Use of Social Media among Dental Students of Farooqia Dental College, Mysore: A Study Dr. Adithya Kumari H. Associate Professor Department of Studies in Library and Information Science, University of Mysore, Mysore –576 006
[email protected] Ali K.S. Librarian Farooqia Dental College & Hospital Tilak Nagar, Mysore, Karnataka, India-570021
[email protected] Mahadevamurthy M. Research Scholar Department of Studies in Library and Information Science, University of Mysore, Mysore–576 006
[email protected] Hydarali Research Scholar Department of Studies in Library and Information Science, University of Mysore, Mysore–576 006
[email protected] Abstract Social Media has become a popular method for students to share information and knowledge and to express emotions. They enable students to exchange videos files, text messages, pictures and knowledge sharing. They enable students. They provide an opportunity for students to improve social networking and learning processes, which promotes knowledge in society. This paper intends to identify purposes and most popular SNSs and to address the benefits, problems associated with use of SNSs among dental students of Farooqia Dental College, Mysore. The study used a questionnaire in order to discover the use of SNS. A well structured questionnaires were distributed among 130 students during the academic session 2012-13 out of 125 (96.15%) filled questionnaires returned 122 (93.84%) were found fit for analysis and out of which 3(2.31%) were considered unusable. The study found that major reasons for frequent use of SNSs are to find information and to interact with their friends. The
study discovered that Wikipedia, WebDental and SciSpace are the most popular SNSs used by dental students. Keywords: Use; Social Media; Dentals Students; Farooqia Dental College; Mysore City Introduction The Internet has undergone rapid development, with significant impact on social life and on modes of communication. In recent years, the rapid development of Web 2.0 and mobile technologies led to the emergence of an array of new forms of sources, such as online communities, social Q&A sites, and social networking sites, where consumers share information and personal stories and construct knowledge (Eysenbach, Powell, Englesakis, Rizo & Stern, 2004). Social networking sites (SNSs) are attracting a lot of attention from academic institutions. They promote knowledge sharing within interconnected groups and improve knowledge creation among members of these groups. Social networking site use is increasingly common among emerging medical professionals, with medical schools even reporting disciplinary student expulsion. Online social networking applications (e.g. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and Youtube) have become the fastest-growing mechanism to exchange personal and professional information. With 85%-95% of students on college campuses using these communication mediums, and all age groups, even senior citizens, rapidly adopting their use (Corbett, 2009; Lampe, et al, 2008). Social Media Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Ahlqvist et al 2008). Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internetbased applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content" (Kaplan and, Haenlein, 2010). Furthermore, social media depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. It introduces substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals (Kietzmann; Kristopher, 2011). The phrase “Web 2.0” is often used interchangeably with “Social Media” or “user-generated content (Wikipedia, 2011). Some people define social media sites as places that take instruments of communication and make them “Social” (Nations, 2011).
SNSs are defined as “web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other students with whom they share a connections, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). They are online places for people to share information and to share their interests with others. The SNSs provide students with opportunities for interacting, sharing, building relationship and participating with each other by posting different content on them. Students, teachers, business people use the tools available on social networking sites to communicate with each other in a fast and cost effective manner. There are several reasons for visiting these sites. Some people visit them for sharing and photos and multimedia. This paper proposes use of Social Media by Students of Farooqia Dental College, Mysore. Review of Literature Oakley and Spallek (2012) described the impact social media in health care setting highlighting some opportunities and challenges that exist. He concluded with suggestions for best practices of social media in dental education domain. Yan Zhang (2012) explored college students' use of social networking sites for health and wellness information. Thirty-eight college students were interviewed. The interview transcripts were analysed using the qualitative content analysis method. Overall, participants were sceptical about the quality of information. Based on the results, a model of students' acceptance of social networking sites for health and wellness information was proposed and implications for designing social platforms to better support health inquiries were discussed. Using social networking sites for health and wellness information is