IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

KAN PURPLE
19AAB06491
LEE TENG XUAN
18AAB03288
ONG JIAN RONG
18AAB03497
TEE SHIN YIE
19AAB06756
YAM KAH YEE
18AAB03627

A RESEARCH PROJECT
SUBMITTED IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATION (HONS) PUBLIC RELATIONS
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

JUNE 2022
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It would be impossible to complete this thesis without the assistance and cooperation

of a host of individuals and organization. We were therefore deeply thankful Ms.Liana binti

Mat Nayan for her constant support and guidance throughout the whole research. She had

given us a lot of helps so that we can develop this research successfully.

We are deeply grateful to our parents for their warm and sweet encouragement as well

as their understanding. Besides, we must give special thanks to several friends whose

continuous support and wise counsel I value and appreciate immeasurably for their strong

moral support.

To every one of you, we thank you. This thesis has been completed by having all of

your efforts and contributions.

KAN PURPLE
LEE TENG XUAN
ONG JIAN RONG
TEE SHIN YIE
YAM KAH YEE
 DECLARATION

I declare that the material contained in this paper is the end result of my own work and that

due acknowledgement has been given in the bibliography and references to ALL sources be

they printed, electronic or personal.

Name: KAN PURPLE Name: LEE TENG XUAN

Student ID: 19AAB06491 Student ID: 18AAB03288

Signed: Purple Signed: Tengxuan

Date: 2 September 2022 Date: 2 September 2022

Name: ONG JIAN RONG Name: TEE SHIN YIE

Student ID: 18AAB03497 Student ID: 19AAB06756

Signed: Jianrong Signed: Shinyie

Date: 2 September 2022 Date: 2 September 2022

Name: YAM KAH YEE

Student ID: 18AAB03627

Signed: Kahyee

Date: 2 September 2022

 Approval Form

This research paper attached hereto, entitled “Impact of Social Media Use on Academic

Performance among University Students in Malaysia” prepared and submitted by Kan Purple,

Lee Teng Xuan, Ong Jian Rong, Tee Shin Yie and Yam Kah Yee in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the Bachelor of Communication (Hons) Public Relations is hereby accepted.

_____________________ Date: _____________

Supervisor
Supervisor’s name
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT 1
CHAPTER 1 4
1.1 9
1.2 Problem Statement 6
1.3 Purpose of Study 11
1.4 Research Questions 12
1.5 Research Objectives 12
1.6 Significance of Study 13
1.6.1 Theoretical Significance 13
1.6.2 Practical Significance 14
1.7 Scope of Study 15
1.8 Definition of Terms 16
CHAPTER 2 20
2.1 Introduction 20
2.2 Social Media Usage 20
2.2.1 Facebook. 20
2.2.2 WhatsApp. 21
2.2.3 YouTube. 21
2.3 The Impacts of Social Media Use 21
2.4 Students’ Social Media Usage and Academic Performance 25
2.5 Characteristics of Social Media 26
2.5.1 Characteristic of Facebook 26
2.5.2 Characteristics of WhatsApp 27
2.5.3 Characteristics of YouTube 28
2.6 Social Media and Education 29
2.7 Theoretical Framework 32
2.7.1 Social 32
2.7.2 Entertainment 33
2.7.3 Academics 35
CHAPTER 3 38
 3.1 Research Design 38
3.2 Sampling Method 41
3.3 Data Collection 42
3.4 Questionnaire 43
The characteristics of social media usages: 45
The students’ purposes of using social media: 48
The spending on social media: 49
3.5 Data Analysis 51
3.6 Ethical Considerations 53
3.7 Conclusion 54
CHAPTER 4 55
4.0 Overview 55
4.1 Demographic Profile of Respondents 55
4.2 Characteristics of social media usages 58
4.2.1 Purpose of spending times on social media 69
4.3 Academic performance of Malaysian university’s students 70
4.4 Correlation 71
4.4.1 Pearson Correlation Coefficient Analysis 72
CHAPTER 5 75
5.0 Overview 75
5.1 The characteristics of social media usages 75
5.2 The students’ purposes on using social media 76
5.3 Impact of time spent on social media on university students’ academic performance 77
5.4 Implication of Study 80
5.4.1 Practical Implications 80
5.4.2 Theoretical Implications 81
5.5 Limitations of Study 83
5.6 Recommendations 84
5.7 Conclusion 85
References 87
Appendix 109
Pilot Test 117
 STUDENT DECLARATION FORM
Department of Public Relations
Academic Honesty Regarding Final Year Projects

The following are examples of academic dishonesty extracted from “Student Handbook”
that are more applicable to final year projects.
• plagiarism, i.e., the failure to properly acknowledge the use of another person’s work;
• submission for assessment of material that is not the student’s own work;
• collusion, i.e., obtaining assistance in doing work which is meant to be solely the
student’s own work;
• use of fabricated data claimed to be obtained by experimental work, or data copied or
obtained by unfair means;

It is important that the student reads the Student Handbook and understands the seriousness of
academic dishonesty. The student should pay particular attention on how to avoid plagiarism.

Student Final Year Project Declaration

I have read the student handbook and I understand the meaning of academic dishonesty, in
particular plagiarism and collusion. I declare that the work submitted for the final year project
does not involve academic dishonesty. I give permission for my final year project work to be
electronically scanned and if found to involve academic dishonesty, I am aware of the
consequences as stated in the Student Handbook.

FYP Title:

Impact of Social Media Use on Academic Performance among University Students in

Malaysia

Name: KAN PURPLE Name: LEE TENG XUAN

Student ID: 19AAB06491 Student ID: 18AAB03288
Signed: Purple Signed: Tengxuan
Date: 2 September 2022 Date: 2 September 2022

Name: ONG JIAN RONG Name: TEE SHIN YIE

Student ID: 18AAB03497 Student ID: 19AAB06756
Signed: Jianrong Signed: Shinyie
Date: 2 September 2022 Date: 2 September 2022

Name: YAM KAH YEE

Student ID: 18AAB03627
Signed: Kahyee
Date: 2 September 2022

ABSTRACT

Social media usage plays an important role in university students’ academic performances.

Previous researchers commented that the more time students spent on social media, the more

addictive they tend to be. Despite social media addiction being the main culprit of students’

academic performance, researchers also discovered that social media addiction is capable of the

students’ mental health and well-being. This research addressed the effect of university students’

time spent on social media and their academic performance. To further extend this research, we

also looked into correlation between time spent on social media and the students’ academic

performance to identify the relationship between. This research collected data through surveys and

the data collected were analyzed through SPSS for further study. From this, the current study

indicated an assumption that there was a significant relationship between time spent on social

media and university students’ academic performance.

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Study

Social media has a significant impact on the student community in the modern epoch is

gradually becoming an everyday necessity of every individual's life in today’s world (Abbas,

2019). In the field of information technology, innovations are occurring at a rapid pace and are

being promoted on a variety of social media and networking platforms (Appel, 2019). For instance,

WhatsApp, Facebook, Youtube etc offer innovative social interaction patterns of communication

(Nerur, 2017). Over the last few decades, there has been a growing concern about the impact of

social media on university students' lifestyles and education (Larson, 2015). However before social

media was normalised, people had to buy newspapers to stay up to date on daily news, but now a

click or two is all it takes to read any news source from anywhere in the world, updated to the

second (Martin, 2018). Almost all daily activities, such as ordering food, buying groceries,

promoting a business, and even finding a partner, can be done through social media (Reinartz,

2019).

Previously, distances once prevented people from openly speaking and sharing their opinions,

but thanks to the new globalisation of social media, the interchange of information and knowledge

is now possible regardless of nationality or religion. (Umar & Idris, 2018). Individuals of different

ages use social media to create, share, exchange, and remark within themselves, using numerous

networks available at their fingertips. (Umar & Idris, 2018). And social media has become almost
an essential part of our daily life in today's society, particularly among university students, who

are frequent social media users. (Lau, 2017). Multitasking on social networking sites is also

becoming more common, students and social media have also a close relationship (Wihbey, 2013).

Social media has also clearly impacted all levels of education by providing limitless opportunities

for learning (Reinartz, 2019). Students can use mobile gadgets and social media to create,

customise, and exchange course content in text, video, or audio formats (Selwyn, 2011). These

technology breakthroughs have resulted in the emergence of a new breed of learning cultures, ones

based on the concepts of group discovery and engagement (Jamal & Nawab, 2020).

On the one hand, social media provides them with an excellent means of communication

and collaboration, but it can be a major distraction and cause serious long-term issues (Sperling,

2021). Those students must strike a balance between their social media usage and their academic

performance, as the two appear to become increasingly intertwined as time passes (Kolan &

Dzandza, 2018). Academic performance metrics include GPA, rating, and first-year performance

in required courses, and they are used to measure and track academic progress and achievement

(Kim et al., 2017). These metrics predict overall success in the students' programme of study by

determining how well students persist through terms (Kim et al., 2017). Students utilise social

media to learn more about their academic studies, while academic institutions employ social media

platforms to communicate with their instructors, access course material, personalise it, and develop

student communities (Selwyn, 2011). DeBell estimates that 90 percent of school-age pupils now

use the internet on a regular basis, with over 75 percent of teenagers using online networking sites

for e-learning (DeBell, 2006).

Thus, social media has become a mainstream platform for university students to seek

necessary information regarding their course syllabus because students highly depend on social
media as a major platform to interchange information regarding to their course syllabus and

participate in virtual group meetings due to the current Covid-19 lockdown restrictions (Talaue et

al., 2018). Researchers have discovered that social media platforms like Facebook are utilized by

university students to gather relevant information about their studies and act as a supplementary

learning material (Moghavvemi et al., 2021). Besides Facebook, YouTube is also utilized by

students to gain information for their scholar field such as architecture, medicine, nursing,

performing arts and more (Moghavvemi et al., 2021). Besides, social media platforms help to

improve students’ writing skills (Nilgiri, 2020). This is because writing blog posts or social media

content on the social media site can sharpen their writing skills if they write regularly and it will

eventually improve their writing skills when it comes to writing their academic papers (Nilgiri,

2020). Besides, social media also encourages online learning to students because with the

advancement of social media these days students can easily use it to watch educational videos,

read e-books, do their notes online or even learning through virtual video calling (Tula’s

International School, 2020).

1.2 Problem Statement

University students frequently use social media in their daily life. The research of Ahmad

et al. (2018) found that 76.3 percent of 240 university students are using more than three social

media accounts for each of them. Based on the study by Siddhartha et al. (2020a), the usage of

Facebook reached 69 percent while YouTube and WhatsApp reached 93 percent by university

students in Malaysia. The more detailed statistic shows that the 2 of the highest age groups of

YouTube users are at 77% of both the 15 years old to 25 years old age group and 26 years olds to

35 years old age group which are the ages between teens and university students (Ceci, 2021).

Facebook has approximately 500 million users and is still growing, with around 85 percent of
undergraduate students using it (Schneider, 2010; as cited in Himat & Nazari, 2021), and

WhatsApp was one of the most popular social media platforms among university students (Devi

& Tevera, 2014; as cited in Al-Mothana, 2017). This result showed the heavy usage of social media

among university students.

