The Trends of Use of Social Media by Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: As the online environment has evolved, the use of social networking sites (SNSs) has been integrated into the methods of teaching. Students across the world are currently using SNSs to enhance their learning. Objective: This study sought to explore the students' use of social media, in particular that of Facebook groups in medical education at the University of Ottawa. Methods: Pre-clerkship medical students (n = 160) were surveyed regarding the trends of use of SNSs in their learning. The survey consisted of 23 questions (Likert-style, multiple choice, yes/no, and short answer questions). Results: 94% of respondents use SNSs to facilitate their learning with Facebook (n = 98, 97%). Students mostly use Facebook groups for histology (30%), physiology (21%), etc. They mostly use SNSs for these particular subjects because the material posted is engaging. Sixty percent (60%) of students use SNSs to communicate with their colleagues and 59.8% stated that they prefer Facebook groups over pages. They prefer sample tests/quizzes and study guides (65.6%), followed by explanatory comments and an answer to a question (54.2%), etc. The downside of the use of social media in education is distraction and privacy issues. Conclusion: SNSs are used by the majority of students to enhance their learning, but to use them to their fullest; the material posted has to be concise, engaging and aligned with the learning objectives. Social media are contemporary and efficient communication tools that educators cannot overlook; the challenge is to choose the right platform, the amount and quality of the information shared to ensure optimal benefit and collaboration of the students.

Social media in undergraduate medical education: A systematic review

“…Educators used them to share resources, establish a dialogue with students, and facilitate classroom activities. Students used them for informal conversation, for accessing and sharing educational resources, to arrange educational and social events, to discuss opinions, and to participate in surveys, quizzes and educational games 90,109,110,113 …”

“…Students used them for informal conversation, for accessing and sharing educational resources, to arrange educational and social events, to discuss opinions, and to participate in surveys, quizzes and educational games. 90,109,110,113 Several studies delivered structured teaching using social media platforms. 6,36,48,65,85 Use of social media within structured learning activities was found to improve communication and participation, 82,88 and facilitate teamwork.…”

The Effects of Internet Addiction on the Academic Performance of Medical Students at Omdurman Islamic University: An Online Cross-sectional Study

“…Increased use of the internet via laptops, smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices, along with cheaper data services, make internet use more widespread. Some studies found that students using social media to communicate with their colleagues and for learning, and many students rely on social media to access the knowledge in a free and easy way (43).…”

Social Media Research Strategy to Understand Clinician and Public Perception of Health Care Messages

“…Social media has become an important information dissemination tool for health care organizations. Today nearly 70% of US adults use social media platforms (Pew Research Center 2018), such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, and online message boards, to access, generate, and share content (Kind et al 2010;George et al 2013; Korda and Itani 2013;Fung et al 2015;Callum Staff et al 2016;El Bialy and Ayoub 2017). As a result, these platforms provide health care organizations with easy access to a public eager to use the Internet in its medical decision making-an eagerness demonstrated by the fact that 80% of all US adult Internet users search online for health information (Fox 2011) and these users often receive medical opinions from the web before they consult a physician (Gualtieri 2009).…”

“…The health care community's embrace of social media has resulted in a variety of success stories: social media has proven effective at connecting organ donors with transplant candidates (Henderson 2018), offering anxietyrelieving support to patients (Attai et al 2015), and facilitating learning among medical students (El Bialy and Ayoub 2017). Social media has also been shown to have a positive influence on people's health (Maher et al 2014;Laranjo et al 2015), successfully encouraging the adoption of such behaviors as increased physical activity (Valle et al 2013), improved weight loss among the obese (Turner-McGrievy and Tate 2013), and responsible resource use during emergencies (Jones 2011).…”