Social Media, Higher Education, and Community Colleges: A Research Synthesis and Implications for the Study of Two-Year Institutions

Abstract

The boundaries between on-line and "real-world" communities are rapidly deteriorating, particularly for the generation of young people whose lives are pervaded by social media. For this generation, social media exchanges are a primary means of communication, social engagement, information seeking, and possibly, a central component of their identity and community-building. Given these realities, postsecondary educators should begin to seriously explore the potential to intentionally and strategically harness the power of these revolutionary transformations in technology use to better serve the needs of students to enhance their success. Therefore, this review of books, academic journals, higher education news, research reports, individual blogs and other online media on the use of social media technology (SMT) in higher education provides a baseline sense of current uses nationally, providing a descriptive overview of the social media phenomenon. Additionally, the review clarifies how colleges and college students use SMT and also challenges assumptions in two areas: how institutions can best exploit social media's features and its impact on student outcomes. The review further provides a foundation to develop conceptual frameworks that would better capture the role and impact of SMT among colleges and college students, and community colleges in particular.The boundaries between on-line and "real-world" communities are rapidly deteriorating, particularly for the generation of young people whose lives are pervaded by social media. For this generation, social media exchanges are a primary means of communication, social engagement,

Inquiry-based learning: Emirati university students choose WhatsApp for collaboration

“…In some cases, instructors use SNS for one-way messaging such as sending content or reminders to students (Davis et al, 2014) or university administration uses them to communicate information related to emergencies (Dabner, 2012). Interesting work has also been done on how SNS can help with connecting students to each other to support in their adjustment to college (DeAndrea et al, 2012).…”

Embracing the Instagram Waves –The New Business Episode to the Potential Entrepreneurs

“…Whether we realize it or not, the advances of technology, particularly the Internet, has changed not only the way we live and think, but also the way we purchase products, communicate, travel, the way we learn and many others changes that have been brought about by these continuous technological advancements (Davis et al, 2014). It has made the world change faster and wilder.…”

“…Since the raising of social media, there is some changes on people's life styles. It started from the technology and idea of socializing through the internet and from a chat based media application in the computer; it is now evolve into a new dimension, a social network (Abbott et al, 2014;Davis et al, 2014).…”

“…According to Thamwita and Backman (2013), application such as Instagram can leave a trace that becomes difficult to control and cure. Part of the reason is because it displays pictures and videos which much easier and faster to capture people brain to remember (Davis et al, 2014) and the tendency to watch it again is huge. Although there is quite a number of a research on Internet and social media, little is understood about how and why people have adopted this particular application, Instagram.…”

Analysis of Social Media Influencers and Trends on Online and Mobile Learning

“…For the young generation, social media exchanges are a primary means of communication, information seeking, and social engagement as well as a key component of their community-building and identity (Davis III, Deil-Amen, Rios-Aguilar, & González Canché, 2015).…”