The reality of using social media by university students in the Sultanate Oman through learning distance during the Corona pandemic (Covid-19)

Abstract

  This study aims at identifying the reality of using social media by university students in the Sultanate of Oman through learning distance during the Corona pandemic (Covid-19). Additionally, to recognize the academic motives of the Sultanate of Oman universities students beyond using social media according to the Omani universities students perspective. The study sample consisted of (1083) students who receive their education in Omani universities in the Sultanate of Oman who are registered in the academic year (2020-2021), which is chosen randomly. The researchers used the descriptive-analytical method and questionnaire as a study tool. After the statistical treatment of the data, the results showed that: The most common social media among students of the Sultanate community through learning distance during the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) was WhatsApp with (86%), followed by Instagram in second place with (84%), and Snapchat in third place with (85%), while Viber came in the last place with (0.1%). Also, the average daily use of social media by university students for more than 4 hours per day reached (50%) of the respondents. The results also revealed that (47.8%) of the respondents use social networks at all times and (43.7%) use them in the evening. The results showed that the most topics that the university student participates in and interact with through various social media was of a social nature by (81.1%), and in the second place educational topics by (53%), especially in light of the Corona-19 pandemic and the transformation of face-to-face education into distance education..

Keywords: Social media; distance learning; Corona pandemic (Covid-19); academic motivations.