Influence of Social Networking Sites on Undergraduate Saudi EFL Learners: A Study at Ha'il University

Abstract

Smart usage of social networking sites can make them useful instruments for communication, learning, and teaching purposes. Owing to rising demand for it, digital technology, particularly social networking sites are finding a place in the universities. The purpose of this study is to look into the influence of using social networking sites in the teaching of English at tertiary level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five lecturers and fifty undergraduate students from the first year of the academic calendar year 2020-2021 in the University of Ha'il, Saudi Arabia. The findings of the study revealed that SNSs may be a double-edged sword, as they may have both favourable as well as detrimental impacts on the development and improvement of EFL learners' speaking and writing abilities. The study highlights the necessity for the proper usage of social networking sites (SNSs) in academic contexts. It also suggests that social networking sites (SNSs) if appropriately used, can be incorporated into the undergraduate teaching system to improve EFL proficiency and competence.