Use of social media by LIS students in Kuwait and Taiwan: A comparative analysis

1.1.Kuwait and Taiwan

Geographically, Taiwan is located in East Asia, and Kuwait is in the Middle East. The official language of Kuwait is Arabic. English is spoken widely and has been used in education as a second language since elementary school. In Taiwan, people speak Mandarin and English was introduced into the high school curriculum in the 1980s.

Conservative societal ideals and customs define Kuwaiti culture. The official religion of Kuwait is Islam, and the legislation and social values are governed by it. Similarly, the Taiwanese culture is conservative and places the family at the centre of its cultural activities [18]. Area-wise, Taiwan is double the size of Kuwait, and its population is five times larger than Kuwait’s.

In terms of GDP per capita, Kuwait’s GDP is a little higher. Regarding Internet use in Kuwait, it is 99 per cent, and in Taiwan, it is 91 per cent [19]. In both countries, public education is free and obligatory. However, it extends to tertiary education in Kuwait and Junior high school in Taiwan, in which a diverse choice of courses are provided to meet the student’s needs, as well as practical sessions that equip them with an idea of future vocational and technical education and employment options [20]. LIS education is offered only in two public institutions in Kuwait, at the bachelor’s (BA) level and the master’s (MA) level. In Taiwan, seven LIS schools cover BA, MA and PhD programmes offered by four national universities and three private universities (see Table 1).

One of the other reasons that encouraged the implementation of this research in Kuwait and Taiwan is the similarity of the number of students in their LIS programmes. In 2021, 1856 students (including 1460 BA and 396 MA) enrolled in the seven LIS schools in Taiwan. The figure is almost the same for only two LIS schools in Kuwait as of 2021, the BA (1800 enrolled students) and master’s programme of Information Studies (MISt) (50 enrolled students) in the two LIS schools in Kuwait.

1.2.SM penetration in Kuwait and Taiwan

SM dissemination in the two countries is almost the same: in Kuwait, it’s 93 per cent, and in Taiwan, it’s 90 per cent [19]. There was 98 per cent Internet usage in Kuwait, with 4,227,000 Facebook subscribers in March 2021. In Taiwan, 92.4 per cent of Internet usage was reported in June 2021, with 20,610,000 Facebook users [21]. The purpose of using social media-based platforms ranged from sharing information, acquiring education, and having fun.

Regarding educational use of social media, students use it for collaborative work, facilitating ubiquitous learning and contacting their teachers [6]. Further, in both countries, the majority of the users of SM are dominated by millennia. Regarding gender parity, Kuwait is one of the Middle Eastern countries that recognise women more for their rights in the constitution, including political and educational rights [22]. New technologies allow women to strengthen their societal participation [22,23]. On the other hand, Taiwan ranks top in Asia for gender parity. Taiwan passed an Act in 2004 known as the Gender Equity Education Act; this has significantly helped women to progress in their desired fields. Both countries need more support in budget allocation, leading to an insufficient style of education, which, in turn, affects learning, collaboration and skills development.

In Kuwait, SM use has increased considerably over the past few years due to the availability of Internet access and Information Communication Technologies (ICT) (such as smartphones and their applications, automated systems, web 3.0 and WI-FI). However, factors inhibiting SM use in Kuwait are more university encouragement and time [13,24]. A similar phenomenon of the widespread, daily usage of SM was observed among university students in Taiwan [25], where students were found to use SM more conveniently [26]. The collaboration of students with the ICT and SM tools assisted them in gaining knowledge for academic purposes [6,27] and also helped them in future employment [10]. ICT knowledge moderated the association between SM and student performance [27].

Teachers also consider using SM tools beneficial in instructing students [10,12]. However, Kuo et al. [26] believe that although SM benefits the students’ learning performance, it may sometimes lead to the risk of addiction and consequently impact their academic achievements. Students have been warned, however, to use social media conscientiously [28].

Although research on SM is increasing [29], literature on the use of SM in education from the perspective of LIS students is limited [3,24]. Few studies discuss the LIS student’s use of SM in learning and teaching [30]. None has compared Kuwait with Taiwan and pointed out the challenges and the leverage of SM to facilitate collaborative learning. Therefore, this study attempts to fill this gap by exploring the suitability of applying SM in LIS formal education at Kuwait and Taiwan’s BA and MA levels. The findings of this study help understand the students’ use of SM in both countries concerning LIS education and map out the challenges of providing LIS learning and collaboration through this use.

