Abstract
Social media has become a popular method for students to share information and knowledge and to express emotions. They enable students to exchange videos files, text messages, pictures, and knowledge sharing. They provide an opportunity for students to improve social networking and learning processes, which promotes knowledge in society. This study examined the use of social media among LIS students of selected universities in India. The main objectives of the study are to find out the reasons why LIS students use social media, to identify students' perception of social media, and to find out the frequency of social media usage. The study used a questionnaire in order to discover the use of SNS. Well-structured questionnaires were distributed among 400 LIS students in India. Out of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 360 were completely filled and returned, giving a return rate of 90%.
TopIntroduction
The transformation in the technology of information and communication generation, processing, storage and dissemination witnessed in the 21st century unprecedentedly opened-up new media platforms unmatched in history in terms of interconnectedness, interactivity, multiplicity and accessibility (McQuail, 2005, p. 38). During the last two decades the world, in general and India, in particular has witnessed for remarkable changes in Information Technology (IT). The advancement in IT led to the emergence of Social Networking Sites (SNS). SNS are currently being used regularly by millions of people. The usage of SNS has been so widespread that they have caught the attention of academics worldwide. SNS are now being investigated by numerous social science researchers. An increasing number of social scientists are developing interest in studying SNS, because of its impact on society. Further, the usage of Social Networking Sites (SNS) among the people of India is evidently increasing, particularly among the Indian college students (Manjunatha, 2013).
Social Media are media that allow users to meet online via the Internet, communicate in social forum like Facebook, Twitter, etc., and other chat sites, where users generally socialise by sharing news, photo or ideas and thoughts, or respond to issues and other contents with other people. Common examples of social media are the popular social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Flicker, etc. Social Media is an interactive media format that allows users to interact with each other as well as send and receive content from and to each other generally by means of the Internet.
The first noteworthy trend has been the evolution of the Internet. The modern Internet is often called “Web 2.0”. The central components of Web 2.0 are the different social media and social web communities. Invented by Tim O’Reilly in 2005, the term “Web 2.0” is just a name for the evolution of Internet-based communications, and it shows that networking and electronic interaction have advanced to the next level. The quick development of mobile technology and different mobile terminals has been important for the creation and use of social media. A modern, well-equipped Smartphone can be a pocket-sized mega-studio. The applications and services of information and communications technology are merging together more and more. An ubiquitous presence, the different hardware and services we use now contain a new kind of “intelligence”, where these machines and services communicate with each other without any particular action by the user.
Social media instead of sending messages should be used for educational purpose. Students should be taught different ways to use social media which can help them to enhance their knowledge. Students should be engaged in doing practical work like writing blogs. It will help them to get vast knowledge on a topic and to apply various techniques while solving problems. Teachers should control an online environment of the students which can help them to gather information, to socialize and to build a personality. Students should be made aware about the positive aspects of social media. They should be taught that it is one of the very powerful mediums by which they can get connected to the professionals. With the advent of latest applications like what’s App, educational institutes should try to gauge the students in more productive work.
Over the past few years social media or social networking sites (SNS) have been more popular than any other sites, especially among students and young population. SNS allow individuals to be visible to others and establish or maintain connections with others. These sites can be used for work-related issues, personal issues, romantic relationships, and shared interests such as music, arts, sports, or politics. Facebook, for example, allows its users to have online profiles and invite others to be their “friends” so they can view each other’s profiles and post comments on each other’s pages. Facebook members can also join virtual groups based on their common interests, see what interests they have in common, and learn about each other’s interests, hobbies, and relationship status by viewing their profiles (Ellison et al., 2007).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Facebook: Currently Facebook is the fifth most trafficked site on the internet worldwide and second most trafficked social media site on the world. It was first founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004. These are interactive allowing visitors to leave comments, message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is the interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites. It has affected the social life and activity of people in various ways.
Social Network: Social network is a broad term used to denote the blogs, user created videos and wikis. A social networking is an online service, platform or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social network or social relations among people who share interests and activities.
social networking sites: Social networking site functions like an online community of internet users. People use social networking sites for communication personally as well as professionally to contact with others. Social networking sites like Facebook provides new venues for young LIS Professionals to express themselves and to interact with one another.
Modern Society: Modern society is based on the differentiation of social roles. In modern society, human beings act in different capacities in different social roles.
Library and Information Science (LIS): (Sometimes given as the plural library and information sciences) or as “library and information studies” is a merging of library science and information science. The joint term is associated with schools of library and information science (abbreviated to “SLIS”). In the last part of the 1960s, schools of librarianship, which generally developed from professional training programs (not academic disciplines) to university institutions during the second half of the twentieth century, began to add the term “information science” to their names.