Abstract :
The present study used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to develop and examine the preliminary psychometric properties of the Digital Cognitive Overload Scale among social media users. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase I, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 active social media users to generate an initial item pool of 25 items. In Phase II, the preliminary scale was administered to 300 social media users aged 18–40 years through convenience sampling. Exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring supported a single-factor structure, suggesting that digital cognitive overload functioned as a unified cognitive strain construct in the present sample. The scale showed acceptable internal consistency and a preliminary one-factor structure; however, convergent/external validity was not supported. The scale should therefore be treated as an initial instrument for assessing cognitive strain in digitally mediated environments, not as a fully validated measure.