Students’ Perceptions of Social Media Technology and its Use in Their Academic Journey

Social media is a term used to describe digital platforms that connect and engage individuals worldwide. Such platforms can take the form of Instagram, X (formerly, Twitter), Canvas, LinkedIn, Discord, etc. Social media helps users “gain knowledge” of important topics “as well as others’ activities, thoughts, and stories” (Zhao & Zhou, 2020, p.1032). Since its creation, social media use has grown tremendously. So much so, that it has almost permeated every aspect of our lives. Educational spaces have especially shown evidence of an “increased use of social networking by students to perform academic activities” (Alamri, 2019, p.64). Social media is ever-present in classrooms, educational centers, and professional settings throughout the world. However, it was once stated that despite social media’s prevalence, teaching and learning “in colleges and universities” had “largely remained unchanged” (Tierney et al., 2014, p.2). Now, post the COVID-19 pandemic, many students have switched to online learning platforms to gain their education. Thus, this study was conducted to better understand and explore the changes that have come from social media’s presence in the classroom. The research from this study reveals that online master's students are reluctant to connect with their professors on social media. They also express skepticism of social media technology and its place within academia. Ultimately, this further suggests a need for continued research on other student populations to gather a more comprehensive understanding of how social media can be better used within such academic settings.