Pattern of Social Media Platform Use among Students from Health Sciences University

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess the pattern of social media use, its impact on social interaction and student’s perception toward its academic impacts. Methodology: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 135 students of a tertiary healthcare center, Karad. Data collection was done with the help of a structured, pretested questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 135 students participated in the study, of which 86 (63.7%) were females. Almost half of the participants, i.e., 66 (48.9%), spent 1–3 h on social media, whereas 20 (14.8%) participants used social media for <1 h/day. Instagram was the most commonly used social networking site (SNS) among the students, followed by YouTube. It was also found that 81 (60%) participants used SNSs primarily for entertainment purposes, whereas only 13 (9.62%) participants used social media primarily for academics. Conclusion: The study showed that students are excessively using SNSs and although academic application of social media exists, the majority of the students use it mainly for entertainment and other nonacademic purposes. Hence, proper planning should be done to find preventive strategies and to reduce the detrimental effects of its excessive use.