Social Media and Its Impact on University Students: An Analytical Study
Article Number: e2025492 | Available Online: October 2025 | DOI: 10.22521/edupij.2025.18.492
Huda A. Alhajjaj , Ahmed M. Shredam , Khalil I. Al-halalat , Haya H. Tarawneh
Full text PDF |
15348 |
2183
Abstract
|
Background/purpose. Social media has become an integral part of everyday life for people of all ages, including students, offering opportunities for interaction in both academic and non-academic contexts. This growing presence has significantly influenced how students communicate, access information, and engage with their educational environment. This study aims to explore how university students use social media, examine its influence on their academic lives, and identify both the positive and negative effects on the educational process. Materials/methods. A quantitative survey design was employed in this study, using convenience sampling to select 120 male and female students from various academic levels at Dhofar University, Sultanate of Oman. Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the collected data. Results. This study analyzes the main purpose of using social media and the impact of using it on their academic lives. The results indicate that students perceive social media as having several negative effects on their academic routines, particularly in terms of distraction and time management. They also devote a considerable amount of time to social media and exhibit diverse usage behaviors. |
Conclusion. The findings demonstrate that social media plays a major role in students’ daily routines, serving purposes beyond entertainment. Students also use these platforms for academic support, such as sharing experiences and information. The study concludes that social media has both positive and negative impacts on students’ lives, particularly to their academic performance. This research offers valuable insights into the most common purposes for which students use social media and how it influences them, supporting the idea of integrating social media into active learning strategies to enhance its educational effectiveness.
Keywords: Social media, students, impact, academic achievement, university
ReferencesAli, L., & Dmour, N. (2021). The shift to online assessment due to COVID-19: An empirical study of university students' behaviour and performance in the region of the UAE. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 11(5), 220–228.
Aliyar Fathima Nuskiya, A. F. (2017). The impact of social media among the university students: Empirical study based on the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. Journal of Information Systems & Information Technology (JISIT), 2(1). ISSN: 2478-0677.
Akhtar, S., Abdullah, F., Matloob, T. T., & Malik, A. (2025). Impact of social media on students' academic performance in higher education. Journal of Media Horizons, 6(1), 6–10.
Anjum, Z., Ali, A., Ahmed, F., & Azam, M. (2024). Social media addiction is the risk for lower physical activity, raised body image concerns and increasing BMI among female university students. Insights—Journal of Health and Rehabilitation, 2(2), 59–64.
Aghaee, N. (2010). Social Media Use in Academia: Campus Students' Perceptions of How Using Social Media Supports Educational Learning (Master’s thesis, Uppsala University, Sweden). DiVA – Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet.
Ariefdjohan, M., Reid, D., & Fritsch, S. (2024). Youth digital dilemmas: Exploring the intersection between social media and anxiety. Pediatric Clinics.
Balakrishnan, V., Teoh, K. K., Pourshafie, T., & Liew, T. K. (2017). Social media and their use in learning: A comparative analysis between Australia and Malaysia from the learners’ perspectives. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(1), 81–97. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.2469
Carroll, J. B. (1991). Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor-analytic studies. Cambridge University Press.
Chukwuere, J. E. (2021). Understanding the impacts of social media platforms on students' academic learning progress. Review of International Geographical Education (RIGEO), 11(9), 2671–2677. https://doi.org/10.48047/rigeo.11.09.233
Dhofar University. (n.d.). About DU. Retrieved June 18, 2025, from https://www.du.edu.om/
Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 18–26.
Hussain, Y. (2014). Social media as a tool for transparency and good governance in the government of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Islam, M. S., Sujan, M. S. H., Tasnim, R., Mohona, R. A., Ferdous, M. Z., Kamruzzaman, S. K., ... & Pontes, H. M. (2021). Problematic smartphone and social media use among Bangladeshi college and university students amid COVID-19: The role of psychological well-being and pandemic-related factors. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 647386.
Lampe, C., Wohn, D. Y., Vitak, J., Ellison, N. B., & Wash, R. (2011). Student use of Facebook for organizing collaborative classroom activities. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6(3), 329–347. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11412-011-9115-y
Lomborg, S. (2014). Social media—Social genres: Making sense of the ordinary. Routledge.
Mohanty, A. K., Vijay, C. R., Junnarkar, S., PS, A., Hariram, V., & V. G., V. (2024). The impact of social media platforms on student engagement and performance in visual arts education. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(1), 1745–1755. https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.1844
Munang, M. G. (2024). Effect of social media on students' academic performance in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria: Social media and its impact. American Journal of Education and Information Technology, 8(2), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajeit.20240802.16
Ndaku, A. J. (2013). The Impact of Social Media on Students' Academic Performance in Ghana. Networking, 18(5), 275–285.
Saha, S. R., & Guha, A. K. (2019). Impact of social media use of university students. International Journal of Statistics and Applications, 9(1), 36–43.
Santoveña-Casal, S. (2019). The impact of social media participation on academic performance in undergraduate and postgraduate students. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(1).
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007). Research methods for business students (4th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Siemens, G., Gasevic, D., & Dawson, S. (Eds.). (2015). Preparing for the digital university: A review of the history and current state of distance, blended and online learning. MOOC Research Initiative. http://linkresearchlab.org/PreparingDigitalUniversity.pdf
Steinmayr, R., Meißner, A., Weidinger, A. F., & Wirthwein, L. (2014). Academic achievement. In A. J. Elliot (Ed.), Handbook of competence and motivation: Theory and application (pp. 394–413). Guilford Publications.
Talan, T., Doğan, Y., & Kalinkara, Y. (2024). Effects of smartphone addiction, social media addiction and fear of missing out on university students’ phubbing: A structural equation model. Deviant Behavior, 45(1), 1–14.