not a popular behaviour among college students in this study. Ponis & Gioti (2013) attempted to explore the penetration of Web 2.0 technologies amongst Greek students, determine their level of usage and explore the students' opinions and perceptions regarding their usefulness for learning and educational purposes. It was urveybased cross-institutional study, conducted between September 15 and October 30, 2010, on a sample of five hundred undergraduate students from the two oldest university establishments in Greece. The results revealed that social networking sites despite being by far, the most popular Web 2.0 service amongst Greek students, present the lowest perceived value in regards of the service's usefulness for educational and studying support purposes. On the other hand, blogs and wikis are considered educationally more useful by students, present
low percentages of systematic use and content contribution and even lower percentages of ownership. Ji-Hong Park (2010) explored the usage of a SNS by different university students. Data were collected through semi-structured and open-ended interviews conducted with undergraduates, graduates, and faculty members at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Data were analyzed according to the three groups (undergraduates, graduates, and faculty members) and within each group SNS user perception and use were examined across the three different user activity groups (active students, semi-active students, and non-active students). The analyses indicated that the three groups of students demonstrated distinct patterns of SNS use. Most faculty members were not active students. Six factors that affected these different usage patterns were identified: desire for expression, peer influences, familiarity with information technologies, sensitivity to privacy, nature of using the internet, and perception of the SNS. Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman & Witty (2010) conducted a study to determine how likely higher education faculty to use Facebook for either personal or educational purposes, higher education faculty (n =62) and students (n =120) at a mid-sized southern university were surveyed on their use of Facebook and email technologies. A comparison of faculty and student responses indicate that students are much more likely than faculty to use Facebook and are significantly more open to the possibility of using Facebook and similar technologies to support classroom work. Faculty members are more likely to use more “traditional” technologies such as email. Mohamed & Sumitha (2011) investigated the perception and use of social networking sites by the students of Calicut University, Kerala. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a representative sample of 150 students. The study found that a majority of the students were aware of social networking sites and use these sites for friendly communication. Orkut was the most popular and used social networking site than Facebook and MySpace. A number of students visited social networking sites twice a week and always send scraps and meet new friends. Though the students indicated that lack of security and privacy are the main concerns of social networking sites, a majority of them used their real names and photos in their profiles. Salisbury, Laincz & Smith (2012) conducted a study which examines the habits of 290 science and technology students (with majors in biology (51%), chemical engineering (15%), biological engineering (9%), kinesiology (5%), and animal science (4%)), to identify whether they use this technology for library-related activities. The primary objective of this study was
to identify whether the students use the Internet, their cell phones, and/or social networking sites to access scholarly information available through the library. Specifically, the authors were interested in finding out: (1) how often students use the Internet and for what purposes; (2) what devices they use to access library information remotely; (3) for what purposes student use their cell-phones and whether they use them to access library resources, including our social networking sites; and (4) which social networking sites students use and for what purposes. The study found that the majority of the students surveyed do not readily identify them as a means to access library-provided databases, the library catalog or to retrieve fulltext journal articles on demand or on the go. Jahan, Israt Ahmed, S.M. Zabed (2012) reported the results of perceptions of academic use of social networking sites (SNSs) by students of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. A survey questionnaire was designed and distributed to gather data for this study. The results indicate a positive attitude towards academic use of SNSs by the students. Kindi & Alhashmi (2012) in their paper addressed the factors motivating students at colleges to use SNSs for educational purposes and to identify the most popular SNSs among students. The study uses a questionnaire in order to discover the reasons behind the use of SNSs by students at Shinas College of Technology (ShCT) in Oman. The study found that the major reasons for frequent use of SNSs are finding information and sharing news. The study also indicated that lack of experience as well as insufficient time and IT skills are effective factors of not using SNSs. Finally, the study discovered that Google Groups, Facebook and Yahoo! 360 are the most popular SNSs used by SHCT students. Objectives of the study The main objectives of the study are as follows: 1. To know the use of Social Networking sites among the dental students of Farooqia Dental College in Mysore City; 2. To find out the usefulness of social networking sites by the dental students; 3. To know purposes using SNSs; 4. To know the specific uses, preferences, and specialized academic SNSs; 5. To find out benefits and affects of using SNSs; 6. To identify problems and risks associated with the use of SNSs; and 7. To find out the most visited social networking sites Methodology Adopted