The university students use social media frequently in daily occurrence to share and explore

themselves in self-presentation, maintain relationships with peers, express their emotions or

opinions and more (Ahmad et al., 2018). According to Al-Rahmi (2015), students learn how to

share, communicate, cooperate, and socialise information and knowledge via the use of social

media. In Malaysia, social media has grown in popularity and is now widely utilised among

students as a means of communication and group cohesiveness (Othman et al., 2017).

On the other hand, researchers also found that social media diverts student’s focus away

from academics and gives improper pursuits such as pointless discussion (Lupus and Shankar,

2010, as cited in Iqbal, et al., 2018). Social media networking is all about sharing and developing

information, and all of these aspects are extremely useful in higher education. (Sivakumar, 2020).

According to Bull et al. (2008, as cited in Iqbal et al., 2018), social media were used to improve

academic performance and enhance the interaction between the teacher and students. As a vital

communication network, social media plays a critical role in learning contexts (Jamil et al., 2020).

It has a significant impact on improving relationships between students, teachers, and even peers.

Teachers and students are linked and may utilise these social media platforms to help them work

on their education especially when the pandemic hits (Sivakumar, 2020). A lot of study has been

done on how students in higher education use social media and mobile devices to connect with

their classmates (Ansari & Khan, 2020). Developing collaborative learning abilities is another

advantage of using social media in the classroom which may aid students to obtain and share
information from both internal and external sources via social media platforms. (Monika, 2020).

To further elaborate, when social media platforms are used in the classroom, students are inspired

and encouraged to study. (Ajay, 2021). YouTube instructional videos, easy access to e-books,

online notes, and studying via video chats, for example, are all key components of educational

advancement (Monika, 2020).

Additionally, students utilise social media for a variety of reasons, including resource

sharing and information access. Students feel that using social media will provide them with more

knowledge and access to learning resources (Mulla et al., 2020). Through data and information

collection, social media helps students improve their academic performance and knowledge

(Monika, 2020). With the easy and free access of social media, it is able to motivate students to

study on their own. Another key benefit of social media for educational purposes is that it increases

student academic performance and understanding by allowing them to gather facts and information

(Ajay, 2021).

However, social media indeed caused negative impacts on university students. According

to Mohamad et al. (2019), the research found that 71 percent of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

students using the Internet for longer times are expected. According to a study conducted by

Ahmad Jahed Mushtaq (2018), university students tend to be affected by social media in various

negative aspects. One of the factors that caused poor performances in their academics is due to the

usage of social media because they play online games through social media and this has brought

distraction to their studies (Mushtaq, 2018). On top of that, Hou et al. (2019, as cited in

Ezeonwumelu, 2021) also stated that social media addiction is prevalent among students whereby

when students become excessively reliant on social media, they will develop a dependency on

online networking sites more. Students who spend more time on social media do worse in school,
according to researchers, since they spend more time interacting with friends on social media rather

than learning (Talaue, et al., 2018). Despite social media consisting of a great amount of access to

course related information, some students use it for entertainment instead. Study shows that

YouTube has a whopping 64.2% of students using it for entertainment and 59.8% to pass time

(Gujjarappa, 2019). As for WhatsApp, a total of 73.4% uses WhatsApp to communicate with

friends but only 39.6% of them uses it to discuss class-related topics (Gasaymeh, 2017). Besides,

a total of 70.1% of students uses Facebook for social purposes but only 49.7% of students use it

for educational purposes (Tasir & Al-Dheleai, 2017).

Everything has its pros and cons, there are some negative characteristics of social media

and social media usage towards students. Nowadays, students often lose focus when studying and

instead prefer to spend their time on social media (Mulla et al., 2020). The major concern of social

media platforms is that they are beginning to disrupt and impair the mind's capacity to think

effectively (Monika, 2020). However, according to a study conducted by Ahmad Jahed Mushtaq,

university students will likely be affected by social media in various negative aspects. It is observed

that the mass usage of social media affects university students’ academic performance in a negative

way (Mushtaq, 2018). One of the factors that caused poor performances in their academics is due

to the usage of social media because they play online games through social media and this has

brought distraction to their studies (Mushtaq, 2018). Many students have been almost entirely

absorbed in social networking, paying less attention to their academic work as a result of gaining

significant attention on platforms rather than learning or participating in one-on-one interactions

(Umar & Idris, 2018). Addiction and distraction are the top two worries of students when it comes

to using social media (Mulla et al., 2020).

 In addition, students relying too much on social media is not a good sign. As text messaging

and social media tweets have increased, students have become accustomed to not utilising proper

spelling and grammar while conversing. It is more challenging for others to understand the full

scope of the discourse, especially when interacting with people who did not grow up with

technology as their primary form of communication (Bruce, 2020).

Besides, if students did not utilize social media in an appropriate way, it will cause some

negative impacts such as Cyberbullying thrives on social media. Since there are so many gadgets

with internet access nowadays, internet bullies may easily stay confidential and create many

profiles with different identities, enabling them to target numerous social media users

simultaneously, often without being discovered (Christine, n.d.).

According to the research of Kolan and Dzandra (2018), it was also discovered that the

majority of users primarily used social media for talking and downloading, negatively impacting

their academic performance. The widespread use of social platforms such as facebook and

YouTube has both positive and negative consequences on university learning and teaching

(Moghavvemi et al., 2017). The non-academic Internet use which included social media was

adversely connected with classroom performance among university students (Ravizza et al., 2014).

The studies of Gafni and Deri reveal that the Internet and modern technology have an idealistic

effect on students and also produce negative effects rather than assisting them academically

(2012). Students who spent a lot of time on social media showed poorer academic confidence in

performing tasks and taking classes, as well as more difficulties influencing their education, such

as sleeplessness and drug usage (Carter, 2013). Students' learning skills and research capacities

are diminishing in certain cases, as their interaction with these sites causes them to dedicate less

time to their studies, resulting in a reduction in academic achievement (Siddhartha et al., 2020).
 There is a constant ongoing dispute about how much social media has an influence on

university students’ academic performance. In one of the studies, researchers discovered that 78%

of students admit that excessive use of social media decreases their time for studies which leads to

poor results in academics (Jamil et al., 2020). Besides, 89.4% students also agreed that social media

is beneficial for their academics as the platform consists of information related to their courses and

keeps themselves updated through online learning and practices (Jamil et al., 2020). Moreover,

78.7% of students perceive social media to increase their research frequency and expose them to

more new information (Jamil et al., 2020). The researchers who investigate the social media use

of adolescents correlates with their academic performance and they found there are various

contradicting single research on this topic, making it impossible to adequately appraise all

responses accordingly (Science Daily, 2018).

Therefore, this current study interested to investigate whether the amount of time students

spent on social media might affect the academic performance of university students.

1.3 Purpose of Study

According to Uma et al. (2021), social media is defined as “websites and applications that

enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.” Social media

includes social networking platforms including Facebook and Twitter and media sharing sites, for

example, YouTube and Instagram. In addition, there are other platforms like blog sites and

microblogging sites.

The 2019 Digital Malaysia reported that1 25 million people in Malaysia are actively using

social media, representing 78% of the total population, who spend an average of eight hours per

day on the internet and three hours per day on social media. Malaysia is also among the top
developing countries in Southeast Asia and occupies the fourth position globally for countries with

high levels of social media users (New Straits Times, 2019). However, the particular interest in

this study is social media use among higher education students in Malaysia, which is a developing

country where social media use is widespread, though its study in higher education remains in an

infancy stage (Moorthy et al., 2019).

Besides, contradicting findings from previous studies also proved that even though social

media use is claimed to enhance active learning for students and hence academic performance,

empirical evidence is scarce (Alshuaibi, Alshuaibi, Shamsudin, Arshad, 2018). Therefore, this

research aimed to find out the impact of time spent on social media towards Malaysian university

students’ academic performance.

1.4 Research Questions

There are three research questions explored in this current study as stated below:

1. What are the characteristics of social media usages on Malaysian university students’ academic

performance?

2. What are the students’ purposes when using social media?

3. Does time spent by students on social media have an impact on university students' academic

performance?

1.5 Research Objectives

There are three research objectives explored in this current study as stated below:
1. To explore the characteristics of social media usage on academic performance of university

students in Malaysia.

2. To identify the purposes of using social media by university students.

3. To determine the relationship between time spend by students on social media and academic

performance of university students in Malaysia.

1.6 Significance of Study

People are inextricably linked to technology and social media, which includes online

purchasing, obtaining information or news, taking online courses, and more. People's behavior is

hard to determine based on several surveys or studies, it is an unpredictable action since everyone

has a different mindset. People utilize technology and social media to expect a better and a more

convenient way to solve problems in their life. The usage of technology and social media is able

to facilitate people’s daily life. For example, people use social media like Instagram or Facebook

to purchase products for their daily supplies like foods or ingredients during the pandemic period

to avoid going out. In this way, we can know that different people utilize different social media

platforms for different usage based on their preferences, time spent and habits.

1.6.1 Theoretical Significance

The use of social media is pervasive in our daily lives. It has altered how people consume

and portray media contents such as ideas, beliefs, and current events. In the last decade, university

students have become increasingly reliant on social media for academic purposes. Its influence has

grown to the point that students use it regularly, even in academic contexts, as a result of its

widespread use (Al-Rahmi et al., 2015). The Uses and Gratification theory investigates how
propaganda works. It addresses how people use media to satisfy their personal needs and how they

feel satisfied when those needs are filled (Shraddha, 2018). According to the notion of uses and

gratifications, people who pick the media they absorb are motivated to perform. The additional

power and choice afforded by new media has opened new opportunities for research into uses and

gratifications, and even the discovery of new satisfactions, specifically in the context of social

networks (Cynthia, 2019). Users have more control over what they interact with, when they

interact with it, and what they interact with, as well as more content options. In this way, it is a

freedom for people to choose what they want based on their preferences with the effects of media.

This expands the range of gratifications that new media may provide.

As university students represent a substantial section of society and are seen as future

leaders, it is critical to examine the effect of social media use on academic achievement. The

purpose of usage differs among users depending on their requirements, according to the uses. To

put it another way, the hypothesis suggests that viewers gravitate toward certain social media sites

to meet various gratifications or wants. It emphasises that the audience is engaged and that media

exposures that do not meet the user's demands are not completely accepted (Katz et al., 1973 as

cited in Defleur, 2010). This is relevant to the study's objective, which is to investigate how

undergraduate people are using social media, why they use it, and what influence it may have on

university students' academic performance while using social media for various educational

reasons.

1.6.2 Practical Significance

Regardless of the fact that Malaysia university graduates use social media more often, most

researchers have not paid much attention to the influences of social media on their academic’s
performances. As social media has definitely become a popular and integral part of many students'

social lives nowadays, the inquiries into all of its probable implications are not enough. To

investigate the characteristic and usage of social media on academics’ performances of Malaysia

university students, the research is intended that the outcomes of this study will fill in the practical

gaps about the impact of social media on students' educational outcomes.

