Digital Citizenship, Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction: An Assessment of the Geographical Differentials and Demographic Factors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Living in the new era of globalization has been enhanced by ubiquitous information and communication technologies. These advancements in communication technology introduce many consequences in a person’s life and impact the psychology of potential users and may lead to many psychological concerns. This study examines the impact of digital citizenship and considered the effects of digital life on self-esteem and the potential mediating role of life satisfaction. The cross-sectional research design uses a purposive non-probability sampling technique with a population of 2597 Saudis with formal education. Data were collected via multiple research questionnaires: to assess individuals ‘concept of digital citizenship, the Digital Citizenship Questionnaire developed by Nordin et al. (2016); to measure self-esteem, Webster et al. (2020) state self-esteem scale; and to measure life satisfaction, the Satisfaction with Life Scale developed by Diener et al. (1985).
It has been observed significant associations fall the dimensions of digital citizenship with self-esteem and life satisfaction, while life satisfaction played a significant mediation role between digital citizenship and self-esteem. Findings of the results address useful insights about the digital citizenship construct and its relationship with psychological attributes of self-esteem and life satisfaction. The results will significantly contribute to the field of digital marketing, and digital network-based organizations and enhances the knowledge about digital citizenship along with the responsibilities and ethical use of digital technology in the respective firms.