Social Media Use Among University Students: A Review and Direction for Future Research

Abstract

The use of social media has become widespread in recent years. It is an excellent source of social interaction, and students routinely use various social media platforms for different academic activities. This study aimed to review and synthesize research on social media usage and its impact on university students in Pakistan. The systematic literature review (SLR) technique was used. With the help of a refined search string, a systematic review of studies published in the English language between 2010 and2022 was conducted. The data was collected from the Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Library Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database. Thirty-one studies were selected after a rigorous review of 1244 studies. It was found that most quantitative research studies were conducted using the survey method and reported both positive and negative impacts of social media. The results highlighted that Pakistani students use social media for (1) knowledge sharing, (2) socialization, (3) political awareness, (4) job hunting, and (5) cross-cultural communication and coordination. They also support the positive impact of social media use among Pakistani students. The novelty of this research is rooted in the comprehensive search and systematic review of social media research from the Pakistani university student's perspective, which has not been unified to the present date. The results of this study would provide valuable insights to educational administrators regarding the formal adoption of social media technologies for teaching and research in the educational institutions of Pakistan.

Keywords

• social media
• ubiquitous technologies
• higher education
• university students
• pakistan