The Use of Social Media for Communication and Education in Debre Tabor University, Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of social media in Debre Tabor University (DTU) undergraduate students that how they use social media for communication and education with connected to MacQuails (1983) theoretical framework of why do people use media and what do they use them for? In this study, 285 questionnaires were distributed to DTU undergraduate students so as to assess their personal usages of social media for communication and education. The researchers employed mixed research method. The data was gathered through survey questionnaires which consisted quantitative and qualitative questions. Accordingly, the findings indicated that all of the respondents use online social networks and they have one form of social media profiles. They use it through their smartphone with moderate and enough technology use and attitude. It also revealed that 75% of respondents use social media for communication, resource sharing and collaboration. They use it, to communicate with web-community, to build their social capital. Nevertheless, the use of social media for education in DTU was very poor almost not an iota in formal ways. The respondents have interests to use social media for education as for problem solving, individual learning, discussion, research, guided discovery, and collaborative work, case studies and demonstration respectively. The researchers recommend that social media is useful tool for university community due to its low cost, immediacy, accessibility, and its heterogeneous audience. Thus, students should use social media for communication and education.

Keywords: Social Media, Social Networking, Communication, Education, Use and gratification, Debre Tabor University

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/87-02

Publication date: January 31^st 2020