1.7 Scope of Study

Due to the spike in the number of social media users and most of them are university

students, social media sites have become the mainstream platform for them to communicate with

one another and also access online learning during pandemic lockdown. However, the more they

spend their time on browsing through social media, the less time and focus they have for their

studies. Besides, information published online can be lack of trustworthy because the sources of

these information are potentially ingenuine, therefore sourcing information for their academic

papers can be a latent threat as the students might obtain false information. In order to look into

this situation, this current study analyzes the role social media plays among university students.

The study will also cover how the duration of university students using social media impacts their

academic performance. The scope of study is restricted to a few selected social media platforms

which are YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. This is because according to a study conducted by

Hashim et al. (2015) and Mamat et al. (2021), they discovered that YouTube, Facebook and

WhatsApp are the most used social media sites among higher education in Malaysia.

This current research will be open for local university students and the data will be

collected through the form of webpage survey as the study will be in quantitative method and the

received data will be analyzed through descriptive analysis method. In conclusion, the scope of
this study is limited to local university students aged between 18-24, but did not restrict to any

certain courses. The reason this age group is specifically chosen is because study discovers that

80.3% of Malaysians that use social media are aged between 13-34 and 34.5% of them are aged

within 18-24 (Subramaniam, 2014).

1.8 Definition of Terms

1.8.1 Social Media.

Social media refer to a broad circumstance to describe a wide range of social networking

sites or platforms and apps utilised by media devices such as smartphone, computers and other

connected devices which enables users to be involved in interactive engagement (Kanwar &

Taprial, 2012). It allows the users to carry out web-based activities or perform user-generated

content, and it is connected with Web 2.0 which include bloggings, social networking sites, virtual

worlds and more (Dewing, 2010). Web 2.0 is a website or platform that allows users to exchange

online information to an extensive audience (Thomson, 2008). Beer & Burrows (2007, as cited in

Treem, et al., 2016) stated that these technologies imply the existence of a web-based app that

allows users to produce or share the content which can be accessed across numerous devices. Beer

(2008, as cited in Treem, et al., 2016) declare that there is a relevance difference between sites

used for active social networking users and platforms that merely express user’s online

connections, which fall under the concept of social networking sites. He believes that identifying

social media enables comprehensive studies by evaluating corresponding and contrasts between

the types of applications and their particular purposes. The convenience of smartphone uses, as

well as the development of high-speed mobile networks are fostering a habit of uninhibited

uploading of user-generated content (Kusumajati et al., 2020).

 Besides, it can be seen that social media has brought impact to the way of communication

which is from traditional communication to multidimensional communication and two-way

communication (Berthon et al., 2008, as cited in Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2014). For instance,

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more have become a channel for people to perform online

communication whereby the users can deliver messages to a far wider audience and get instant

feedback through online without face-to-face communication (Manning, 2014). Not only that, the

communication language has dominated by emoji and abbreviation on social media

communication to express one’s feelings and messages (Arafah & Muhammad, 2019). Arafah &

Muhammad (2019) stated that, emoji icons was used to overcome the problem of inability to

express the meaning of information in written communication as emoji can provide the reader an

indication of what message did the author want to deliver by displaying the facial emotions of

emoji. Furthermore, abbreviations were commonly used in social media communication as a new

language whereby people can understand the meaning of it immediately (Subramanian, 2017). For

example, “TTYL” means talk to you later (Subramanian, 2017).

1.8.2 Social Media Usage

As social media requires low prices and it is accessible to new technology, users have more

options for media consumption now (Manning, 2014). For instance, users can look for unlimited

information they need from multiple sources and they can discuss the information through the

message forums. According to Amedie (2015), it is indisputable that social media took an

important role in allowing immeasurable information for everyone to exchange ideas, connect

with, and provide assistance. In fact, social media has broken down the communication boundaries

and provided decentralized communication channels which allows everyone to voice out their

opinion. Manning (2014) also stated that users were restricted to share their thoughts before but
now with social media, users have more opportunity to voice out for themselves and get immediate

feedback. Social media has evolved into a useful resource for different groups and individuals in

communication, socialization, marketing or education.

Based on Rogers (2019), social media were used for engagement. The majority use social

media for social interaction, communication and stay connected with the one who lives far from

them. For instance, researchers use social media to attend conferences and moderate discussions

with audiences who share common interest in science. Rogers (2019) also mentions that people

will look for information and interest through social media as it is an easy method to connect with

individuals who share common interests. In terms of business, social media were used as a platform

for companies to reach their targeted audience. This platform allows companies to create brand

awareness and communicate with their client better whereby they can get real-time feedback

(Venkateswaran et al., 2019). Social media also was used for educational purposes whereby

students use it as a learning tool to search academic materials and to complete their homework or

assignment task (Hamid et al., 2013). Therefore, the usage of social media is diverse from personal

to education areas and there is no end in sight to it as the use is continually increasing.

1.8.3 Academic Performance

Narad and Abudullah (2016) define that academic performance is the knowledge acquired

and denoted by marks given by educator or result of education in terms of how well a student or

instructor has achieved on their educational objectives within a particular time period. Academic

performance is also measured using GPA (grade point average) and the number of subjects passed

in the first year of university (Lamas, 2014). According to Ali et al. (2009, as cited in Mushtaq &

Khan, 2012), student’s academic performance took an important role in creating the greatest
graduates who will become outstanding leaders for the future of the country and social progress.

Moreover, various factors such as personality, parental background, admission qualification,

gender, age, learning environment, educational infrastructure and more are the elements that will

affect a student's academic performance (Ali et al., 2013).

 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This study will be focusing on the 3 platforms that are widely used by university students

nowadays which are YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. It is crucial for researchers to take

account of the variables in this research because it can bring out the connection between time

duration university students spent on social media and the university students’ academic

performance (Bhandari, 2021). The variables in this research are students’ social media usage and

academic performance, characteristics of social media, social media and education and social

media impacts on university students' health that affect academic performance.

2.2 Social Media Usage

2.2.1 Facebook.

Based on findings by Brailovskaia et al. (2019), 45.5% of the respondents uses Facebook

less than once a day, 25% of the respondents uses Facebook once a day, 16.1% of them uses

Facebook 3-5 times a day, 8% of them uses Facebook twice a day and only 5.4% of the respondents

uses Facebook 5-8 times per day. As for their duration of using Facebook on a daily basis, 71.4%

uses Facebook for less than 5 minutes, 14.3% uses Facebook for 5-15 minutes every day, 8% of

the respondents spend 15-30 minutes on Facebook every day and only 6.3% of them uses Facebook

for 30-60 minutes (Barilovskaia et al., 2019). A previous study by Jafarkarimi et al. (2016)

discussed that with the easy access to social media sites nowadays people can access their social

media anytime and anywhere and it can easily cause addiction to social media users. Besides, they
also discovered that excessive use of Facebook had an impact on the users’ capability to

communicate with other people in real life as well as their capability of finishing their task

(Jafarkarimi et al., 2016).

2.2.2 WhatsApp.

According to Faye et al. (2020) research, majority of the respondents at 53% of them uses

WhatsApp for 1-2 hours, 18% of them uses WhatsApp for 2-5 hours per day, 28% of them uses

WhatsApp for less than an hour and only 1% of the respondents uses WhatsApp for 5-10 hours on

a daily basis. Based on Kharya et al. (2019) study, 48.4% of the students overusing WhatsApp can

lead to reduction of their study time, 34.3% pointed that their academic results regress due to heavy

WhatsApp use and majority of them (53.1%) feel lack of concentration using WhatsApp.

2.2.3 YouTube.

Based on previous research conducted by Klobas et al. (2018), majority of the respondents

at 30.2% uses YouTube for 10-30 minutes per day, 22.4% of them uses YouTube roughly an hour

a day, 15.4% uses YouTube for less than 10 minutes, 19.2% uses YouTube for about 1-2 hours

and only 3.5% of them spent 3 hour and above on watching YouTube.

2.3 The Impacts of Social Media Use

Despite the dispute over social media causing negative impacts towards students, there are

still positive impacts from using social media. For instance, Facebook has been proven from an

investigation that facebook benefits their studies as they found facebook as an effective learning

tool for them to use it for participating in subject discussions, access to lecture notes assessments

and even plain interacting with their peers (Tess, 2013). However, excessive use of social media
will still backfire and cause negative effects. One of the flip sides of social media is the addiction

issue.

According to a study conducted by Moghavvemi et al. (2021) they discovered that 18% of

the students are addicted to Facebook and 20% of the students are addicted to YouTube because

they usually will spend more than 2 hours daily browsing through these 2 platforms for other

purposes. With the rapid growth of social media sites and excessive usage of social media has

caused the younger generation to feel more alone and it will lead them into doing dangerous

practices and eventually will lead to poor connection between family and their companion

(Moghavvemi et al., 2021). Besides, the higher usage of social media the higher it will affect on

their academic performance as well as their relationship with their family members (Moghavvemi

et al., 2021).

Furthermore, excessive use of social media will also cause negative impacts towards

university students on a psychological level. According to a previous study by Valkenburg, Peter

and Schouten (2006) as cited in Armstrong and Hudson (2020), they discovered that social media

sites cause an impact on one’s self esteem. However, they argue that the duration of them using

social media is not the cause of their low self esteem but instead it's their way of spending their

time on social media.

Researchers claim that if the individual’s usage of social media reaches an addictive stage

then it will start to lead a negative impact towards the users’ self-esteem (Amdreassen et al., 2016

as cited in Armstrong and Hudson, 2020). Besides, researchers also claim that social media are

most likely to cause low self esteem because people like to compare their imperfection with other

people they saw online that suits which will later on leads to further inadequacy (Vogel et al., 2014

as cited in Armstrong and Hudson, 2020). The feeling of inadequacy they feel from seeing their
peers online with better lives will increase their low self-esteem. Leary (2004) as cited in

Armstrong and Hudson (2020) claims that constantly feeling low self-esteem will cause other

related psychological problems such as social anxiety and even depression.

Study shows that lower self-esteem leads to higher levels of loneliness. Loneliness can

even soon evolve into worse psychological effects such as depression, alcoholism and even

increased suicidal thoughts (Armstrong and Hudson, 2020). Self-esteem has a strong influence

towards an individuals’ loneliness because usually people with lower self-esteem tend to presume

themselves as a social failure with having bare minimum social contact with others (Armstrong

and Hudson, 2020).

The effect of social media on academic performance has also been linked to health issues

have been well researched. According to the research of Deepa and Priya (2020),they aimed to

discover the effects of social media on student concerns on their mental health. Based on their

findings, they used a quantitative method to test the relationships between mental health issues and

depression plus anxiety. According to the results of the survey, the majority of respondents use a

variety of social media platforms and spend more than four hours each day on it. It was observed

that there was a correlation between the number of social networking sites used and depressive

symptoms in the research. Furthermore, the research discovered a strong correlation between

anxiety and depressive symptoms. It was also proven that there was a correlation between

panicking and being more serious on social media platforms than in real life. In a nutshell, the

increased use of social media, the quantity of social networking sites available, and excessive time

spent on social networking sites are having an influence on students' mental health, particularly

depression and anxiety, suffers as a result of this.

