Official use of social network sites by African universities

Otto, Francis; Williams, Shirley

doi:10.1109/scat.2014.7055135

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In an academic institution such as KAU, it is vital that official, trusted communication is secured. In the same direction, Otto and Williams [16] tried to understand how 24 universities adopt official Twitter accounts in daily practice. The key finding was that even though most institutions have an official account there is only rather limited understanding about the added value of using Twitter in daily practice and for university services.…”

Section: Social Media Utilization In Academic Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Pandemic Framework: A Methodological Approach to Leverage Social Media for the Sustainable Management of Higher Education in Crisis

et al. 2020

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The recent pandemic has raised significant challenges worldwide. In higher education, the necessity to adopt efficient strategies to sustain education during the crisis is mobilizing diverse, complementary, and integrative action in response. In this research article, we rise to the challenge of designing and implementing a transparent strategy for social media awareness at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). We introduce a framework for social media impact, termed the KAU Pandemic Framework. This includes the factors with the most important role in enhancing the deployment of social media in crisis in order to minimize the negative impact on education’s sustainability. We used a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative statistical analyses of social media data and online surveys and qualitative interviews in such a way as to construct a comprehensive framework. The results show that a methodological framework can be justified and that Twitter contributes significantly to six areas: administrative resilience; education sustainability; community responsibility; positive sentiment; community bonds; and delivery of promised value. The components of our proposed methodological framework integrate five pillars of the strategic adoption of social media: social media governance; social media resilience; social media utilization; decision-making capability; and institutional strategy. Finally, we show that the KAU Pandemic Framework can be used as strategic decision-making tool for the analysis of the gaps and inefficiencies in any social media plan that is deployed and the management challenges arising from the pandemic.

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Section: Social Media Utilization In Academic Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Pandemic Framework: A Methodological Approach to Leverage Social Media for the Sustainable Management of Higher Education in Crisis

et al. 2020

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“…Technological advancements have altered significantly altered human activities. In African universities, SNS technologies have affected how learning, marketing, recruitment and branding activities are conducted (Otto and Williams, 2014). Similarly, Mungofa and Peter (2015) posit that SNS technologies have resulted in the transformation in learning, communication, social conduct, and networking.…”

Section: Jec 152mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Technological determinism theory was considered as relevant because it supports that a society's technology affects the development of cultural structures and social values. SNSs are used for personal, professional and official purposes (Otto and Williams, 2014). The incorporation of ICT has transformed mass media in Africa (Srinivasan and Lopes, 2016).…”

Section: Jec 152mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the literature review was conducted to provide practice recommendations that can be used to inform the development of policies on interactive radio. Interactive radio allows listeners to contribute to the aired discussions by calling or providing feedback through SNSs such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn (Asak and Salawu, 2019;Otto and Williams, 2014). SNS are internet-based tools that promote communication, exchange of information, and collaboration in various methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In African universities, the prevalently used SNSs include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google þ , and Flicker (Otto and Williams, 2014). In Africa, interactive radio instructions have been used to impart in-class teachers with a systematic approach to deliver educational content (Global Partnership for Education [GPE], 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactive radio, social network sites and development in Africa: a literature review study

Komodromos

2021

JEC

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Purpose The technology determinism theory facilitated in assessing the impact of interactive radio and social network sites (SNSs) on development factors such as education, agriculture, health, and governance, by conducting an integrative and comprehensive literature review focusing on African countries. This paper aims to conduct this literature review to provide comprehensive empirical evidence on the impact of interactive radio and SNSs on development in Africa. Design/methodology/approach This study examined articles that were retrieved from online databases including EBSCOhost, Elsevier, Science Direct, SAGE Journals, Springer and Wiley Online Library. The keywords used included interactive radio, radio, development in Africa, SNS, agriculture, education, health, peace and governance. Search phrases were formulated using boolean operators “AND” and “OR.” Findings Study results revealed that interactive radio and SNSs improve knowledge among farmers and allow the dissemination of information on innovative agricultural techniques, which supports the adoption of sustainable practices. Interactive radio promotes political accountability because the strategies provide the voiceless and powerless communities with a platform to express themselves. This paper discovers that the incorporation of SNS with existing multimedia communication facilitates the dissemination of health-related information on illnesses such as Ebola, HIV, hypertension, diabetes and Polio, and interactive radio and SNS promote education among marginalized communities and under-served rural schools. Research limitations/implications The findings on the impact of interactive radio and SNSs do not represent all 54 countries in Africa. Although the studies included in this literature review were conducted in several countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, this limited the generalizability of the findings and recommendations. Also, the other potential limitation is that using the inclusion-exclusion criteria could have resulted in bias when selecting the studies to include in the review. Practical implications The paper might serve as a valuable source of information for students, academics and entrepreneurs where the impact of interactive radio and SNSs on agriculture, education, health and governance, which are core determinants of development in Africa, has been assessed for further case studies in this area. Social implications The use of interactive radio has helped in decreasing health issues caused by a deficiency in vitamin A among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Originality/value The development of sustainable and effective interactive radio programs is dependent on the collaboration of the core stakeholders such as governmental ministries, donor organizations and the mass communication sector. Numerous open sources on technology radio stations are available to employ social media managers to help in the application of knowledge.

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Structures of THE, QS and ARWU Top 100 universities’ websites in different languages and social media accounts: Binary matrix approach

Московкин

Sizyoongo

Zhang

et al. 2021

MJLIS

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The aim of the study is to understand how the diversity of university language websites and social networks influence the universities’ reputation in the World University Rankings and how this diversity can be described. Combining the union of sets of university names in Times Higher Education (THE), QS World University Ranking (QS), and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2018, the World’s Top 100 Universities Rankings enabled us to obtain a set of 146 universities. From October 18, 2018, through November 1, 2018, the availability of website versions in different languages and social media applications was checked. The study enabled a 146x15 binary matrix to be built in the first case, and a 146x21 one in the second, with 15 meaning the number of website versions in foreign languages, and 21 standing for respective number of various social media accounts. The binary matrices were clustered with a view to obtaining dense submatrices consisting of units only. The study shows that approximately 47 percent of the universities surveyed have their websites in more than one language. All the 146 universities have websites in English, those in Chinese coming second and equalling to 21. Most popular social networking sites have been revealed, with over 84 percent of universities having Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram accounts. On the whole, 18 universities form a dense binary submatrix for 6 social media, including four of the above, as well as LinkedIn and Google+. The binary matrices are proved to be effective for higher education managers and experts focusing on specific regions and social media. Correlational dependence calculations on comparative analysis of traditional and altmetrics rankings are also performed.

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Official use of social network sites by African universities

Cited by 3 publications

References 28 publications

The King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Pandemic Framework: A Methodological Approach to Leverage Social Media for the Sustainable Management of Higher Education in Crisis

The King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Pandemic Framework: A Methodological Approach to Leverage Social Media for the Sustainable Management of Higher Education in Crisis

Interactive radio, social network sites and development in Africa: a literature review study

Structures of THE, QS and ARWU Top 100 universities’ websites in different languages and social media accounts: Binary matrix approach

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