Social Media in Higher Education Research and Practical Insights

Social media enable students to learn in a way that is adapted to them; they started a virtual life on social media when they were growing up and do not know a world where computers, mobile phones, and social media do not exist. However, as numerous research showed before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not them who are hesitating, but teachers and higher education institutions. The results of research conducted in 2019 and presented in this chapter showed that a positive impact on the teachers' use of social media for higher education purposes could have higher education institutions through the implementation of education for both teachers and students on the use of social media. The results of research conducted in 2021 showed that teachers consider easier and faster access to information, when and where it is needed, as the most important characteristic of social media usage for higher education purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and especially since, social media's impact on society has caused changes that necessitate a shift in the educational worldview from one that is rooted in the past to one that is forward-looking and progressive.