The Use of Social Networking Sites and Other Services for Learning among College Youth

Abstract

Most of the college youth believe that the social networking sites and other streaming services facilitate the learning process. The purpose of the present research study was to assess the attitudes of college youth towards social networking sites and utilising other services such as YouTube etc. as tools for education. The sample for the study were selected randomly and included 180 college youth studying in Government Degree colleges of Jammu, India. Data were collected through survey method and self-prepared tool which was used to assess the attitude of college youth towards social networking sites and other services as a tool for education. Findings revealed that YouTube is used by a large number of users as compared to WhatsApp and Facebook. Majority of the undergraduate youth are using YouTube videos, WhatsApp messenger and LinkedIn for viewing and sharing educational content. It was also found that male college youth used more of LinkedIn and Twitter, while female college youth used more of Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube. In addition to this, the study shows that no significant differences exist in the attitude and perceived impact of male and female students at the undergraduate level. However, they have equally shown positive and favourable attitude towards social networking.