 Mathewson (2020) has proven much information about the title issue. The study was made

to determine the association between the use of social media and college students' mental health

at a doctorate school in the United States' mid-western area. The results of the research proved that

there is a non-significant positive correlation between the use of social media and suicidal

behavior,plus a slight positive correlation between depression and anxiety in undergraduate

students. Participants claimed that their use of social media impacted their mental health in both

good and bad ways since they utilized it to keep in touch with relatives and peers while also

comparing themselves to others.

Next, based on the study review of Medrut (2021), the study review investigated the social

media's effect on teenage mental health. It concluded that it is undeniable that excessive usage of

social media causes more harm than good among teenagers. Teenagers are influenced by

influencers who publish edited selfies or photographs of their own affluent lives, and When this

does not occur, their self-esteem and confidence are severely harmed. These can only lead to

sadness and anxiety symptoms in the future. According to research by Kumar et al., (2018), the

research has shown the result of the addiction to the Internet has a negative impact on mental health

and academic performance. Internet addiction was found to be strongly correlated to depression

and academic performance.

Hence, the studies most proved that social media brought mixed impacts on students’

academic performance.
2.4 Students’ Social Media Usage and Academic Performance

According to a survey questionnaire conducted by Toker and Baturay (2019), it is shown

that the university students are willing to engage themselves in social media for educational

purposes as there are 77% of them voted for using Facebook as communication tool, 80% for

collaboration and 72% for sharing academic materials and resources with their cohorts. The study

also shows that students who use Facebook for study purposes will tend to have higher GPA

because these students who prefer to use Facebook for academic purposes will then only use it

solely for their academics (Toker and Baturay, 2019).

Research by Gasaymeh (2017) shows that there is a low rate of university students using

WhatsApp for their academics. This research shows that most of the students use WhatsApp to

communicate with coursemates about matters related to their courses at only 39.6% on a daily

basis and only 10.4% of students uses WhatsApp to interact with their lecturers and tutors about

their academics on a daily basis (Gasaymeh, 2017).

Gujjarappa et al. (2019) discovered that 80.40% of students share videos on YouTube that

are related to their studies. However, Moghavvemi et al. (2017) argues that YouTube does bring

negative effects onto university students such as addiction as 20% of the students are addicted to

YouTube. The study shows that they mostly use it for entertainment, information and product

inquiry then academic learning (Moghavvemi, 2017).

2.5 Characteristics of Social Media

2.5.1 Characteristic of Facebook

Based on the research by Thao (2017), which studied the uses of Facebook as an education

learning tool among the university students, claims that Facebook was used as a channel for

university students to participate in group collaboration. The data shows that Facebook was often

used by students to perform online group working and communicate with groupmates to

accomplish academic tasks. This is because the convenient and user-friendly Facebook enables

students to form groups for interacting and working on academic purposes. Moreover, the study

by Thao (2017) also stated that the Facebook channel plays a role in knowledge exchange whereby

students use it to access and exchange academic materials or sources such as course syllabus,

reference material, class notes and more. This study clarified that the roles of Facebook allow

students in ease of obtaining multimedia materials which enhance their educational experiences.

In addition, based on the study by Al-dheleai & Tasir (2017), Facebook allows online

interaction among students with peers for academic purposes. Students can access Facebook

anytime to ask questions regarding any academic content whereby discussion was carried out and

help them better understand their course content which results in better academic performance.

Hence, the hypothesis of this study is valid because there’s significant relationship between

Facebook interaction among students and their academic performance. Besides, based on the

research of Ríos and Espinoza (2015), Facebook is also used as a language learning platform

among university students. The results of the study shows that 94.28% of the students agreed

Facebook helps to enhance their language knowledge. According to the responses, it stated that

additional knowledge is beneficial for them. Studying with Facebook allows them to learn more
things from others and it was a great method for them to access various additional materials on

what they had learned in class. All in all, Facebook enhances student’s learning process whereby

this platform has evolved from a networking for entertainment to a channel for learning purposes.

2.5.2 Characteristics of WhatsApp

WhatsApp was frequently used in education due to it being cost free, no limit on sending

the messages, allowing to have numerous discussions with multiple persons simultaneously and

the privateness of the applications (Church & de Oliveira, 2013, as cited in Ibrahim et al., 2015).

According to Mtega (2021), WhatsApp took a role in academic contents whereby students can

exchange educational materials such as study notes, educational files, audio and videos through

this application with their groupmates or lectures. As such, students have more choices to access

academic content which enhance the learning performance (Wema, 2018, as cited in Mtega,

2021).

Besides, WhatsApp also improves in language learning skills. Based on the research by

Wijaya (2018), 50.9% of the students declare that WhatsApp has improved their reading skills,

writing skills (27.27%), listening skills (12.72%), and speaking skills (9%). This shows that other

than exchange of messages, WhatsApp also results in strengthening student’s communication

skills. Furthermore, WhatsApp instant messaging helps to promote social interaction and

information exchange (Barhoumi, 2015). It allows students to send and receive messages instantly

which accelerate the exchange of information without long waiting time. This somehow motivates

students to participate in discussion and interaction with others through WhatsApp. In short, these
roles of WhatsApp may increase the academic performance of students whereby it facilitates

academic communication and learning enhancement of students.

2.5.3 Characteristics of YouTube

Besides the research of Klobas et al. (2018), they explored the YouTube compulsive usage

among university students with multiple motivating impacts compared with those of personality,

comparing motivation to use YouTube for information with desire to use the platform for

enjoyment. They also looked into the impact of excessive YouTube viewing on academic

motivation. They concluded that the characteristics of YouTube are as learning tools as the

interviewers claimed that they used YouTube to watch educational videos sometimes for academic

purposes. The most interviewed also answered that they used YouTube most for the entertainment

and enjoyment when watching YouTube videos.

Based on the study of Lim et al. (2009), they claimed that YouTube roles as the repository

site. They stated the differences of people with higher and low education which high education

people are reported watching internet videos for a variety of reasons, including knowledge

exchange and personal research, whereas those with lower education reported watching videos for

relaxation and entertainment. According to Kohler and Dietrich (2021), YouTube has turned into

a role of complementary learning platform that promotes on-demand learning through educational

videos and although YouTube has evolved into a learning platform, it is most known for being a

place for pleasure and entertainment. They stated that the popularity of non-institutional YouTube

channels and videos demonstrates the importance of additional learning platforms. For instances,

"simpleclub" is one of the most famous education YouTube channels in Germany, with over 350

million views (TheSimpleClub, 2019 as cited in Kohler & Dietrich, 2021).

 Next, based on the research by Pratama et al. (2018), YouTube usually applied as a teaching

material or supplement on academic performance as from a technological standpoint, and in terms

of teaching content and usefulness, along with pushing students to study more, YouTube video has

a significant impact on student learning performance. The majority of the hypotheses resulted in

this study were found to be valid, revealing that YouTube plays a vital role in student achievement

learning performance in YouTube's music production, primarily audio mastering. Based on the

research of Lestari et al., (2019), YouTube also a effectiveness of developing self-confidence for

students’ role-playing as it showed the result of research that the rise in all aspects of self-

confidence, including self-love (up to 94%), self-understanding (up to 95%), a clear intention in

life (up to 83%), positive thoughts (up to 84%), interaction (up to 85%), grooming (up to 86%),

and feelings controls (up to 92%), resulting in an average of student self-confidence of 87.5

percent. In a nutshell, YouTube has helped the academic performance among students.

Those researchers have found the useful characteristics of these three social media

platforms on academic performances among university students.

2.6 Social Media and Education

Social media platforms are fast altering the communications scene, and their introduction

has had a profound impact on how students learn and instructors teach (Devi et al, 2019). Tutors,

students, and others engage in knowledge production activities in today's higher education

environments (Devi et al, 2019). Both social networking sites and social media provide a platform

for students to communicate, connect, and share social skills while also looking for others who

have diverse perspectives (Gikas, 2013).

 With the growth of information technology, the virtual world has become a source of

information. It was observed that 30% of students utilised social media to engage with their peers,

tutors, and friends, and that more than 52% used social media for video sharing, talking, and other

activities during class time (Ansari, 2020). Social media usage provides both benefits and

challenges, with the majority of the benefits seen in accessing and utilizing course content, video

clips, transferring educational notes, and etc (Ansari, 2020). Generally speaking, students believe

that social media are the most cost-effective and convenient ways to obtain necessary information

(Ansari, 2020).

Students today prefer to use advanced technologies and it has been discovered that when

students use advanced tools, technology, and methods, their learning and interactivity improves

(Raja, 2018). Students also find it much more interactive and fuller of interesting aspects when

aided by technology (Ganimian, 2021). The exchange of technology becomes very simple,

convenient, and effective (Raja, 2018). This demonstrates that, when helped by modern

technology, our minds now tend to operate faster in any facet of life, for instance education (Raja,

2018). Even in the educational sphere, relying on and relying on such an innovation that simply

makes life easier is unavoidable these days (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation,

2016).

First and foremost, students use Facebook as a venue to start answering questions. (Swan,

2017). When students begin working on their coursework, they can ask this question to the groups

and have it answered by a member of the group (Swan, 2017). It is also perfect to be used by tutors

in teaching methods. Students can access shared photos, documents, and other resources in the

group before class or even while working on their projects (Devi et al., 2019).
 Next, WhatsApp encourages group efforts and allows tutors and students to exchange

content. Sharing audio or sending learning materials or documents such as Word file, where video

content can also be distributed (Errico, 2020). Furthermore,it can also be used to notify the

community of any announcements such as extra classes or updates (Errico, 2020).

Aside from that, YouTube, which is similar to Facebook, is a terrific option for teaching

methods because students can view lectures and resources prior to beginning the class (Devi et al.,

2019). Students will be more inclined to offer their best while creating a video because the material

will be seen by a larger audience, and they will enjoy being able to express their creativity as they

become more familiar with the course topic (Devi et al, 2019).

The use of YouTube channels and Facebook has risen too in terms of capabilities,

understanding, and outcomes (Adzovie, 2017). It was shown that 90 percent of academic staff

employed social media sites in their teaching, with Facebook being the most popular (Benson,

2014). Students are expected to read and see content put on social media, such as videos, according

to 40% of academic staff, and social networking sites are a key source of collaborative learning

(Benson, 2014).

In fact, students' use of social media is a reflection of their physical and psychological

commitment in school, as well as time spent communicating with classmates and teachers for

collaborative learning (Kuh, 2007). When students talked with classmates and the tutor was

striving to point them in the same direction, and they were exchanging ideas, their engagement

rose (Gray, 2016). Engagement is a state of being involved that is affected by communication or

lack of either (Reavley, 2011).

2.7 Theoretical Framework

Students utilise social media for three major reasons, as discussed in the previous studies

which are, social, entertaining, and academic (Al-Rahmi & Othman, 2016; as cited in Sutherland

et al., 2018).

