A Comparative Study of Teachers' and Students' Use of Social Media for Interaction with Other People

Abstract

Economic crisis strongly influences teaching. To promote effectiveness and competitiveness of teaching in higher education, teachers' and students' use of social media for interaction with other people has to be analysed. The research question is as following: are there any similarities and differences between teachers' and students' use of social media for interaction with other people? The purpose of the research is to compare teachers' and students' use of social media for interaction with other people. The meaning of the key concepts of “social media” and “web technologies” is studied. Exploratory research is used. The empirical study was based on teachers' and students' case studies. Descriptive statistics was implemented for primary data analysis. The findings allow drawing the conclusions on the teachers' and students' use of social media for interaction with other people. A hypothesis is proposed. Directions of further research are formulated.