Media Dependency, User Satisfaction and Digital Information Challenges in Social Media Use Among College Students in Cainta, Rizal

This study investigates the levels of media dependency, user satisfaction, and digital information challenges in social media use among college students in Cainta, Rizal, grounded by Media Dependency Theory and Uses and Gratifications Theory, it also examined differences across profile variables and explored the relationship between media dependency and user satisfaction. Students today rely heavily on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter). This dependency exposes them to issues including misinformation, cognitive overload, and technical barriers. This study addresses the gap of localized research integrating these variables into a unified framework among Filipino college students and proposes a practical action plan to strengthen media literacy in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. This study utilized a descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from (N=355) college students from University of Rizal System – Cainta Campus, One Cainta College, Cainta Catholic College and STI College through a self-made survey questionnaire and analyzed using frequency and percentage, weighted mean with standard deviation, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson’s r correlation coefficient. Findings revealed a high level of media dependency, particularly in integration into daily life, and a very high level of user satisfaction, with technical accessibility and information quality as key contributors. Respondents also experienced digital information challenges, especially misinformation and cognitive load. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in media dependency, user satisfaction, and digital information challenges when respondents are grouped according to their profile. However, a significant difference was found in social media usage duration (X² = 45.535, p < .001) and a significant relationship existed between media dependency and user satisfaction (p < .001).