Impact of Social Media on Higher Education Performance in Pakistan

Abstract

Technology has transformed the way we live. Global internet has made inroads to every sphere of human life, today we cannot think of staying away from internet and global connectivity. Online learning applications, although have transformed the complete learning ecosystem, however, education performance especially in the sphere of higher education needs careful evaluation and examination. A unified scale therefore cannot quantify the effects of social media platforms and online learning on a particular education segment or bracket. The higher education performance of the students and professional of Pakistan, is dependent on many factors. Beyond economic and energy constraints which impede availability of low-cost power and access to internet, there are numerous other factors which need to be examined and analyzed to understand the impact of social media on higher education in Pakistan. Intensity of social media usage, digital literacy, access for exchange of information, performance expectancy and technology learning are some of the spheres which have direct bearing on academic performance. Hypothesis testing showed significant effect of time spent on social media, skillset developed during that time spent, frequency of social media use for academic purposes has significant relationship for higher education performance. Further the usage intensity develops the habit pattern of participation and questioning. Collaborative learning and peer competition also increase with the increased use of social media for higher education. Academic engagement enhances and a global community of learning is likely to formulate beyond barriers where reputable international standard institutes become within reach and academic discussion through social media with those forums enhances the higher education performance.