Impacts of Social Networking Sites on University Students

Abstract

The social networking sites (SNS) usage has received popularity in recent years, particularly for students' academic purposes and communication. This article analyzes the experience of university students with using SNS and the strategies they employ to strengthen sociability and learning activities through social media such as Facebook, TikTok, Messenger, YouTube, and WhatsApp. This study was conducted by collecting data from a qualitative research design by adopting a semi-structured face-to-face interview with 22 graduate university students studying in the Department of Education, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari, Karachi who reported
experiences and strategies in learning activities with SNS. The randomly sampled data were transcribed and thematically analyzed. The results of the qualitatively designed study shown that despite a few constraints, university graduate students utilize SNS for academic and social reasons. The students acknowledged social media as a significant, effective academic and communication plate form. The study recommends that dependency on SNS seems to expand for endangering students' academic, social, and physical well-being.