Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2226-6348

Trends in Social Media Use among University Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Mohd Nadzri Mohd Najib, Mohd Izani Othman, Suraya Sulaiman, Priska Ernestina Tenda, Muhammad Azrul Zabidi

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i2/16970

Open access

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in social media usage among teens and young adults which may be helpful or harmful. This study aimed to investigate the use of social media and trends among diploma in pharmacy students at UiTM Cawangan Pulau Pinang, Kampus Bertam.
Method: A cross?sectional study was conducted whereby data was collected through an online survey and completed questionnaires by 189 respondents (18-22 years old) undertaking diploma in pharmacy in and off campus. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet for descriptive statistics and frequency analysis. SPSS version 28.0 was used to analyse the inferential statistics i.e. the Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results: The analysis of the collected data revealed that the majority of the respondents were female and considered themselves moderate users of social media, with an average of four social media accounts. The study also found that social media consumption among pharmacy students at UiTM Cawangan Pulau Pinang increased during the pandemic compared to the average time spent before. The data showed that a significant percentage of students spend several hours on social media, with the most commonly reported problems being distraction from studying and addiction. These findings raise concerns about the negative effects of social media usage on academic performance and well-being.
Conclusion: Overall, the study provides valuable insight into the habits and exposure of students to social media usage, highlighting the need for further research and awareness of the potential risks associated with excessive social media consumption.

Basumatary, B., & Kalita, H. K. (2022). Social Media Forensics-A Holistic Review. In 2022 9th International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom) (pp. 590-597). IEEE.
Kemp, S. (2022). Digital 2022: Global overview report. DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-global-overview-report
Tess, P. A. (2013). The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual)–A literature review. Computers in human behavior, 29(5), A60-A68.
Hsieh, M. Y. (2020). The most sustainable niche principles of social media education in a higher education contracting era. Sustainability, 12(1), 399.
Cucinotta, D., & Vanelli, M. (2020). WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Acta bio medica: Atenei parmensis, 91(1), 157.
Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2021). Kenyataan Akhbar KPK 2 Mac 2020 – Situasi Semasa Jangkitan Penyakit Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) di Malaysia.
Hashim, J. H., Adman, M. A., Hashim, Z., Radi, M. F., & Kwan, S. C. (2021). COVID-19 epidemic in Malaysia: epidemic progression, challenges, and response. Frontiers in public health, 9, 560592.
Ali, W. (2020). Online and remote learning in higher education institutes: A necessity in light of COVID-19 pandemic. Higher education studies, 10(3), 16-25.
Ali, I., Danaee, M., & Firdaus, A. (2020). Social networking sites usage & needs scale (SNSUN): a new instrument for measuring social networking sites’ usage patterns and needs. Journal of Information and Telecommunication, 4(2), 151-174.
Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass communication & society, 3(1), 3-37.
Pirdehghan, A., Khezmeh, E., & Panahi, S. (2021). Social media use and sleep disturbance among adolescents: A cross-sectional study. Iranian journal of psychiatry, 16(2), 137.
Hamilton, J. L., Nesi, J., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2020). Teens and social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Staying socially connected while physically distant. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/5stx4
Rajkumar, R. P. (2020). COVID-19 and mental health: A review of the existing literature. Asian journal of psychiatry, 52, 102066.
Twenge, J. M., Haidt, J., Joiner, T. E., & Campbell, W. K. (2020). Underestimating digital media harm. Nature Human Behaviour, 4(4), 346-348.
Gomez-Galan, J., Martinez-Lopez, J. A., Lazaro-Perez, C., & Sanchez-Serrano, S. J. L. (2020). Social networks consumption and addiction in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Educational approach to responsible use. Sustainability, 12(18), 7737.
Saputri, R. A. M., & Yumarni, T. (2023). Social media addiction and mental health among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 21(1), 96-110.
Huckins, J. F., DaSilva, A. W., Wang, W., Hedlund, E., Rogers, C., Nepal, S. K., ... & Campbell, A. T. (2020). Mental health and behavior of college students during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal smartphone and ecological momentary assessment study. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(6), e20185.
O’brien, M., Moore, K., & McNicholas, F. (2020). Social media spread during Covid-19: the pros and cons of likes and shares. Ir Med J, 113(4), 52.

In-Text Citation: (Najib et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Najib, M. N. M., Othman, M. I., Sulaiman, S., Tenda, P. E., & Zabidi, M. A. (2023). Trends in Social Media Use among University Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 774–784.