The use of social networking sites among Malaysian university students

Abstract

Social networking sites (SNSs) have increasingly become an important tool for young adults to interact and socialize with their peers. As most of these young adults are also learners, educators have been looking for ways to understand the phenomena in order to harness its potential for use in education. This is especially relevant in Malaysia where SNSs are popular among the youths, yet there is little data available to describe patterns of use for the wider segment of the target population. This study presents the results of a nationwide survey on tertiary level students in Malaysia. The results show that SNSs penetration is not at full 100% as initially assumed. The respondents spend the most time online for social networking and learning. The results also indicate that while the respondents are using SNS for the purpose of informal learning activities, only half (50.3%) use it to get in touch with their lecturers in informal learning contexts. The respondents also reported spending more time on SNS for socializing rather than learning and they do not believe the use of SNS is affecting their academic performance.