Social Media Usage and the Factors Influencing Academic Use – an Exploratory Study of Higher Education Institution’s Students

Abstract

Social media has become an integral part in the life of millennials. These are the media platforms meant for its users. In the recent years, students are widely using the social media platforms for keeping connected, socializing, sharing information, learning new skills and the like. The main aim of this study is to explore the usage of social media platforms by the Higher education institution’s students in Goa. The study examines the factors influencing the use of social media platforms in academics. Quantitative research design method was used for the study. A survey was conducted and 215 responses were received. The data was analyzed using chi-square analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The results revealed that, students spent almost 2-3 hours per day on social media and the most used platform was Whatsapp. Social media platforms contributes significantly in academics by creating academic awareness, facilitating the networking among academic community and the employer community and provides a great learning support in academics.