This study of the research used questionnaire- based survey method. A detailed and well structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to the dental students of Farooqia Dental College, Mysore. Out of 150 respondents, 122 questionnaires were returned duly filled in by the students community with over all response rate was 81.33%. The questionnaire contained both open ended and close-ended questions. The collected data were classified, analyzed and tabulated by using statistical methods. The study was limited to use of social media by students of Farooqia Dental College, in Mysore city. An overview of Farooqia Dental College
Farooqia Dental College (FDC), Mysore was established in 1992 with the prime objective of providing effective & efficient education in dental sciences. The college is affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health and Sciences and is recognized by Dental council of India (DCI). The college is approved by Government of India. The Dental College aims to train aspirants as well-qualified and skilled dentists by providing quality education to them. The college is managed by Rifahul Muslimeen Educational Trust. In order to fulfill their aim, the dental institution has equipped itself with modern facilities. With the intention to train aspirants as well-qualified and trained dentist, the dental college boasts of being fully equipped with modern infrastructure. The college aims to impart quality education to the aspirants in order to train them to become well qualified and skilled dentists. The college facilitates students with clinical experience and state-of-the-art facilities. The colleges has library, laboratories, cafeteria and Internet connectivity. Data analyses and Interpretation Table -1 Gender wise distribution of respondents % Sl. No Students Total 1 37.70 Male 46
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62.30 Female 76 100 Total 122 Table 1 heights that out of 122 respondents, 46 (37.70%) were male and 76 (62.30%)
of respondents were female. Table -2 Experience in using Social Networking Sites Sl. No. Sources Respondents % 1 More than 2 Years 65 53.28 2 1 to 2 Year 29 23.77 3 6 Months to a Year 12 9.84 4 Less than a Month 11 9.02 5 1-6 Months 5 4.10 Total 122 100.00 There are 65 (53.28%) respondents have more than two years of experience in using SNSs followed by 29 (23.77%) respondents who have 1 to 2 years of experience, 12(9.84%) respondents who have 6 months to a year experience, 11(9.02%) of respondents have less than a month experience and 5(4.105) of respondents have 1-6 month experience in using social networking sties. Table -3 Sources of knowledge about Social Networking Websites % Sl. No. Sources Respondents 76.23 1 Guidance from friends 93 13.93 2 Trial and error method 17 11.48 3 Through external courses 14 4.92 4 Guidance from Teachers 6 1.64 5 Guidance from library staff 2 Table 3 shows that majority 93(76.23%) of the students got information about SNSs
from guidance of their friends. There are 17 students representing 13.93% learnt about the social networking sites through trial and error method. There are 14 (11.48%) students who got information about social networking sites through external courses. There are 6 (4.92%) of students leant by the guidance of teachers and a few 2 (1.64%) students who got information about social networking sites from the guidance of library staff. Table -4 Use of social Networking Websites regularly % Sl. No. Sources Respondents 71.31 1 Facebook 87 53.28 2 YouTube 65 44.26 3 Google+ 54
38.52 4 Wikipedia 47 17.21 5 Orkut 21 9.84 6 Delicious 12 9.02 7 Blogs 11 3.28 8 LinkedIn 4 2.46 9 Flickr 3 1.64 10 Slideshare 2 There are different types of social networking sites, which are used by the user’s
community. The important social networking sites used by the students of Farooqia Dental College are given in table-4. It was found that majority of the students i.e. 87 (71.31%) use Facebook. A good number of the students use YouTube 65 (53.28%) and Google+ 54 (44.26%). There are 47 (38.52%) of students use Wikipedia and 21 (17.21%) of students use the Orkut. A less number of students use Delicious 12 (9.02%), followed by Blogs 11(9.02%), LinkeIn 4 (3.28%), Flickr 3 (2.46%) and Slideshare 2 (1.64%). The above result shows that majority of the students were using Facebook and YouTube on a regular basis. Figure -1 Frequency of visit to SNSs
The figure 1 shows that majority of students i.e., 39 (32%) visit the SNSs daily. There are 32 (28%) students who visit the SNSs occasionally and 32 (26%) of them visit the SNSs twice in a week. Further, there are 10 (8%) students who visit the SNSs monthly and 7(6%) of them visit the SNSs fortnightly.