2.1.SM use and academic performance

Social networking sites (SNS) have brought people together like never before [37]. SNS have diffused college students’ lives internationally [38]. It is freely available; students only need a device and a connection to access the SNS [29]. The question of how SM affects students is an urgent need for educators and researchers and deserves more exploration [39]. Various studies reveal that SM can have more detrimental impacts on the academic lives of young individuals and can consequently impact the students’ careers negatively [40] due to the immense consumption of time [13,24,41,42]. As suggested by Wakil et al. [42], the overuse of SM is often known to reduce students’ performance. A similar study at the University of Hong Kong found that the usage of SM for academic purposes failed to be a significant predictor of it [2]. Doleck et al. [38] stated that the relationship between SM and academic performance has not been studied yet, or little has been known about it [2].

Mao [43] has also proved that entertaining, sharing pictures, and getting updated resources for schoolwork are the fundamental reasons for SM use, while collaborating on projects and learning a new subject are the least cited reasons for SM use. On the other hand, numerous studies highlighted the increasing educational benefits of SM in students’ lives [26,43]. For example, Abrahim et al. [44] found that most research participants agreed that Facebook offered great promises to facilitate their English language learning and improve their motivation and confidence. Moreover, SM also had a significant impact on students’ grade points. Lau [2] identified a positive effect on student’s academic performances of applications such as Twitter. The study’s findings revealed that the use of Twitter enhanced the commitment levels of the students and that they had a higher GPA than those who did not use it.

Contrastingly, Al-Menayes [12] and Tafesse [36] found that SM use negatively affects students’ GPAs. Another study by Lambic [7] involved a survey on the correlation between the educational use of Facebook and students’ academic performance. The findings portrayed a positive relationship between the two [36,42,44]. With the frequency of Facebook use for educational purposes [44,45], Lederer [46] suggested that students have become accustomed to a world where SM use has become necessary. SM enriches the educational experience by exchanging ideas among students and their educators, raises collaboration [5,47] and debate, and engages networks using evolving social platforms. SNS can assist students in improving their academic performance, preparing for competitive tests, expanding their learning and research capacities [37], interacting with researchers, reading research content and knowing its trends [28]. Talaue et al. [4] revealed that although SM has become an indispensable part of student’s lives and consumes almost all of their free time, certain aspects of SM offer essential benefits for the development of the students [38]; communication through SM can enhance students’ socialisation [7], their critical thinking, and discussions [46]. Furthermore, SM efficiently increases students’ engagement and communication skills [7,46].

SM among university students, traditionally heavy users, has become essential today. SM multitasking has been growing prevalent [2,17]. The heavy SM usage among undergraduates and its impact on their university performance was studied by Kasa et al. [48], who found that a large proportion of students in a Nigerian University were addicted to social media for academic objectives. WhatsApp were the most addictive [40,48], and unexpectedly, those between the ages of 27 and 30 were the most obsessed. Osharive [49] assessed Lagos students in terms of academic performance. The findings suggested that several students were addicted to SM usage within the university premises. In this regard, the research indicated that SM should be employed for educational requirements, extending social networking platforms, creating new pages to improve learning activity, and monitoring must be conducted by teachers and parents on how the students use these sites. However, specialised awareness programs can be developed to highlight the dangers of social media addiction and to pave the path for students to balance their usage of social media platforms with academic activity [48].

From all the previous studies, it can be observed that SM significantly impacts students’ academic performances. These impacts can be both positive and harmful [5,42]. Long durations of usage of SM platforms can result in distractions and reduced academic performance [42], whereas optimal use of SM applications for study purposes can enhance academic performance.

2.2.SM use and applications

According to the Arab SM report [50], SM was generally used in the region by students to connect. However, the other purposes for which SM employed were seeking information, watching videos, listening to music, and sharing photos. A study in Kuwait confirmed that students use mobile devices for accessing information. It highlighted that using social media allows faculty and students to interact, meet peers, and become acquainted [29]. Academics in Kuwait reported that SM use on Twitter and Facebook received the highest social use, followed by WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube [24,41]. At the same time, another research suggested that due to the inaccessibility of mobile phone user-friendly databases, students spend more time on SM or retrieving unorganised/unauthorised information [13]. Furthermore, Mansour [41] asserted that faculty members adopt SM mainly for connecting formally and informally with each other, searching and sharing information with colleagues and students, and posting messages. Faculty members also reported that “keeping in touch” was the most frequent activity and used SM more often for informal academic communication [24].

