of digital device usage as well as the most preferred digital platforms of young adults. The study also examines the behavioural attitudes of young adults by underlying attitudinal dimensions. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 500 young adults aged 18-30 years residing in Coimbatore, selected through stratified random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data. Henry Garrett Ranking, Weighted mean analysis, and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyse the data. Reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's α = 0.84. Results: The demographic profile revealed that the majority of respondents (79.4%) were in the 18–22 age group, 74.8% were female, and 73.4% were undergraduates. Gaming ranked first with a Mean Score of 54.32 as the primary purpose of using digital device by young adults, followed by Social Networking (53.55). With regard to the most frequently used digital platform WhatsApp/Telegram (3.86) and Instagram (3.85) ranked top, whereas Facebook (2.08) and X/Twitter (1.92) showed declining preference. Factor analysis extracted four attitudinal dimensions: Perceived Usefulness (17.11% variance), Emotional Reliance (15.08%), Compulsive Engagement (14.83%), and Job-Driven (11.84%), which cumulatively accounted 58.86% of total variance. Conclusion: Digital gadgets are used mainly by young adults for recreational purposes, with gaming and social networking being the most common. Four distinct behavioural attitudes characterize their engagement. The study recommends digital literacy interventions addressing compulsive usage patterns and emotional reliance.