scholarly journals The Use of Social Media and its Effect on University Students' Academic Skills in Iraqi Kurdistan Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-167
Author(s):  
Araz Ramazan Ahmad ◽  
Hakim Othman Hameed

In recent decades, the use of social media has encountered a rapid growth. This progress made social media a very popular medium of communication among college students. In fact, these online mediums can be a good method to share the knowledge among students and with their lectures. However, extreme use of social media can affect student’s academic performance and skills. Social media platforms have developed significantly in the variety and type of its platforms and the variety of services they have provided to the users. This social media development has had a great impact on human life around the world, particularly the learning process among the students. The present study examines the effects of social networks on university students' academic skills in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The sample involved 653 responses from the universities of Raparin and Sulaimani Polytechnic in Kurdistan Region - Iraq. The data of the study has been analyzed using content analysis methods. According to the study’s results there is a statistically significant correlation between Use of social media and academic skills and there is a strong positive correlation between Use of social media and academic skills which is (0.809) and that the significance value is (0.000).Then, the value of R Square for this analysis, is (0.655), this means that 65.5% of the variance of academic skills must be explored in Use of social media, and the other variables (34.5%) are due to random error.

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522199156
Author(s):  
Iqra Bashir ◽  
Amara Malik ◽  
Khalid Mahmood

Social media has evolved over the last decade as a key driver for sharing and acquiring information in various domains of life. The increasing popularity of social media raises a number of questions regarding the extent of its use and the types of information shared. This study is designed to answer these questions by investigating university students’ use of social media in terms of commonly used social media platforms, frequency of use and the types of information shared. It also looks at differences of opinion based on gender, academic discipline and programme of study. The study is based on a cross-sectional survey; a structured questionnaire was developed and data was collected from 400 students at four universities in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The findings indicate that the majority of the students were frequent users of social media and visited platforms daily or several times a day. WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube were the most widely used social media platforms. Male students tended to use social media more frequently than their female counterparts. This study will serve as a guideline for further research as it addresses an untouched area from a local perspective and reports original research.


Author(s):  
Deldar Morad Abdulah ◽  
Mahir Sadullah Saeed

Abstract Objectives: The public’s perceptions towards the COVID-19 crisis and the government’s attempts to handle the crisis are critically noteworthy. The public opinions towards the COVID-19 crisis were explored in this study. Methods: In this report, 1,102 participants were included from two popular social media platforms from the Duhok Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan between June 2 and 22, 2020 through an online technique. Results: The study revealed that 14.0% of the participants believed that there is no COVID-19 in this region, and 20.1% had no concerns about the disease spread. This study revealed that 27.4% had conspiracy thinking about the COVID-19 outbreak; including the outbreak is a plot against/of the Kurdistan Region Government; 16.4% and 19.3%, respectively. The outbreak caused considerable changes in participants’ lives (85.8%). The participants who had conspiracy thinking were younger (27.0 vs. 30.0; P=0.001) and had a higher level of education (37.50% high school and under, 26.0% college and above, 16.2% illiterate: P<0.001). Besides, they had a private job (43.7%), and were unemployed (23.9%; P<0.001), and had negative views on the TV information (38.9% vs. 17.5%; P<0.001). Conclusions: A considerable percentage of the public exhibits conspiracy thinking towards the COVID-19 crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah O. Aluh ◽  
Thelma Chukwuobasi ◽  
Adaobi U. Mosanya

AbstractBackgroundSocial anxiety is one of the most prevalent and disabling anxiety disorders with lifetime prevalence rates ranging from 2 to 16% s in different populations. Considering the rising use of social media among university students, it is necessary to assess their social anxiety as a result of the use of social media platforms since social anxiety can affect social interaction in social mediaMethodsThe current study employed a cross-sectional descriptive approach and was carried out among undergraduate students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users (SAS-SMU) which is a data collection tool to assess levels of social anxiety experienced by university students while using social media platforms was used in the current study. Data were analyzed with IBM Statistical Products and Service Solutions (SPSS) for Windows, Version 20.0.ResultsA total of 228 out of the 380 questionnaires distributed were filled and returned (60% response rate). Social media usage was highest for WhatsApp (4.4±0.902) and Facebook (3.3±1.055). Social media anxiety was higher in females (69.00±12.59) than males (68.42±12.06) although this difference did not reach statistical significance (t = −0.356, p = 0.864). Social media usage was higher in females (35.02±5.04) than males (34.58±6.01) but the difference did not reach statistical significance (t = −0.603, p = 0.314). There was a non-significant negative association between Social media usage and social media anxiety (r = –0.051, p = 0.4450). More than half of the students (55.7%, n = 127) had social media anxiety.ConclusionIn conclusion, there was a negative non-significant correlation between social media usage and social anxiety. Investigations regarding social anxiety in social media are scarce from low and middle income countries and this is the first from an African country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-554
Author(s):  
Karwan Ali Qadir

          The main goal of this research is to know and display the extent in which social media sites and platforms affect the voting behavior of the university students in the Kurdistan region during general elections, either to participate in the election or to vote for a specific candidate or political party. It also explores how the students participate and interact with the electoral messages and information that are published on social media platforms. This research is a political communication study, which relies on the survey method utilizing questionnaire form as a tool for data collection from the participants. The questionnaire form was designed and implemented online through Google Form and was sent to the participants through Email, Messenger, Viber and Whatsup, to the university student in different universities in the Kurdistan region. As such, 344 persons of the sample have filled up the questionnaire form in one week from 10 to 16 August 2021. The results of the study were displayed in tables and were analyzed through descriptive method, in addition to the use of SPSS statistics software to find correlation between the two main variables of the study.           One of the most prominent results of this study was that only a small proportion of the participants (almost 27%) are influenced by social media to change their voting behavior such as deciding to vote or no, and voting for a specific candidate or political party. Another noticeable result was that the majority of the participants with almost (50%) do not trust the promises and speeches of the candidates and political parties that are published on social media platforms.    


