scholarly journals Patterns of Social Media Usage among Malaysians During the Covid-19 Pandemic

2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Aisah Meri ◽  
Syahruddin Awang Ahmad ◽  
Sitinurbayu Mohd Yusoff ◽  
Noor Syakirah Zakaria ◽  
Fauzie Sarjono ◽  
...  

This paper explores the use of social media among Malaysians during the Covid-19 pandemic. Questionnaires were distributed to 424 people in Malaysia who were directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The research findings revealed that the main reasons that drove people to use social media were cognitive aspects, escapism, affective factors, and social integration. The data also shows that Malaysians frequently employed social media to search for information, for diversion purposes, and due to habit. Meanwhile, the highest levels of gratifications were derived from factors of convenience, surveillance, and interpersonal discussion. This study concludes that social media plays a crucial role for Malaysians while confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside other media components. It cannot be denied that technology also influenced uses and gratifications among the audiences. The uniqueness of social media, coupled with the smartphone, gives it a distinct advantage over other media forms. The audiences had at their disposal a multitude of information that could bring numerous usages and forms of gratifications.

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Johar Arifin ◽  
Ilyas Husti ◽  
Khairunnas Jamal ◽  
Afriadi Putra

This article aims to explain maqâṣid al-Qur’ân according to M. Quraish Shihab and its application in interpreting verses related to the use of social media. The problem that will be answered in this article covers two main issues, namely how the perspective of maqâṣid al-Qur’ân according to M. Quraish Shihab and how it is applied in interpreting the verses of the use of social media. The method used is the thematic method, namely discussing verses based on themes. Fr om this study the authors concluded that according to M. Quraish Shihab there are six elements of a large group of universal goals of the al-Qur’ân, namely strengthening the faith, humans as caliphs, unifying books, law enforcement, callers to the ummah of wasathan, and mastering world civilization. The quality of information lies in the strength of the monotheistic dimension which is the highest peak of the Qur’anic maqâṣid. M. Quraish Shihab offers six diction which can be done by recipients of information in interacting on social media. Thus, it aims to usher in the knowledge and understanding of what is conveyed in carrying out human mission as caliph, enlightenment through oral and written, law enforcement, unifying mankind and the universe to the ummah of wasathan, and mastery of world civilization


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ghiselli ◽  
Jing Ma

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social media by restaurants in China and the extent to which consumers are using it to obtain information about dining options. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire for consumers was developed and social media usage data were collected from restaurants; the results were compared to determine whether there is a difference between practices and preferences. Findings – Based on the results of this paper, restaurants may want to consider committing resources and efforts to improve their presence on Dianping, Baidu and Meituan, and to utilize WeChat. Also, they may want to send non-personalized updates, especially coupons, discounts and information about special events, through the above-mentioned channels two to three times a month. Additionally, restaurants may want to improve engagement with frequent users so that they will recommend to others. Finally, restaurants may want to evaluate and invest in online ordering and payment systems if they haven’t done so already. Research limitations/implications – Strategic choices should be based on understanding of consumers. Unless the gaps between practices and preferences are identified and understood, restaurant companies may not be able to use social media effectively and efficiently. Originality/value – China’s social media market – the largest in the world – differs considerably from other countries; it presents unique opportunities and challenges. Social media is always a function of the technology, culture and government of a particular country or context; for this reason, it is very important to study social media in its “context”. While the need is pressing, there are limited studies on restaurant consumer preferences in a computer-mediated environment, not to mention in the Chinese context. This study examined consumer preferences and potential gaps between preferences and practices in the Chinese context; the results will help to direct restaurants in China to make better use of social media.


Author(s):  
Liezel Cilliers ◽  
Willie T. Chinyamurindi ◽  
Kim Viljoen

Orientation: The rapid development of information communication technology (ICT) has changed much of contemporary society. ICT’s influence extends to the working context with ramifications not only for employees but also for the entire organisation.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the behavioural intention of a sample of employees at a traditional higher education institution to make use of social media within the workplace.Motivation for the study: Social media has become a common tool within society for communication and networking purposes. An understanding of the factors that influence behavioural intention to use social media within the workplace can assist the organisation to better manage social media usage within the workplace.Research design, approach and method: The research adopted the positivism paradigm with a quantitative research approach. The data were analysed making use of exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. A traditional higher education institution was chosen as the research site for the study, relying on a convenience sample (n = 134) and data gathered using the work-related social media scale and behavioural intention to use scale.Main findings: Although most employees make use of social media for problem-solving and communication purposes already in the workplace, organisations should allow their employees to help manage their reputation on social media.Practical and managerial implications: An understanding of the factors that influence behavioural intention to use social media within the workplace can serve as a useful precursor for both employee and organisational-specific interventions. This study has specific relevance to the use of ICT platforms, such as social media, in traditional higher education institutions in South Africa. The study’s results are therefore useful to both employees as end-users and managers as drivers of such interventions in the workplace.Contribution: This study is one of the first within a South African work context to investigate social media usage in a traditional higher education institution and proposes a workplace social media usage framework (WSMUF) that helps not only employees but also the entire organisation to predict intention to use social media in the workplace.


