Effect of computer-mediated communication competency on young adults’ personal development: The mediating roles of online engagement

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of computer-mediated communication competency (self-efficacy, motivation and knowledge) on young adults’ personal development (i.e. self-esteem, satisfaction with university life and acceptance). In addition, the study examined whether young adults’ online engagement mediates the relationships between components in the computer-mediated communication competency and personal development. A survey was administered in three public universities where young adults were found to be heavily engaged online. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed and a total of 548 questionnaires were returned, cleaned and used in the analysis. The study found several relationships: i) Motivation affects the young adults’ self-esteem, satisfaction with university life and acceptance; ii) Knowledge affects self-esteem and satisfaction with university life: iii) Self-efficacy only affects satisfaction with university life. However, online engagement was found to mediate motivation with acceptance as well as knowledge with acceptance. The implications of the findings are also discussed.