2.7.1 Social

The uses and gratification concept emphasises mostly on the public's individual liberty and

is predictive since media may be used in a number of ways and for a broad variety of applications

(Shraddha, 2018). According to Alomari (2019), this theory is a well-established theory that has

been used in the research field of communication and mass communication studies. Gratification

and Uses theory is all about using media to meet the demands of the audience and how they utilize

mass media platforms in their daily lives. Traditional outlets such as television, radio, newspapers,

and magazines are examples of these platforms. With the advent of computer-mediated

communication, the importance of uses and gratifications has increased (Alomari, 2019). The

development of advanced technology brings out other platforms like Facebook, Youtube and

Whatsapp as examples, which is the focus of the research. The primary demands are "information,

interaction, relaxation, awareness, escape, and amusement," which are met by media that they

utilise for daily communication and interpersonal relationships. Taking a user-centered

perspective, this is about the audience's part rather than the media's influence on the public (Iftikhar

et al., 2019).
 According to several studies, users use social media for a variety of social purposes,

including interacting with friends and family, forming new friendships, and starting dialogues

about certain topics. People consume media for a variety of reasons, according to study with the

applications of uses and gratifications theory. Companionship, relaxation, passing the time, escape,

and information are some of them as a part of the theory. Furthermore, a growing corpus of study

examines how people utilise media to satisfy higher-order demands such as discovering meaning

and weighing values (Cynthia, 2019). There are five key assumptions in the uses and satisfaction

hypothesis (Alomari, 2019) that individuals use media to meet their needs, such as social and

esteem needs, cognitive requirements, individual integrative needs, emotional needs, and stress-

free needs (Salihu et al., 2016).

First of all, the audience participates in the mass communication process, which means that

people use social media platforms to fulfill their demands. It is a kind of need for social integration

for people to fulfill their desire to socialise with others (Shraddha, 2018). In other words, audience

activity may influence social media content because people use media to meet certain wants and

achieve specific goals. People also use media to strengthen their social interactions by giving topics

for discussion with their near and dear ones. For example, people utilize social media like

Facebook and Whatsapp to keep the connection with their friends and family during the pandemic

period when people are not allowed to meet physically. People might gain from the internet as well

since it offers them topics of interest to talk with their family members and friends, therefore

increasing their socializing skills (Cynthia, 2019). To further elaborate, YouTube is used by

audiences to meet a variety of needs, including learning new things (cognitive) among others.

Watching YouTube lessons, which aid in the learning of certain abilities, had an influence on them,

prompting the researcher to conduct the study (Iftikhar et al., 2019).

 2.7.2 Entertainment

Besides, the research showed that personal variations between individuals affect the need

to meet certain demands and select various media outlets (Alomari, 2019). The uses and

satisfaction approach is an audience-centered approach; the theory connects to the issue in such a

way that audiences use YouTube to satiate their needs, such as the emotive, social integrative, and

other needs listed above (Iftikhar et al., 2019). An individual's choice of media platform is selective

and heavily influenced by their motives and demands. Furthermore, their usage of media may

reflect their current viewpoints and ambitions. To illustrate, people look to the media for

information and to satisfy their mental and intellectual needs. The majority of people watch news

to satisfy this want with their cognitive needs (Shraddha, 2018).

Moreover, the following assumption of the theory is the needs of affective and the needs

of tension-free. Emotional and affective requirements mean to the emotional fulfilment and

pleasure that individuals get from watching soap operas, movies, and TV shows (Cynthia, 2019).

Individuals choose and utilise media platforms; audiences are not chosen by media platforms,

according to Alomari (2019). People relate with the individuals and sympathize with their feelings.

Whenever they cry, the viewer sheds a tear alongside them, and then when they laugh, the viewers

laugh alongside them. This concept defined the link between media impact on the audience and

the audience's influence on the media. This means that, in today's technology era, the audience has

the ability to block exposure to material that does not align with their preferences (Iftikhar et al.,

2019).

While tension-free requirements discuss those who listen to music and watch television

when they are stressed to alleviate stress or boredom (Shraddha, 2018). People may experience
several issues in their life that they do not like to confront, so they seek solace in the media. A

society's cultural values can be derived from the audience's use of media; nevertheless, they cannot

be derived from media messages (Alomari, 2019). In other words, the audience gives a cohesive

knowledge of individual distinctions based on their usage of certain media. As a result, users of

social media and other computer-mediated interactions differ significantly from traditional media

consumers who rely on particular media material. Audiences on social media have the opportunity

and flexibility to actively seek out information and a variety of messages that are relevant and

beneficial to them (Salihu et al., 2016). Not only have new media technologies changed the way

information is acquired and transmitted, but they have also changed the interaction between the

media and their viewers.

2.7.3 Academics

Aside from that, self-esteem and tolerance are referred to be personal integrative

requirements. Because the public may choose its own requirements and motives, it exposes the

material that meets those needs (Alomari, 2019). Clearly, this assumption implies that the

audience’s current motives are the primary driving force behind their usage of social media,

implying that the audience’s preference is predetermined. The approach explains why people

employ a certain medium and what roles it performs for them (Cynthia, 2019). People seek

consolation in order to strengthen their status, reliability, confidence, power, and other

characteristics, which is achieved via the use of media. They utilise the media, for example, to

watch advertisements and study about recent trends in order to alter their behavior and blend in

with others (Shraddha, 2018).

 This uses and gratifications theory emphasises the autonomy of the audience in terms of

being active and deterministic in their usage of media for various reasons (Iftikhar et al., 2019).

From these studies, the majority of people who use the internet for involvement, entertainment,

information seeking and sharing, socializing, self-expression, learning, monitoring, and

interaction. (Salihu et al., 2016). Individuals’ social media activity varies depending on a number

of circumstances, as well as the moment of day and the sort of media material they consume (Jamil

et al., 2020). Previous research has attempted to describe the demands of the audience in terms of

why they utilise social media (Alomari, 2019).

Social media may also be utilised to satisfy educational requirements. This is especially

prevalent among university students (Alomari, 2019). These students may utilise social media

platforms for a number of purposes, ranging from information gathering to academic advancement.

As an example, the audience turns to YouTube to satisfy their need to learn or improve a

competence in a certain programme by using YouTube lessons (Iftikhar et al., 2019). In this way,

it can show that people are able to utilize social media with their specific needs and wants based

on the uses and gratifications theory.

The uses and gratifications description of the necessities includes all of the aforementioned

purposes (Alomari, 2019). The uses and satisfaction argument, on the other hand, does not account

for the impact of social media usage on the aforementioned student groups. To simplify, the theory

claims that students utilise social media to meet certain requirements, but the impact of meeting

those needs is not addressed in the assumptions. For instance, the theory is unable to measure the

impact of social media when students spend excessively time on the internet, which may cause

poor time management resulting in addiction if they spent too much time for entertainment

purposes (Salihu et al., 2016).

 Although multiple prior studies have focused on various parts of social media attributes,

features, type of usage, and possibly achieved gratifications, one important component that they

did not mention is the factors that may have a substantial impact on students’ academic

performance (Alomari, 2019). It did not clearly mention that the time students’ spent on social

media will affect students’ academic performance. These past studies, on the other hand, aided the

researcher in determining the study’s problem, the questions that should be addressed to measure

the study’s objectives, and offered a foundation for constructing and developing research questions

and hypotheses (Iftikhar et al., 2019). The research highlights an essential point: the total of time

spent on social media platforms on a daily basis is a significant independent variable that impacts

students and can impair their academic performance (Othman et al., 2017).

Figure 1: Theoretical framework Underpinned by Uses and Gratification Theory

Based on the literature review and theoretical framework, which encompassed what

another scientific research had concluded on this subject, the hypothesis was retrieved, determined,

and developed. The key objective is to see how the time spent by students in using social media

impacts their academic achievement. Hypothesis is defined by (H).

H1: There is a significant correlation between university students’ time spent on social media and

academic performance.
 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

This chapter will go over the investigation methodology used in the study. The broad

strategy or technique that assists in reaching the research's specific aims and objectives is referred

to as research methodology. It simply states that the problem under examination has been

thoroughly studied and dealt with. The study is more effective and complete as a result of this. The

research methodology covers the study design, data collecting, data analysis, and ethical

considerations that arise throughout the research process. In addition, the research instrument will

be reviewed in depth to offer clarity on how the questionnaire is built using a descriptive survey

with closed-ended questions, radio buttons, and a Likert scale. Besides, this chapter will go through

the data gathering method in depth, as well as the strategies for analysing the data and the platform

utilised to do so. The age range of the respondents for this research will be 18-24 years old

University students.

3.1 Research Design

Research design is a method of doing research that is well-organized in order to present a

clearer image to the research community and a more comfortable environment for respondents. It

may be used to discover more about a topic or to generate fresh research questions. Quantitative

research is the process of collecting and evaluating statistical data. It may be used to find patterns

and norms, make predictions, assess causal relationships, and generalize results to bigger

populations (Pritha, 2020). Quantitative approach is the complete antithesis of qualitative research

in that it collects and analyses non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio). The majority of
studies are carried out using a quantitative approach. In scientific investigations, when the majority

of the work is based on mathematical calculations and sophisticated statistical algorithms, the

quantitative technique is always favored since it produces precise and accurate findings. For

illustration, mathematical equations are employed to assess a product's annual sales data derived

through quantitative research (Alsaif, 2016).

This research paper attempts to satisfy the study objectives by employing a quantitative

approach, since it is critical to choose the research questions. An online questionnaire will be

carried out to identify the effect of social network use on student ability among Malaysian

university students. The goal of employing a quantitative technique is to complete this study

quickly and easily, allowing students to respond to the questionnaire from anywhere and at any

time. This is due to the fact that, in contrast to qualitative research, such a method demands the

researcher to record the discussion while interpreting the major subject in a short amount of time.

As a result, the quantitative technique would be the ideal alternative for efficiently and effectively

utilising time. Furthermore, throughout the online survey using Google Form, the researcher does

not need to be present at all times.

A descriptive survey design was employed in the study to examine the influence of the

independent variables of social media usage and time spent upon that predictor variables of

academic accomplishment. Research design refers to the process of investigating the matter with

the sole objective of defining the influence or correlation between variables, used in acquiring data

to assist the researcher to determine hypotheses or address the research questions, and thus

providing a framework for carrying out the research. Descriptive research attempts to characterise

a population, situation, or phenomenon in a rigorous and exact manner (Pritha, 2020). In

descriptive survey research, surveys are used to gather data on a number of issues. It can address
what, where, when, and how questions, but not why. A descriptive research plan might use a

variety of research approaches to investigate one or more elements (Shona, 2019). The goal of this

data is to establish the extent to which distinct circumstances may be obtained among these people

(Umar & Idris, 2018). This research technique was voted to ensure researchers acquire detailed

information on the variables linked to the structure of the phenomena in order to better characterise

and appreciate it from the subjects' point of view. This will also make it easier for the researchers

to come to useful findings.

