Social Media Platforms: Perceptions and Concerns of Saudi EFL Learners

Abstract

This study evaluates the place of social media platforms (SMP) and their use patterns amongst Saudi EFL learners, their preferences, and academic impact at the Department of English and Translation of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The study uses a seven item closed-ended questionnaire to conduct a survey to gather the data from male students at the University. A total of 100 randomly chosen (male) students in the department of language and translation were given the questionnaires to answer. Analysis of data shows that most students judiciously utilise SMPs to meet their scholastic or academic demands, with YouTube and Facebook topping log-in time and diversity of use by EFL students. In addition, the use of SMPs helped significantly improve students’ capacity to contribute to information exchange and collaborative education, enhanced their academic standing and strengthened their reading and writing abilities. On an average, most students spend three hours a day on SMP. Among the positive impacts of SMP on students' global development included accessing and sharing updated information in an entertaining format. At the same time, some negative impacts reported were minimized interpersonal contact, non-academic use of the SMPs, and physical ailments (mainly vision centred) due to being glued to electronic devise for long durations of time. The current study demonstrates the efficacy of SMPs for academic purposes, which is a positive factor for their grades and academic competence and recommends that teachers engage their learners to use SMP for both entertainment and academics.