Use of social networking sites in the academic sector with special reference to higher education institutions in India

Abstract

Social media (SM) became an inevitable part of human life. The academic community widely uses SM platforms for both personal and professional reasons. This study attempts to identify various social networking sites (SNSs) and recognise the perception of research scholars in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Kerala, India, to understand the employability of SM for research activities. It also examines the frequency, preferred locations, devices and purposes of accessing SM. It is an empirical study based on a survey of 505 research scholars from four state universities in Kerala. It followed a descriptive and qualitative research design. The collected data using a pre-structured questionnaire tool were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. According to this study, researchers in Kerala use Facebook the most. Research scholars in Kerala frequently use SM, mainly from university campuses using laptops for academic purposes. However, the rationale for SM usage significantly varies according to the discipline. SM has potential utility in higher education, but undesirable physical and psychological impacts like security, addiction, etc., should be sensitised to the users.