In the questionnaire, close-ended questions will be implemented for the study. A closed-

ended questionnaire survey is one that provides respondents with a restricted number of

alternatives from which to choose (Paul, 2008). It is made up of a question stem and a series of

response possibilities (the response alternatives), with the objective of categorising the responses

based on specified criteria. Close-ended questions are designed to deliver a precise, easily

recognized, and classifiable response. Closed-ended questions, on the other hand, are intended and

geared to fit a pattern and framework that the interviewer has established (Fauvelle, 2019). Closed-

ended questions give limited information, although they are easy to assess for quantitative data

(Dossetto, 2021).

Radio buttons will be executed in the questionnaire for this research. A radio button is a

sort of survey answer format that may be found in electronic questionnaires including Web

surveys, email surveys, PDA apps, and other electronic documents (Paul, 2008). Respondents

utilise a mouse pointer, keyboard key, or touch-screen stylus to pick their preferred response

choice. Respondents can only select one answer choice, unlike checkboxes (Alchemer, 2021).

These are your standard yes/no, true/false, and either/or response possibilities. As a result, the

radio button may be used for single-select questions in which respondents must choose the most
essential aspect. Apart from that, Likert Scale will be implemented in the questionnaire as well.

Likert scale questions are closed-ended, single-choice questions (Elliott, 2021). For a Likert scale,

the resilience of a viewpoint is linear, i.e., on a scale that ranges from strongly disagree to strongly

agree, and that opinions can be quantified (Saul, 2019). The primary advantage of employing a

Likert scale over a standard yes/no question type is that it offers more precise information about

people's views toward a subject (Elliott, 2021). Researchers can measure varied levels of

agreement, significance, quality, and other variables using a Likert scale. Each of the five (or

seven) replies, for example, would be given a numerical number that would be used to evaluate

the examined attitude.

3.2 Sampling Method

Probability approaches will be applied in this investigation. This survey will employ cluster

sampling, which entails researchers dividing a population into smaller groups known as clusters

to conduct their research based on their own judgement in order to discover the most relevant or

representative answer among the participants. In order for researchers to appropriately choose and

reach qualified participants, this sampling technique involves previous awareness of the study's

aim. Besides, the total number of respondents as the sampling size required for the study is 300.

The proportion of samples chosen was 300, which was in line with Comrey and Lee's (1992)

criteria for determining the sample size which is a sample size of "50 is extremely poor; 100 is

bad; 200 is fair; 300 is acceptable; 500 is very good; 1000 is superb," (As cited in Adesina et al,

2021).

Probability sampling, often called "random selection," is a sampling approach that

guarantees that every item in existence has an equal chance of being included in the sample (Etikan
& Bala, 2017). Probability sampling employs random selection, allowing you to make strong

statistical conclusions about the entire group (Shona, 2019). The sample size is the number of

persons that will participate in the study. In a raffle draw, for example, individual units will be

drawn from the entire group, not deliberately but by a system, and this incidence is merely a blind

of chance that will determine if unique things or more items are to be preferred (Etikan & Bala,

2017).

Cluster sampling requires subdividing the sample into subgroups as well, but each cluster

should share comparable characteristics with the remainder of the sample (Shona, 2019). When

the total study area is too large, the researcher should split it into smaller units of the same or

comparable size and then select arbitrarily from the smaller areas (The Investopedia Team, 2021).

It is predicted that the overall population will be split into a smaller number of units, still from

clusters of smaller units, and that some of these cluster units will be randomly picked for inclusion

in the general sampling (Etikan & Bala, 2017). Cluster sampling consists of two steps. To begin,

the complete population is chosen and divided into several groups. The subgroups are then divided

into random samples. The second phase entails interviewing a random sample of those shops'

consumers. When there are distinct subsets within a population, cluster sampling is more suited,

but systematic sampling is better suited when the whole list or quantity of a population is known

(The Investopedia Team, 2021).

3.3 Data Collection

Data may be collected in a variety of methods and depending on the research's purpose and

objectives. The survey research will be conducted from 300 respondents and utilised as the major

source of information for this study's analysis, leading this research study to investigate the
influence of social media on students' academic achievement. The data for the study will be

acquired and collected through the use of an online survey. Online surveys might save researchers

time by allowing them to gather data while working on other projects, and they are less expensive

than conventional techniques of data collecting (Llieva et al., 2002). Google survey form will be

the platform for conducting the questionnaires to the respondents. As Google form is the familiar

platform for most people especially the selected sampling, university students. The 300

respondents between 18 to 24 years old will get the google form link and answer the

questionnaires. Data collection included contacting individuals of the sampled group to get the

necessary information about the research which met the objectives of the research to test the

significant correlations of the hypothesis. Plus, literature review will be the secondary data for

researchers’ review purpose to compare what the previous studies on the topic discovered thereby

comparing and contrasting them with the primary data. These can help the research be conducted

smoothly.

3.4 Questionnaire

The questionnaire was replicated from Alomari (2018). In this survey, closed ended

questions will be asked to the respondents. Respondents are required to answer the questions in

the form of Radio Button (Yes or No, Male or Female etc.) and Likert Scale (Not agree, Agree,

Strongly Agree etc.). Questions related to demographic profile of respondents will be asked at first,

followed by the 3 research questions: 1. What are the characteristics of social media usages on

Malaysian university students’ academic performance? 2. What are the student’s purposes when

using social media? 3. Do duration spent by students on social media have an impact on university

students' academic performance?

Respondents’ Demographic Profile

1. What is your gender?

● Male

● Female

0. What is your age?

● 18 - 21

● 22 – 24

0. What is your ethnicity?

● Malay

● Chinese

● Indian

● Others. Please indicate it.

0. What is your work status?

● I do not have a job

● I work for part time

 ● I work for full time

0. What university are you studying?

0. What programmes are you studying?

● Accounting

● Business

● Arts and Social Sciences

● Engineering

● Information and Communication Technology

● Others. Please indicate it.

7. What is your current study year?

The characteristics of social media usages:

1. Do you use social media?

● Yes

● No

2. What social media platform do you use?

 ● WhatsApp

● Facebook

● YouTube

● Others. Please indicate it.

3. Which characteristics of Facebook help you to improve your study?

● Group collaboration

● Knowledge exchange

● Enhance language learning skills

● Others. Please indicate it.

4. Which characteristics of WhatsApp help you to improve your study?

● Exchange educational material

● Instant messaging

● Enhance language learning skills

● Others. Please indicate it

5. Which characteristics of YouTube help you to improve your study?

● Learning tools

● Repository site

● Complementary learning platform

● Others. Please indicate it

6. What content do you search when using social media?

● Academic content

● Entertainment content

● News

● Others. Please indicate it

7. Does social media play a crucial role during your studies?

● Yes

● No

8. Why does social media play an important role in your studies?

9. What are the advantages of using social media?

● Direct connection with audience

● Primer source for up-to-date information

● Provides learning opportunities

● Building communities around people

10. What are the disadvantages of using social media?

● Time wasting

● Privacy is almost compromised

● Creates addictive habits

● Affect mental health

 ● Exposed to fraud and the risk of scamming

11. Do you often use social media to publish your study contents?

● Yes

● No

● Rarely

● Often

The students’ purposes of using social media:

1. Why do you use social media? (Likert Scale)

2. What is the purpose of you using social media?

Academic:

i) I use social media to discuss academic topics with my groupmates

 ii) I use social media to do academic research

iii) I use social media to do collaborative work

iv) I use social media to post professional information related to my study field

v) I use social media as it enhances my academic performance

Entertainment:

i) I use social media to entertain myself

ii) I use social media to post and share media content

iii) I use social media to watch movies

iv) I use social media to listen to music

v) I use social media because it helps me to get relief from academic stress

Socialization:

i) I use social media to become more sociable

ii) I use social media to interact with my friends online

iii) I use social media as it makes me to be part of other’s social life

iv) I use social media as it allows me to express myself

 v) I use social media to get latest news regarding current affairs

The spending on social media:

1. Which social media do you use the most?

● WhatsApp

● Facebook

● YouTube

2. How often do you use social media?

● Rarely

● Often

● Not using social media

3. How many hours do you spend in accessing social media per day?

● Less than 1 hours

● 1-2 hours

● 2-4 hours

● 4-6 hours

● 7-10 hours above

4. When do you access your social media account?

● In the morning
 ● In the afternoon

● At night

● I do not have a social media account

5. What proportions of study contents do you search on social media most?

● Self-study for skill improvement

● Languages and Literature

● Research

● Others. Please indicate it.

6. Do you think social media helps you in your studies?

● Yes

● No

7. Do you think social media affects your academic studies?

● Yes

● No

8. Do you think social media helps you to improve your academic results?

● Yes

● No

9. Do you think social media has dropped your academic performance?

 ● Yes

● No

10. Are you addicted to social media?

● Yes

● No

11. Do you think you are addicted to social media?

● Yes

● No

3.5 Data Analysis

In this research, SPSS (Statistical package for the social sciences) will be used and SPSS

is a type of software programs that work together in a single package to analyse scientific data in

the social sciences (Noels, 2018). SPSS is becoming more popular in the field of computing and

artificial intelligence for modelling (Tech Media Today, 2021). It is frequently used in social

sciences, particularly by market researchers, medical researchers, survey companies, marketing

organizations, and educational researchers (Tech Media Today, 2021). SPSS makes data collection

and organization easier and it also allows for the determination of whether or not the objectives

set have been managed to meet (Arkkelin, 2014).It also gives feedback during decision-making,

enabling for the implementation of the most effective plan (Arkkelin, 2014).

In this research, percentage, mean and correlation coefficient will be analyzed. Percentages

are an effective way of comparing samples with varying figures of analyses (Marwood, 2014). By
standardising measures on a range of 0 to 100, samples may be compared quickly and readily

(Marwood, 2014). Any data graph, however, must include the entire range of 0 to 100 to avoid

creating false expectations (Marwood, 2014).

The most often used statistic to locate the centre of a numerical data set is the mean,

sometimes known as the average among scholars (Rumsey, 2021). The mean is determined by

dividing the total number of values in the data set by the number of values in the data set (Lumen,

2021). However, when the data set is not typical, such as when the data is very little or very huge,

the mean may not be an accurate representation of the data because it is easily influenced by

outliers (Rumsey, 2021).

Next, correlation, which does not always imply causation as two variables may be related

without being causally related (Madhavan, 2019). Once a correlation is established, we can utilise

it to create predictions (Jamie, 2011). When a score on one measure is known, it is possible to
make a more accurate prediction of another measure that is closely linked (Jamie, 2011). The

stronger the link between/among variables, the more precise the forecast (Jamie, 2011).

The instrument's reliability refers to the instrument's stability and consistency (Creswell,

2010). Alpha Cronbach's represents the instrument's reliability level (Creswell, 2010). It is stated

that an Alpha Cronbach's alpha value greater than 0.6 is regarded as a high reliability and

acceptable index (Daud, 2018). A Cronbach's Alpha value of less than 0.6 is considered low (Daud,

2018). Alpha Cronbach's alpha values between 0.60 and 0.80 are considered moderate but

acceptable (Daud, 2018). While Alpha Cronbach's alpha values between 0.8 and 1.00 are

considered very good (Daud, 2018).

