Mediated Social Connectedness Scale
I am also currently validating a self-report measure that I have developed called the Mediated Social Connectedness (MSC) Scale, another tool for capturing the perceptions of others online and the implications those perceptions have for communication processes and psychological well-being.
The MSC scale is designed to measure a combination of awareness of others and feelings of connection to others. The measure has an average internal reliability of α=.80 on various tests, and correlates with measures of trait social connectedness, situational self-awareness (Govern & Marsh, 200; Lee, Draper, & Lee, 2001), and positive affect, according to the PANAS.
The MSC differs from measures of social presence as it can be used in non-interactive settings, characteristic of many social media systems, and it emphasizes affective rather than cognitive states. This scale is intended for CMC and HCI researchers interested in comparing how different systems generate a sense of social connectedness, or how different uses of a single system generate a sense of social connectedness.
The scale, listed below, should be used on a 7 point scale (1= Disagree, 7=Agree). The phrase, “this system” can be replaced with the appropriate system in use (e.g. “on Facebook”) or can be replaced with other situational appropriate phrases, (e.g. “right now,” “today,” “this week,” etc.)
Please note that this scale has undergone only preliminary validation procedures, and is currently undergoing further validation.
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Mediated Social Connectedness Scale
1. When I am using this system, I have a sense that I am part of a larger community.
2. When I am using this system, I don’t feel that others are concerned about me as a person.
3. When I am using this system, I know that other people care about what happens to me.
4. I don’t I feel like I could share my problems with anyone using this system if I had to.
5. I do not feel alone in the world when I am using this system.
6. I feel alone when I am using this system.
7. I feel that I have purpose in life.
8. I do not feel connected to people when I using this system.
9. I feel more connected to the world after using this system.
10. This system has very little impact on my sense of connection in the world.
11. Right now, it is unlikely that someone else using this system is thinking about me.
12. I assume that other people have made a mental note about what I do using this system.
13. I do not feel that other people are paying much attention to me while I use this system.
14. I assume that there are people that will have observed my behavior and have some sort of reaction to it via this system.
15. What I have done using this system has not had an impact on people.
16. This system does not really allow me to glimpse into other people’s lives.