Abstract

In the 21st Century which is called the age of technology and information, the developments which take place in information technologies are reshaping the social, cultural and economic life as well as interpersonal relationships. New information technologies provide the individuals with media facilities on the internet which form an environment where they can share their feelings and ideas. This environment which is called social media has an ever-growing significance and influence in our daily lives. Owing to this aspect, it is also rapidly becoming one of the rising societal values.

Social media is one of the most ideal media as it is easily accessible and as it can be updated constantly. Individuals can share various photographs and videos and write their ideas in social media. Social media has a broad range of tools and is therefore effectively used to enhance learning and teaching experiences.

The reasons for which undergraduate students are using social media, which has many positive contributions to education should be identified. In this study, the social media usage of students who study at the Preparatory School was analyzed in terms of different variables.

The survey method, which is one of the types of descriptive research, was used in this study. The study group, on the other hand, comprises 220 beginner and intermediate-level students studying at the Preparatory School of Near East University in the academic year of 2016-2017.

Consequent to the study, it has been ascertained that all of the students who took part in the study have social media accounts, easily accessible internet connections and e-mail addresses. It has also been found out that half of the participating students have a good level, thirty percent of them have a very good level and the remaining twenty percent have a fair level of social media knowledge. However, it has also been discovered that many of the students do not have a personal website. It has been found out that they connect to the social media sites mainly through smartphones and it has been observed that they mostly access the internet and the social media when they are at home. The frequency of social media usage has been ascertained as daily and it has been revealed that the students use the internet for 1 -2 hours. As a result of the Chi square test conducted, it has been discovered that the students used social media irrespective of their English language levels. It has also been indicated that the most widely used social media application is “Facebook”.

Keywords: Social Media, Internet, Social Media Platforms, Web Technologies