3.6 Ethical Considerations

This study will look at various ethical concerns. First and foremost, this study's participants

will be university students between the ages of 18 to 24. In this case, researchers would issue a

survey form for respondents on social media and establish a registration form for those

interviewees who are interested in participating to fill out their personal information so that they
may be contacted further. The researchers will have to consent before the survey begins, since the

researchers will need their permission from individuals who are engaged in the study. Those who

consented to be interviewed and completed the registration form will receive a confirmation email

from the researchers. If a participant feels uncomfortable, they can exit the survey at any point.

Furthermore, the sensitive information of the interviewees will be protected and kept confidential.

Their personal information is kept private and will never be sold or used commercially. The study

data will be kept strictly confidential and used solely for academic reasons. Finally, researchers

will keep track of the finished results, which will not be made public. This study, which will be

clinically rational and genuine, will look into the impacts of university students' usage of social

media on academic performance. Furthermore, there are genuine potential benefits to participating

in this study. From the research period, the respondents will acquire experience and learn more.

Respondent engagement would help gather data for this study and complete it faster so that it could

be submitted to the academy.

3.7 Conclusion

This study aims to examine the impact of social media use on academic performance

among Malaysian university’s students. The dependent variable is the results of academic

performance among students while the independent variable is the purposes of social media use

and duration of time spent on social media by students. Through this research, the readers have a

clear understanding on the factors that will affect a student's academic performance when using

social media. Besides, based on the past literature and theoretical framework (Uses and

Gratification) by previous researchers, the assumption in this study will be that there is a significant

relationship between the time spent on social media and academic performance of university

students. Moreover, the data from this research will be collected from 300 university students in
Malaysia, from 18 to 24 years old through an online survey which is the Google survey form. Last

but not least, SPSS will be used for data analysis in order to determine the validity of the objective.
 CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS

4.0 Overview

The summary of the data analysis will be examined in depth in this chapter to summarize the

findings of the research. A significant proportion of 305 questionnaires were gathered from

respondents, and the data will be interpreted and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social

Science (SPSS) software, version 28.0, to perform Descriptive Analysis and Pearson Correlation

Coefficient Analysis.

4.1 Demographic Profile of Respondents

Table 4.1.1: Gender of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Male 169 55.4 55.4 55.4

Female 136 44.6 44.6 100

Total 305 100 100

In this question, the majority of the respondents are male which contributed 55.4%, a

total of 169 out of 305 respondents. It is followed by females which occupied 136 out of 305

respondents, contributing a 44.6% to the study.

 Table 4.1.2: Age of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

18 18 5.9 5.9 5.9

19 19 6.2 6.2 12.1

20 30 9.8 9.8 21.9

21 43 14.1 14.1 36

22 91 29.8 29.8 65.8

23 57 18.8 18.8 84.6

24 47 15.4 15.4 100

Total 305 100 100

In this question, most of the respondents aged at 22 as they occupied 29.8% throughout

the whole data. Meanwhile, the study indicates the 18-age group has the least respondents as it

only has 5.9% out of 100% of the 305 responses.

Table 4.1.3: Ethnicity of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Malay 54 17.7 17.7 17.71

 Chinese 206 67.5 67.5 85.2

Indian 37 12.1 12.1 97.3

Others 8 2.7 2.7 100

Total 305 100 100

This question shows that most of the respondents are Chinese which consists of 67.5%,

17.7% and 12.1% of Malay and Indian respondents. 2.7% are other ethnicities respectively in

this research.

Table 4.1.4: Working status of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

I do not have a job 198 64.9 64.9 64.92

I work for part time 64 21.0 21.0 85.9

I work for full time 43 14.1 14.1 100

Total 305 100 100

In this question, the results indicate that 64.9% of the respondents do not have a job.

Followed by 21% of the respondents that work as a part-timer, 14.1% of the respondents who work

full time.
 Table 4.1.5: Courses of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Arts Stream 129 42.3 42.3 42.3

Business Stream 119 39.0 39.0 81.3

Science Stream 57 18.7 18.7 100

Total 305 100 100

This question shows that the majority of the respondents are arts stream as they occupied

42.3% out of the 305 responses. Respondents who are in the business stream fall under second

place as it takes up to 39% overall. The least courses picked by the respondents are science streams,

as it only takes up to 18.7% out of 100%.

4.2 Characteristics of social media usages

Table 4.2.1: Facebook’s characteristic

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Group collaboration 89 29.2 29.2 29.5

Knowledge exchange 160 52.5 52.5 82

Enhance language 47 15.4 15.4 97.4

learning skills
 Others 9 2.6 2.6 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

This question shows the usage of Facebook by respondents is mostly for knowledge

exchange as it occupied 52.5% of the respondents. However, only 15.4% of respondents use

Facebook to enhance their language learning skills. Although there is a small percentage of

respondents, 2.6% of them use other social media platforms such as Twitter, Xiao Hong Shu etc.

Table 4.2.2: WhatsApp’s characteristic

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Exchange 100 32.8 32.8 32.8

educational material

Instant messaging 189 62 62 94.8

Enhance language 13 4.3 4.3 99.1

learning skills

Others 3 0.9 0.9 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

 This question shows that 62% of the respondents use WhatsApp for instant messaging

purposes. However, only 4.3% of the respondents use Whatsapp to enhance language learning

skills.

Table 4.2.3: YouTube’s characteristic

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Learning tools 121 39.7 39.7 39.7

Repository site 45 14.8 14.8 54.5

Complementary 136 44.6 44.6 99.1

learning platform

Others 3 0.9 0.9 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

The question discusses the usage of YouTube by the 305 respondents. Majority of them

use YouTube as a complementary learning platform at 44.6%. Followed by the respondents using

YouTube as learning tools at 39.7%. The least respondents used YouTube as a repository site as

they only occupied 14.8% out of 100%. There are also a minority of respondents, 0.9% who use

Youtube for other purposes.

Table 4.2.4: Contents of search

 Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative Percent

Percent

Academic content 61 20 20 20

Entertainment 210 68.9 68.9 88.9

content

News 16 5.2 5.2 94.1

Others 18 5.9 5.9 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

This question looks into the content searched by respondents on their social media. Most

of the respondents, 68.9% of them searched for entertainment content. Only 16 of the respondents

out of 305 respondents stated that they searched for news content on their social media.

Table 4.2.5: Importance of social media

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Yes 256 83.9 83.9 83.9

No 49 16.1 16.1 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

Source: Developed from this research

 In this question, most of the respondents selected ‘Yes’, which contributed 83.9% in total

with 256 respondents. Only 16.1% of respondents selected ‘No’ as they think that social media is

not important to them.

Table 4.2.6: Advantages of social media towards respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Direct connection with 80 26.2 26.2 26.2

audience

Primer source for up-to- 108 35.4 35.4 61.6

date information

Provides learning 54 17.7 17.7 79.3

opportunities

Building communities 63 20.7 20.7 100

around people

Total 305 100.0 100.0

Most of the respondents selected ‘Primer source for up-to-date information’, which

contributed 35% in total with 108 respondents as the advantage of social media. The least chosen

of the advantages of social media is that 17.7% of respondents selected ‘Provides learning

opportunities’.

Table 4.2.7: Disadvantages of social media towards respondents

 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Time wasting 79 25.9 25.9 25.9

Privacy is almost 64 21.1 21.1 47

compromised

Creates addictive 104 34.1 34.1 81.1

habits

Affect mental health 25 8.2 8.2 89.3

Exposed to fraud and 33 10.7 10.7 100

the risk of scamming

Total 305 100.0 100.0

The biggest percentage of disadvantage of social media is ‘Primer source for up-to-date

information’, which contributed 35% in total with 108 respondents as the advantage of social

media. The least chosen of the disadvantages of social media is that 8.2% of respondents selected

‘Affect mental health’.

Table 4.2.8: Post Study Contents on Social Media

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

 Yes 40 13.1 13.1 13.1

No 125 41 41 54.1

Rarely 104 42.3 42.3 96.4

Often 25 3.6 3.6 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

Most of the respondents ‘rarely’ post the study contents on social media which consists of

42.3%. Only 3.6% of respondents ‘often’ post the study contents on social media.

Table 4.2.9: Time Spent on WhatsApp

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Less than 1 hours 53 17.4 17.4 17.4

1-2 hours 89 29.2 29.2 46.6

2-4 hours 96 31.5 31.5 78.1

4-6 hours 50 16.4 16.4 94.5

7-10 hours above 17 5.5 5.5 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

 In this question, 31.5% of the respondents use 2 to 4 hours of WhatsApp per day. Only

5.5% of respondents use WhatsApp 7 to 10 hours per day.

Table 4.2.10: Time Spent on Facebook

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Less than 1 hours 71 23.3 23.3 23.3

1-2 hours 98 32.1 32.1 55.4

2-4 hours 98 32.1 32.1 87.5

4-6 hours 36 11.8 11.8 99.3

7-10 hours above 2 0.7 0.7 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

In this question, 31.5% of the respondents use 2 to 4 hours of WhatsApp per day. Only

5.5% of respondents use WhatsApp 7 to 10 hours per day.

 Table 4.2.11: Time Spent on YouTube

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Less than 1 hours 38 12.5 12.5 12.5

1-2 hours 90 29.5 29.5 42

2-4 hours 106 34.8 34.8 76.8

4-6 hours 52 17 17 93.8

7-10 hours above 19 6.2 6.2 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

In this question, 31.5% of the respondents use 2 to 4 hours of WhatsApp per day. Only

5.5% of respondents use WhatsApp 7 to 10 hours per day.

Table 4.2.13: Time Access Social Media

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

In the morning 15 4.9 4.9 4.9

In the afternoon 44 14.4 14.4 19.3

At night 76 24.9 24.9 44.2

 Whole day 167 54.8 54.8 99

I do not have a social 0 0 0 99

media account

Others 3 1 1 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

In this question, 167 respondents (54.8%) responded that they use social media the whole day.

Other than that, only 15 respondents (4.9%) responded that they only use social media in the

morning.

Table 4.2.13: Study contents search on social media

Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative Percent

Percent

Self-study for skill 148 48.5 48.5 48.5

improvement

Languages and Literature 68 22.3 22.3 70.8

Research 86 28.2 28.2 99

Others 3 1 1 100
 Total 305 100.0 100.0

28.2% of respondents responded that they will utilize social media in self-study for skill

improvement. Besides, only 1% of respondents stated that they use social media for other purposes

such as searching for celebrities etc.

Table 4.2.14: Efficiency of social media

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Yes 266 87.2 87.2 87.2

No 39 12.8 12.8 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

266 respondents (87.2%) responded yes and 39 respondents (12.8%) responded no in this question.

Table 4.2.15: Social media and Improvements of Academic Results

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Yes 220 72.1 72.1 72.1

No 85 27.9 27.9 100

 Total 305 100.0 100.0

220 respondents (72.1%) responded yes and stated that social media can improve their academic

results. Other than that, 85 respondents (27.9%) responded no by disagreeing with the statement

that social media helps to improve academic results.