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  

Human life has undergone significant social structural change thanks to the development of communication and information technology. It has also brought people around the world closer together as a global community, especially with the emergence of new media channels. This study investigated the Islamic implications of social media in a global society and the harm that secondary sources of information can cause to Islam and the Muslim world in the globalized era. However, as a religion, Islam has always defined halal and haram, as well as unique procedures for maintaining privacy, respect, modesty, honesty and decency. New social media platforms offer unlimited opportunities, but they can also put Muslims at risk. Social media, when used properly, has a powerful impact on Islam because it helps the cause of Allah, improves many people and reduces social ills. On the other hand, unrestricted or unlimited use of social media is rejected in Islam. Consequently, social media can only be considered halal if it promotes the ideals of Shariah. The article suggests that Islamic teachings and Islamic values should be properly taught and inculcated in schools and homes, that children and young people should be closely monitored and controlled, and that Muslims should continue to use and embrace Islamic science and technology in globalization.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoyu Ye ◽  
Kevin K.W. Ho ◽  
Andre Zerbe

Purpose This study aims to clarify the effects of different patterns of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram usage on user loneliness and well-being in Japan. Design/methodology/approach Based on responses to a self-report questionnaire in Japan, 155 university students were separated into 4 groups: users of Twitter only, users of Twitter and Facebook, users of Twitter and Instagram and users of all three social media. The effects of social media usage on loneliness and well-being for each group were analysed. Findings No social media usage effects on loneliness or well-being were detected for those who used only Twitter or both Twitter and Instagram. For those using both Twitter and Facebook, loneliness was reduced when users accessed Twitter and Facebook more frequently but was increased when they posted more tweets. Users of all three social media were lonelier and had lower levels of well-being when they accessed Facebook via PC longer; whereas their their access time of Facebook via smartphones helped them decrease loneliness and improve their levels of well-being. Originality/value The findings reported here provide possible explanations for the conflicting results reported in previous research by exploring why users choose different social media platforms to communicate with different groups of friends or acquaintances and different usage patterns that affect their loneliness and well-being.


2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Y. Tran ◽  
Jennifer A. Lyon

This cross-sectional survey focused on faculty use and knowledge of author identifiers and researcher networking systems, and professional use of social media, at a large state university. Results from 296 completed faculty surveys representing all disciplines (9.3% response rate) show low levels of awareness and variable resource preferences. The most utilized author identifier was ORCID while ResearchGate, LinkedIn, and Google Scholar were the top profiling systems. Faculty also reported some professional use of social media platforms. The survey data will be utilized to improve library services and develop intra-institutional collaborations in scholarly communication, research networking, and research impact.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 67-75
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abdullahi Maigari ◽  
Uthman Abdullahi Abdul-Qadir

This paper examines the abduction of the schoolgirls in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria in 2014. The paper examined how the abduction of the schoolgirls generated responses and support for the rescue of the abducted girls from people and organization from different parts of the globe. The Islamists terrorist organization operating in Borno State has attracted the attention of the world since 2009 when they started attacking government establishments and security installations northeast which later escalated to major cities in Northern Nigeria. Methodologically, the paper utilized secondary sources of data to analyze the phenomenon studied. The paper revealed that the development and innovations in information and communication technology which dismantled traditional and colonial boundaries enabled people to express support, solidarity and assist victims of conflict who resides millions of Kilometers away. This shows that Internet-based communications technology has reduced the distance of time and space that characterised traditional mass media. The campaign for the release of the schoolgirls on the social media platforms particularly Twitter and Facebook has tremendously contributed to the release of some of them. Furthermore, the girls freed from abduction have received proper attention: education and reintegration programmes which enable them to start post-abduction life. In this regard, social media has become a tool for supporting the government in moments of security challenges which the Bring Back Our Girls campaign attracted foreign and domestic assistance to Nigeria in the search of the abducted girls and the fight against the Islamist insurgents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (22) ◽  
pp. 36-44
Author(s):  
Nor ‘Adha Ab Hamid ◽  
Azizah Mat Rashid ◽  
Mohd Farok Mat Nor

The development of science and technology is always ahead and has no point and seems limitless. Although human beings are the agents who started this development but eventually faced with a bitter situation which can sacrifice human moral, right and interest of our future. Shariah criminal offenses nowadays can not only occur or be witnessed by a person in a meeting physically with the perpetrator. As a result of technological developments, such behavior can occur and can be witnessed in general by larger groups. Although the illegal treatment which is not in accordance with sharia law and the moral crisis issues happening surrounding us and is rampant on social media, no enforcement is done on perpetrators who use social media medium. According to sharia principles, something that is wrong should be prevented and it is the responsibility of all Muslim individuals. But what is happening today, some Shariah criminal behavior, especially in relation to ethics, can occur easily using facilities technology driven by technological ingenuity. If the application of existing legal provisions is limited and has obstacles for enforcement purposes, then the problem needs to be overcome due to development the law should be in line with current developments. The study aims to identify a segment and cases of the moral crisis on social media and online using the artificial intelligence (AI) application and to identify the needs for shariah prevention. This thesis uses qualitative approaches, adopts library-based research, and, by content analysis of documents, applies the literature review approach. The findings show that the use of social media and AI technology has had an impact on various issues such as moral crisis, security, misuse, an intrusion of personal data, and the construction of AI beyond human control. Thus, the involvement and cooperation of various parties are needed in regulating and addressing issues that arise as a result of the use of social media and AI technology in human life.


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