Sl. No. 1 2 3
Table -5 Number of Friends in SNSs Sources Respondents Above 100 61 Below 20 30 21-60 19
% 50.00 24.59 15.57
9.84 61-100 12 100.00 Total 122 The table 5 shows that out of 122 students 61(50.00%) have above 100 friends on
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their SNSs, 30(24.59%) students have below 20 friends on SNSs, 19 (15.57%) students have 21 to 60 friends on SNSs and 12(9.84%) students have 61-100 friends on SNSs. Figure-2 Time Spent on SNSs
The figure 2 shows that out of 122 students, 80 (65.57%) students spend less than one hour in using social networking sites, 28 (22.95%) of them spend one hour and a few students 14 (11.48%) spend 2-3 hours in using social networking sites. Table -6 Purposes of using SNSs % Sl. No. Sources Respondents 77.87 1 Find useful Information 95 61.48 2 Interacting with friends 75 29.51 3 Giving feedback to friends 36 29.51 4 Professional activities 36 22.13 5 Sharing photos, files, music, videos 27 21.31 6 Promoting own Thoughts 26 19.67 7 Updating profile information 24 16.39 8 Uploading photos 20 1.64 9 Meet new people 2 The table 6 shows that majority of the students i.e. 95 (77.87%) use social networking sites to find useful information and 75 (61.48%) use these sites to interact with friends. Each there are 36 (29.51%) students who use these sites to give feedback to friends and professional activates. There are 27 (22.13%) user who use these sites to share photos, files, music, videos, exchange and share photos, files, music and videos, 26 (21.31%) students use these sites to promote own thoughts and 24 (19.67%) students who use these sites to update
their profile information. There are 20 (16.39%) of students who use these social networking sites to upload photos and 2(1.64%) use these sites to meet new people. Figure-3 Use of specialized academic SNSs for Educational purposes
There are different types of specialized academic SNSs, which are used by the students community. The important academic social networking sites used by the students of Farooqia Dental College are given in figure 3. It was found that majority of the students i.e. 73(59.84%) use Wikipedia. A good number of the students use WebDental 57(46.72%) and SciSpace, Slideshare and LinkedIn 10(8.20%) each. A less number of user use CiteUlike & Drpulp 6(4.92%) each. followed by SciMeet, Academia and UDEN 4(3.28%) each. Table-7 Influence of social networking sites for study/academic purposes Sl. No. Sources Respondents 1 Helps in study and learning 67 2 Collation of materials 45 3 Develop read and write web skills 26 4 Collaborative and peer-to-peer learning 24 5 Increase self-esteem and well being 24 6 Virtual meeting with other students/Faculty 22 7 Developing an e-portfolio for future employment 14 The table shows that there are 67 (54.92%) students opined that social
% 54.92 36.89 21.31 19.67 19.67 18.03 11.48
networking
sites were helped in study and learning purposes, 45 (36.89%) students responded that social networking sites were helped for collecting materials, 26 (21.31%) students responded that
social networking sites developed read and write web skills. There are 24 (19.67%) each students who responded that social networking sites increased their self-esteem, well being & collaborative and peer-to-peer learning. There are 22 (18.03%) of the students who opined that social networking sites were created virtual meeting with other students and 14(11.48%) students opined that SNSs helped in developing an e-portfolio for future employment.
