Abstract
Universities are becoming aware of the importance of social networking sites for the reinforcement of their institutional brands. This study was conducted to analyze the extent to which best-ranked universities use social networking sites. A quantitative methodology and digital methods were used to measure the social media presence of the first 400 universities listed in the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Ranking 2018. The results reveal a high degree of involvement of those universities on social media; some factors that are associated with significant differences in the adoption of social networking sites include the public versus private management model, the level of academic prestige, and the region of origin.
Highlights
The growing popularity of digital social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn has created an entirely new universe of possibilities for communication and collaboration.Every day, millions of people across the world use digital social networks to engage in conversations that cover a wide range of topics from entertainment to professional subjects
The connection between universities and social media seems natural to the extent to which new and prospective students, a group that forms the primary community of educational institutions, are native users of these platforms
The results of this study demonstrate that almost all the analyzed universities have an official presence on the monitored social networking sites
Summary
Millions of people across the world use digital social networks to engage in conversations that cover a wide range of topics from entertainment to professional subjects. This phenomenon has had a massive impact on the manner in which the public perceives institutions of higher education and their respective institutional brands. The connection between universities and social media seems natural to the extent to which new and prospective students, a group that forms the primary community of educational institutions, are native users of these platforms They tend to adopt technological changes at a much faster pace than other socio-demographic sectors [1]. Colleges and universities can for example, connect with companies, corporations, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), parents, and society in general
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