Abstract
Nowadays, social networks incessantly influence the lives of young people. Apart from entertainment and informational purposes, social networks have penetrated many fields of educational practices and processes. This review tries to highlight the use of social networks in higher education, as well as points out some factors involved. Moreover, through a literature review of related articles, we aim at providing insights into social network influences with regard to (a) the learning processes (support, educational processes, communication and collaboration enhancement, academic performance) from the side of students and educators; (b) the users’ personality profile and learning style; (c) the social networks as online learning platforms (LMS—learning management system); and (d) their use in higher education. The conclusions reveal positive impacts in all of the above dimensions, thus indicating that the wider future use of online social networks (OSNs) in higher education is quite promising. However, teachers and higher education institutions have not yet been highly activated towards faster online social networks’ (OSN) exploitation in their activities.
Highlights
Within the last decade, online social networks (OSN) and their applications have penetrated our daily life
We review studies that revealed the positive impact of OSNs and social networks on education processes, and mainly on higher education
The results revealed that allowing the transparency of students’ work through social networks creates new perspectives in learning, but could produce conflicts
Summary
Online social networks (OSN) and their applications have penetrated our daily life. They have managed to transform young people’s way of living while becoming one of the most important means of communication and entertainment [1,2,3]. In order to increase the awareness of students in the educational processes, blended entertainment and informational behavioral patterns have been proposed [13]. We do not employ a specific methodological method (e.g., Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses [PRISMA]), but rather highlight relevant research and studies by presenting their results and highlighting related issues, problems, and challenges along with possible solutions.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
