Path analysis model examining the relationship between Arab youth’s Instagram follow-up activities and social skills development

This study examined the impact of Instagram and exposure to videos published on the platform on users’ social skills. Drawing on the social learning theory (SLT), this study compared Instagram’s role in the development of social and communication skills among Gulf Arab and Egyptian youth. The results revealed that the indirect path of exposure intensity to Instagram had the strongest effect on acquiring social skills, accounting for a total path coefficient of 91.66% for the Egyptian group. In contrast, the total effect in the Gulf Arab group was predominantly shaped by the direct path (88.3%), which was higher than that in the Egyptian group. Instagram usage had a more immediate impact on social skills development among Gulf Arab youth. Conversely, the stronger indirect effect observed in the Egyptian group indicated that mediating factors, such as learning and communication processes, played a more significant role in influencing their social skills.