Understanding Telegram and Instagram Usage by Graduate Students at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences in Allameh Tabataba'i University Using the Uses and Gratification Expectancy Model

The purpose of this study is to identify the perception of Telegram and Instagram use by graduate students of Allameh Tabataba'i University using the uses and gratification expectancy model.

The research consisted of an analysis of data collected via surveys. The overall statistical population was the 2,200 postgraduate students of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of Allameh Tabataba'i University. The sample size was 327 based on a Morgan table; data were gathered using a researcher-designed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, a factor analysis test to confirm the validity of the questions and identify key factors of each component and structural equation modeling technique was used.

Analysis of variables showed that while the satisfaction with information sharing using Instagram was stronger than Telegram, with a path coefficient of 0.209, the satisfaction with the effect of perceived pleasure using Telegram was higher than Instagram, with a path coefficient of 0.266. There were no significant differences in the other variables: social interaction, spending time, self-reporting, and media attractiveness.

The results showed that graduate students used both media for different purposes such as social interaction, spending time and self-reporting, and despite the filtering of Telegram, no significant difference was observed between the use of Telegram and Instagram, and almost both media was equally sought after by users.