Social Media Use in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Social networking platforms have had an important impact on the way of life of modern humans due to their interoperability and real-time nature, and this impact is also reflected in the field of higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for social media to enter the field of education, making social media an indispensable and important tool. A complete screening of relevant papers was carried out using the PRISMA method, resulting in a systematic review of the 26 papers screened. The papers investigate how social media platforms are being used in higher education during the pandemic. It not only derives current research trends and popular research methods, but also investigates the impact of social network adoption on industry development and student populations. Additional surveys covered perceptions of the social network, and recommendations for its post-pandemic development and use. It can be concluded that the use of social media in higher education is valuable and beneficial.