However, Fedock et al. [51] believe that online higher education representatives should review their job statements to reflect how SM use may affect students’ learning, profession, and career opportunities. Identically, as Otu [40] observed, most students used their SM accounts for entertainment. Apart from this, in the Arab world, SM has helped people to stay connected, network and collaborate [3].

Concerning the different mediums for SM interactions, it was observed that Instagram could ease communication while producing ideas, disseminating an event, attracting followers, contacting the right audience, and promoting a workshop [29]. Al-Daihani [52] further suggests that educators and academic librarians must consider planning activities using Twitter as an information and communication source. Moreover, Skype can be used to bring subject experts geographically together. In the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, Facebook has become an excellent application for sharing course materials [45]. YouTube has been used extensively to provide comprehensive LIS subject materials [3,45].

Additionally, SM has attracted immense faculty attention and is an educational tool for fast and effective communication [7,32]. However, without a structured change process, teachers may not embrace using SM sites as practical teaching tools [51]. The applicability and efficiency of using SM applications were assessed through the perceptions of the teachers and students [35]. To enhance SM usage in the educational domain, the students and teachers revealed that smartphones are the most suitable devices. Further, the study found WhatsApp the most relevant application teachers and students use for teaching and learning. Otu [40] reported similar findings. Sobaih et al. [6] conducted a study to evaluate the use of SM by students for academic purposes. Their findings indicated that SM positively impacts academic-related objectives like learning and teaching tools [27,45]. However, the faculty’s actual use of these SM platforms was minimal.

2.3.SM in education

Social media is used in LIS education to facilitate professional networking [37], cooperation [1], sharing of ideas, research findings [24], and best practices, creating a strong sense of community. SM platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and professional Facebook groups develop professional growth [45,53], information literacy and digital citizenship skills. Thus, LIS specialists can help users learn how to evaluate online sources critically [44] and utilise social media responsibly. It is also crucial to incorporate social media into library services [54], with sites like Facebook and Twitter promoting resources and events [55]. Overall, social media is used in LIS education for various objectives, including accessing information [45].

SM has enabled people to learn on almost any topic related to knowledge and education [42,50]. SM has eased collaboration between students and professionals, bringing together peers with similar interests [3,5]. Students’ academic performance is associated with using SM, which helps retrieve information and encourages innovation [42]. Consequently, this has a significant favourable influence on SM in the diffusion of new knowledge [27]. LIS students use social media for academic reasons and have a good attitude. They frequently utilise these platforms to communicate theoretical knowledge [27,42] with one another through various organisations [45].

Rising levels of activities within the educational domain have increased the motivations for SM use; this, in turn, increases the results of successful outcomes such as career development [53]. Therefore, academics should raise awareness pertaining to the usefulness of SM as an information source [49,52,54]. They must integrate SM in teaching and course description, enhancing students’ participation and linking their learning to employment [10]. In their research study, Xu et al. [47] assessed the application of the SM platform WeChat within the top thirty-nine Chinese libraries. The findings indicated that several Chinese libraries had implemented the WeChat SM application as a marketing tool to promote the services and collections for the users. The primary uses of WeChat include automatic interaction, answering features and social networking services features.

Very few research studies have discussed the faculty use of SNS [41] and SM applications to encourage the marketing of information resource use at academic libraries [54] and public libraries [55]. The use and scope of SM in LIS Education have yet to be explored to their full potential. Moreover, no study has been conducted per the researchers’ knowledge that aims to examine the students’ use and views regarding the implications of SM in accessing LIS information. Therefore, the current study intends to fill this research gap and add more information to the existing literature in this domain. The research aims to identify students’ use of SM in Taiwan and Kuwait concerning LIS education and map out the issues pertinent to providing LIS learning and collaboration through SM applications. The study’s rationale is to learn more about how students in Kuwait and Taiwan use social media (SM) while studying library and information science (LIS). Moreover, to investigate how students in these two nations use social media platforms for learning and cooperation in the LIS sector. The research, therefore, will answer the following questions:

6.1.Similarities

6.2.Differences

These findings suggest that SM plays a significant role in students’ academic lives in Kuwait and Taiwan, with some variations in usage patterns and cultural contexts. Both countries see potential benefits in SM use for LIS education, but there are also areas where further enhancement is needed, such as learning from peers and communicating with faculty. Training for students and faculty is recommended to enhance the use of SM in education.