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Table -8 Affects of SNSs on Students Sources Respondents Addiction to SNSs 37 Affecting academic performance 22 Stay up and lack sleep 18 Unable to concentrate on study 6 Waste of Time 6
% 30.33 18.03 14.75 4.92 4.92
The table-8 shows that 37 (30.33%) students opined that they became addict to social networking sites, 22 (18.03%) students opined that use social networking sites have affecting their academic performance, 18 (14.75%) students expressed that they stay up and lack sleep using SNSs and 6(4.92%) students each opined that they were unable to concentrate on their study and they found these as waste of time. Figure-4 Risks and problems faced by you while accessing SNSs
The figure 4 shows that there are 39 students (31.97%) who faced the problems of privacy in using SNSs followed by 26 (21.31%) students opined that they have faced problem of unwanted attention from others. There are 23(18.85%) students who have faced data security problems and 18(14.75%) students have faced information literacy problems and
17(13.93%) students have faced the problem of denied access by their college library. There are 10 (8.20%) students have faced cyber-bullying problems by using SNSs. Major Findings of the Study 1. Among the use of specialised social networking websites, majority of the students i.e. 73 (59.84%) use Wikipedia. A good number of the students use WebDental 57 (46.72%) and SciSpace, Slideshare and LinkedIn 10(8.20%) each. A less number of user use CiteUlike & Drpulp 6(4.92%) each. followed by SciMeet, Academia and UDEN 4(3.28%) each (Figure3). 2. Majority of the students i.e., 65 (53.28%) of respondents have more than two years of experience in using SNSs. Less than a month experience and 5(4.10%) of respondents have 1-6 months experience in using social networking sties (Table 2) 3. Majority of the students i.e., 93(76.23%) got information about SNSs from guidance of their friends. There are 17 students representing 13.93% learnt about the social networking sites through trial and error method (Table 3) 4. Among the use of general social networking websites, majority of the students i.e. 87 (71.31%) use Facebook. A good number of the students use YouTube 65(53.28%) and Google+ 54(44.26%) (Table 4). 5. Majority of students i.e., 39 (32%) visit the SNSs daily (figure1) 6. Out of 122 students, 61(50.00%) students have above 100 friends on their SNSs (Table 5). 7. Out of 122 students, 80 (65.57%) students spend less than one hour in using social networking sites and a few students 14 (11.48%) spend 2-3 hours in using social networking sites (Figure2). 8. Majority of the students i.e. 95 (77.87%) use social networking sites to find useful information’s and 75 (61.48%) use these sites to interact with friends (Table6). 9. There are 67 (54.92%) students opined that social networking sites were helped in study and learning purposes (Table7) 10. There are 37 (30.33%) students opined that they were addicted towards using social networking sites (Table8) 11. There are 39 students (31.97%) who faced the problems of privacy in using SNSs followed by 26 (21.31%) students opined that they have faced problem of unwanted attention from others (Figure 4) Conclusion
The present paper suggests that social networking sites have created a phenomenon over the past decade. These websites create new ways of communication with friends and family and also influence individual’s self-concept. Social media websites also offer new and innovative ways to communicate with other individuals in a quick manner. Computermediated communication provides individuals with easier and faster ways of communication. In addition, individuals are using social media websites at increasing rates and visiting them quite frequently. This study makes an important contribution in understanding college students’ use of social media its effect to communication and self concept. It is found that Wikipedia and WebDental have emerged as the most popular academic social networking sites among dental students. Bibliographical References 1. Ahlqvist, Toni., Bäck, A., Halonen, M., Heinonen, S (2008). Social media road maps exploring the futures triggered by social media. VTT Tiedotteita - Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus (2454): 13. 2. Boyed, D M and N B Ellison (2007). Social networking sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journals of Computer-Mediated Communicaton, 13 (1), 210-230. Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html. Accessed on July 19, 2013-07-19 3. Eysenbach, G., Powell, J., Englesakis, M., Rizo, C. & Stern, A. (2004). Health related virtual communities and electronic support groups: systematic review of the effects of online peer to peer interactions, BMJ, 328 (7449), 1166-1166. 4. H. Kietzmann, Jan, Kristopher Hermkens (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons 54, 241–251. 5. Jahan, I., & Ahmed, S. (2012). Students’ perceptions of academic use of social networking sites: a survey of university students in Bangladesh. Information Development, 28(3), 235-247. doi:10.1177/0266666911433191 6. Ji-Hong, P. (2010). Differences among university students and faculties in social networking site perception and use. Electronic Library, 28(3), 417-431. 7. Kaplan Andreas M., Haenlein Michael, (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media, Business Horizons, 53(1), 61.
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