Author(s):  
Evelyn Olakitan Akinboro ◽  
Taylor Morenikeji Olayinka

The chapter examined the impact of social media on information retrieval among undergraduate students in Faculty of Management Science, University of Ilorin. It determined the social media network that undergraduate students are more exposed to for retrieving information, identifying the differences in undergraduate students' usage of social media network for information retrieval based on gender and age brackets, exploring preference for social media compared to other sources of information retrieval system available for students, exploring the types of information retrieved from social media network, and identifying the challenges faced by undergraduates in the use of social media networks. The population of the study was comprised of 3,634 students out of which a sample of 360 was chosen through stratified random technique. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect data. Five research questions were developed and answered by the study. The findings revealed that undergraduate students' exposure to social media is very high.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1209-1233
Author(s):  
Hanna Kontu ◽  
Alessandra Vecchi

The importance of social media is evident as millions of people use it to connect with others, share content, and discuss different topics (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010; Kim & Ko, 2010). Although it is clear that social media is powerful and ubiquitous, many fashion brands have been reluctant or unable to develop strategies and allocate resources to effectively engage with the new media. The goal of this chapter is to critically review the literature that explicitly addresses the adoption, application, and impact of social media by fashion brands. In particular, the purpose of this chapter is to provide a critical assessment of the adoption of social media amongst three well-established fashion brands in order to identify the importance of social media as a strategic marketing tool and to propose a number of alternative social media strategies for fashion brands. Such a critical assessment is necessary since, as demonstrated by the research findings, implementing these strategies will allow brands not only to survive, but also to create new competitive advantages and thrive in the new global fashion business environment.


Author(s):  
Kine Dorum ◽  
Craig Bartle ◽  
Martin Pennington

Research has shown that students who live off-campus during the academic year experience greater difficulty with social integration, and are at higher risk of dropping out. The aim of the present study was to explore patterns that may give an indication of the extent to which the use of social media websites can help social and academic integration among students who are living off-campus. A survey was distributed among a cohort of 370 first year undergraduate students, measuring their sense of belonging to the institution and their attitudes towards student life. Students who lived on-campus and who used social media websites reported a stronger sense of belonging than students living off-campus. A significant interaction effect indicated that using social media websites reduced the difference in sense of belonging between students living on- and off-campus. Scores on the attitude scale were significantly related to sense of belonging. The results suggest that online networking can aid social integration among students who do not have the advantage of the face-to-face interaction that takes place in residential life on-campus.


Author(s):  
Apoorv Durga ◽  
M. L. Singla

Usage of social media within organizations' value chains has been increasing rapidly. There are several benefits and savings projected due to usage of social media. As a result, there is also a lot of hype that is typical of any new web phenomenon. On the other hand, saner voices are cautioning against excessive hype and point to high failure rate of social media initiatives. Lack of best practices or frameworks and incomplete understanding of how to make best use of social media are some of the reasons cited for this high failure of social media initiatives. In addition, there are several other aspects related to governance, people, and processes that need to be addressed to improve success rate of these initiatives. Therefore, effective implementation of a social media initiative includes addressing all those aspects that relate to governance, people, and processes. The authors use a construct, “Social Media Readiness,” that encapsulates these aspects. This chapter summarizes research that shows how readiness can impact social media use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charity Hove ◽  
Oluyinka O Osunkunle

Water scarcity is increasing in South Africa and communities need to be educated about water conservation practices. This article investigated the perceptions of Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality’s residents concerning the use of social media for water conservation education in their community. Through a quantitative methodology, a sample of 383 respondents answered a questionnaire and the main findings were that 75 per cent of respondents did not know about the municipality’s social media platforms. This article recommends that the municipality creates awareness about its social media platforms, increases social media usage and employs persuasive strategies for participation.


Author(s):  
Sonica Rautela ◽  
Adya Sharma

Spirituality has gained the interest of all generations in the past few years. The concept of spirituality is very old but its popularity in the last few decades is worth noticing. Today spirituality is making inroads in different sectors like health sector, education, working culture etc. Social media on the other hand is a relatively new phenomenon which has changed the world forever. The impact and reach of social media is the maximum among all media tools. With the increased use of smart phone and other interactive technologies social media usage has grown with huge leaps and bounds.  The paper tries to find a link to connect the old with new in search of a principled life as advocated by spirituality. The paper explores the journey of Spirituality and its usefulness in current context. The paper then traces the rise and impact of social media. The paper concludes by proposing a conceptual model that depicts use of social media to educate about spirituality. The integrative approach identifies the positive aspects of social media to reach out to people.


Author(s):  
SAHAR ZAIEN

Social media is a modern innovation for effective communication. Researchers are investigating a useful framework to integrate social media in an educational setting of deaf and blind students. Deaf or hearing impaired and visually impaired people have poor communication skills that cause lowered social interactions and make them feel isolated. The current study aimed at evaluating the social media usage pattern among the deaf or hard of hearing and visually impaired students. The findings revealed that the majority of the students used Whatsapp for communication purposes. Furthermore, the use of social media bolstered communication among the deaf or hearing impaired and visually impaired students with ordinary people. The study revealed that the primary motivation behind social media usage was social interaction. The social media usage pattern was found to be statistically significant with the motivation behind usage. The social media usage pattern was also statistically significant with the experienced benefits of increased communication. Moreover, the study also revealed that students had learned something from social media usage. These associations were found to be statistically significant at P≤0.05.


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