The Use of Social Media for Students' Academic Life: Experience from Buhare Community Development Training Institute, Musoma, Tanzania

Abstract

The study assessed the usage of social media networks in seeking information by college students: with reference to Buhare Community Development Training Institute (CDTI), Musoma-Mara region, Tanzania. Data were collected from two hundred seventy-three (273) study participants using questionnaires. The sample of the study was representative. The results from the analysis showed that Buhare CDTI students were familiar with social media while performance and efficiency was the highly cited factor influencing the choice of social media. Study findings further showed that social media sites were a reliable source of information for academic purposes and the majority of the participants noted that the reason for use of social media was academic and information-sharing purposes. Additionally, the majority of the participants revealed that there was a strong relationship between the extent of their use of social media and their academic performance. The study further established that the high cost of Internet bandwidth, identifying the author of materials retrieved from social media sites due to information overload, and failure to discover reliable information to be used on academic references due to the flood of information from social media were the critical challenges faced by students. Conclusively, it was clear from the current study that social media platforms are reliable sources of information to be used by college students in their daily academic life. The study suggests that academic institutions should promote and motivate students to use social media in their daily academic activities. Also, tutors and all academic stakeholders have to train students so that they may have the skills and knowledge to use IT devices.