Evaluating the attitude of medical students toward the impact of social media on improving learning and increasing awareness during the Covid‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study in Iran

Abstract

Introduction:The use of social media has become an inseparable part of many students' lives. Therefore, in this research, we have tried to evaluate the attitude of medical students toward the impact of social media on improving their learning and increasing their awareness during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive correlation study that was conducted in Iran in 2021. The statistical population of this study included medical students. Finally, 260 students participated in it. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data.Results: Most students use social media for educational purposes, including sending and sharing educational materials (42.8%), membership in study groups (42.6%), uploading educational content and presenting class topics (39.7%), chatting with students and professors (35.5%), formation of educational groups (34.2%), checking homework (32.7%), class discussion (30%), and sending and sharing photos and videos (29.5%). The most followed topics in social media by students to increase their level of awareness were respectively scientific topics not related to the field of study (46.9%), topics related to immigration (46%), cultural topics (44.2%), learning English (43.2%), academic and scientific materials related to the field of study (40.8%). Also, WhatsApp and Telegram were the most popular social media among students at the same time (58.8%). Also, students had a very positive attitude towards social media and considered them effective in improving learning and raising awareness. Conclusion:In general, the results of our study showed that social media could play an influential role in improving learning and raising the level of awareness of medical students. However, there may be problems and challenges in using these technologies, such as blocking the popular social media platform in some countries, the imposition of some restrictive government laws, low internet speed, protecting the privacy of students, professors, and so on.