Table 4.2.16: Academic Results Improvement based on Different Social Media Platform

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

WhatsApp 68 22.3 22.3 22.3

Facebook 50 16.4 16.4 38.7

YouTube 173 56.7 56.7 95.4

Others 14 4.6 4.6 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

In this question, 173 students (56.7%) which is the majority of them stated that YouTube affects

their academics the most while 14 respondents (4.6%) stated that the other social media such as

TikTok, Weibo affects their academic performance the least.

 Table 4.2.17: Addiction on social media of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly 4 1.3 1.3 1.3

Disagree

Disagree 25 8.2 8.2 9.5

Neutral 64 21 21 30.5

Agree 148 48.5 48.5 79

Strongly Agree 64 21 21 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

Table 4.2.18: Negative effect on social media to respondents’ academic performance

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Yes 183 60 60 72.1

No 122 40 40 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

Table 4.2.19 Impact of time spent on social media on students’ academic performance
 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Yes 220 72.1 72.1 72.1

No 85 27.9 27.9 100

Total 305 100.0 100.0

4.2.1 Purpose of spending times on social media

Table 4.3.1.1: Purpose on social media

N Minimum Maximu Mean Std.

m Deviation

C1 Discuss academic topics 305 1 5 3.78 1.010

C2 Do academic research 305 1 5 3.70 1.076

C3 Do collaborative work 305 1 5 3.85 .892

C4 Post professional 305 1 5 3.36 1.089

information related study
field

C5 Enhances my academic 305 1 5 3.54 1.076

performance

C6 Entertainment 305 1 5 4.12 1.024

C7 Post and share media 305 1 5 3.79 1.053

content
 C8 Watch movies 305 1 5 3.84 1.092

C9 Listen to music 305 1 5 3.98 1.081

C10 Get relief from academic 305 1 5 4.03 1.032

stress

C11 Become more sociable 305 1 5 3.72 1.102

C12 Interact with my friends 305 1 5 3.96 1.055

online

C13 Be part of other’s social 305 1 5 3.73 1.067

life

C14 Express myself 305 1 5 3.71 1.047

C15 Get latest news 305 1 5 3.94 .977

Valid N (listwise) 305

In this section, the highest means between these 15 questions is Question 6, average of 4.12 that

is the selection of entertainment. The respondents most spend their time on social media to

entertain themselves. The least means is Question 4, which is 3.56, the respondents are least to

post professional information related study fields. We can observe that most of the university

students are spending time on social media for entertainment and only a few of them are spending

time posting information that is related with their study field.

4.3 Academic performance of Malaysian university’s students

Table 4.3.2.1: Academic results, CGPA of respondents

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Below 2.0 0 0 0 0

2.0 - 2.5 9 3.0 3.0 3.0

2.6 - 3.0 76 24.9 24.9 27.9

3.1 - 3.5 137 44.9 44.9 72.8

3.6 - 4.0 81 26.6 26.6 99.4

Others 2 0.6 0.6 100

Total 305 100 100

In this question, the majority of the respondents which is 137 have a CGPA of 3.1 - 3.5 while the

least is below 2.0 which have 0 respondents. Besides, there are 9 respondents for CGPA of 2.0 -

2.5, 76 respondents for CGPA of 2.6 - 3.0, 81 respondents for 3.6 - 4.0 and 2 respondents for others

with a percentage of 0.6%.

4.4 Correlation

The reliability of inferences about a population that are based on data acquired from a sample of

the population is assessed using inferential analysis (Calvello, 2020). Results from inferential
analysis will always be subject to some degree of uncertainty because it doesn't sample the entire

population (Calvello, 2020). When using inferential analysis, it's crucial to employ unbiased and

random sampling techniques (Bhandari, 2020). The sample cannot draw reliable statistical

conclusions if it is not representative of the entire study (Bhandari, 2020). In the present study,

Pearson Correlation Coefficient Analysis will be utilized.

Table 4.4.1: Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted R Std. Error of the

Square Estimation

1 .029 a .001 -.002 .815

a. Predictors: (Constants), Time spent on social media

Table 4.3.1 shows the correlation between the independent variable and the dependent

variable of this research. Based on the table, the value of R signifies 0.029, which indicates a no

correlation between the university students’ time spent on social media and academic performance,

since the value of R is smaller than 0.7. In addition, the R square value from the model summary

is used to estimate how much of the variance in the dependent variable can be accounted for by

the combination of the independent variables. From the table, it shows that the value of R square

is 0.001, which means that the independent variables will have 0.1% influence on the dependent

variable. Therefore, we can determine that independent variables, time spent on social media that

were chosen in this study have no significant effects on academic performance.

Table 4.4.1.2: Coefficients a

 Model Unstandardized Standardized t Sig.

Coefficient
Coefficients

B Std. Error Beta

1 (Constant) 3.852 .235 16.397 .000

Brand .002 .004 .029 .502 .616

Recognition

a. Dependent Variable: Academic performance in university

Based on Table 4.4.1.2, the coefficients between certain independent variables and the

academic performance in university are statistically not significant as some of their significant

values are shown as higher than 0.05 in the result. Moreover, the significant value of perceived

ease of use is also <.001, which means this variable can have no significant influence on the

academic performance in university.

4.4.1 Pearson Correlation Coefficient Analysis

The test statistic that assesses the statistical association, or relationship, between two

continuous variables is called Pearson's correlation coefficient (Statistics Solutions, 2022).

Because it is based on the method of covariance, it is regarded as the best method for determining

the relationship between variables of interest (Statistics How To, 2022). It provides details on the

size of the association or correlation as well as the relationship's direction (Statistics How To,

2022). In fact, correlations below ± .30 are considered "weak," between ± .40 and ± .70 are

considered "moderate," between ± .70 and ± .90 are considered "high," and above ± .90 are

considered extremely high (Stacks & Hocking, 1999).

 The letter r is used to denote the correlation between two continuous variables, and a

number between -1 and 1 is used to quantify it. According to Statistics Solutions (2022), there are

few properties that Pearson Correlation Coefficient can normally explain:

● Limit: Coefficient values can range from -1 to 1. This shows that when r = 1, indicates a

perfect positive relationship. If r = -1, it indicates a perfect negative relationship while

when r = 0, it indicates no relationship exists.

● Pure number: It is not affected by the measuring unit. For instance, Pearson's correlation

coefficient value remains constant even if one variable is measured in quintals and the other

in inches.

● Symmetric: The coefficient of correlation between two variables is symmetric. This

implies that the coefficient value of will not change between X and Y or Y and X.

A weak correlation exists between the two variables when the value of r is less than 0.3, and a

moderate correlation is shown by a value of r between 0.3 and 0.5 (Nickolas, 2021). Additionally,

if the value of r is between 0.5 and 0.7, it denotes a good correlation between the two variables,

whereas a value of r larger than 0.7 denotes a strong correlation (Andrews University, 2005). Other

than that, the correlation between the variables will be considered significant when the significant

value (p-value) is less than 0.05 (McLeod, 2019).

Table 4.4.1: Pearson Correlation Coefficient Analysis

CGPA Time Spent

CGPA Pearson Correlation 1 .029

 Sig (2-tailed) 0.616

N 305 305

Time Spent Pearson Correlation .029 1

Sig (2-tailed) .616

N 305 305

Based on the Table, it shows that overall, there are weak relationships between the

dependent variable and independent variables as the Pearson Correlation value (r-value) is 0.029.

Firstly, from the table, it indicates that the r-value between the academic performances, CGPA and

time spent on social media is 0.029, which means the variables are 2.9% and do not correlate with

each other.
 CHAPTER 5

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

5.0 Overview

Based on the data analyzed in the previous chapter, the summary of the statistical analysis and the

important conclusions of the study will be explored further in this chapter. Aside from that, the

current study's implications and limits will be examined, and recommendations will be made to

help future researchers do comparable investigations.

5.1 The characteristics of social media usages

The 3 main social media platforms that were focused in this research study are Facebook, YouTube

and WhatsApp. Based on the findings, each of the targeted social media platforms has different

characteristics that are prioritized by the respondents.

Firstly, there are 52.5% out of the total 100% that use Facebook for knowledge exchange.

A previous study indicates that 70.1% of university students use social media for social purposes

and 70.2% of them uses social media to exchange information (Aldheleai & Tasir, 2017). To be

more specific, the study shows that 49.7% of students use Facebook for educational purposes as

the students firmly agree that Facebook is capable of facilitating students’ discourse and benefit

the university lecturers to provide direct instructions (Aldheleai & Tasir, 2017).

Then, 189 out of 305 of the respondents used WhatsApp for instant messaging and 100 of

them used WhatsApp to exchange educational material. According to research conducted by Lee

Chin Yin, WhatsApp serves as an instant messaging platform, it encourages the students to
exchange knowledge and even helps students to collaborate more with each other while using

WhatsApp (Lee, 2016).

Majority of the respondents at 44.6% use YouTube as a complementary learning platform.

Students nowadays prefer to browse and stream videos on YouTube for learning purposes and they

stated that by watching videos on YouTube to learn helped improve their listening skills (ASU,

2022.).

5.2 The students’ purposes on using social media

Based on the findings, students mostly use social media for entertainment purposes as the results

indicate that 68.9% of the respondents search for entertainment content on social media. A study

discovers that students use social media for entertainment because social media provides students

a certain degree of escapism (Dzongbenuku et al., 2022). This is because the content on social

media serves as an entertainment to the students by bringing them relief of anxiety and sense of

pleasure (Dzongbenuku et al., 2022).

Followed by 20% of the respondents stated that they use social media for learning purposes

as they look for academic content on social media. The reason why students use social media to

retrieve educational content is because social media is capable of providing the students ability to

connect with other learning groups and educational systems that contains useful information for

their studies (Talaue et al., 2018).

Only 5.2% of the respondents use social media for news related content. Although it is

undeniably easy to access all sorts of news online with the convenience brought by technology,

people refused to go online to retrieve news because of the credibility. The reliability of online
news is doubted because the news content might be affected by the bias or the hateful nature of

social media (Smith et al., 2020).

5.3 Impact of time spent on social media on university students’ academic performance

This study looks into 3 social media platforms which are Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.

Based on the findings, the majority of the respondents spent 2-4 hours a day accessing WhatsApp.

64.2% of the respondents spent 1-4 hours accessing Facebook. Meanwhile, 34.8% out of total 305

respondents spent 2-4 hours per day browsing YouTube.

According to the data collected, 56.7% of the respondents claimed that YouTube affects

their study the most. The issue that hinders the students from studying effectively while using

YouTube is because most of the educational videos were not as informative as they expect

(Hussain, 2020). Besides, the findings shows that a whopping 48.5% of the respondents admitted

that they are addicted to social media and 72.1% of the respondents agree that the duration spent

by students on social media will affect their academic performance. According to previous study,

the findings suggested that the longer time students spent on social media the higher possibility

social media can harm the university students’ mental health (Kolhar et al., 2021).

However, this study found that there is no significant relationship between the time spent by

students on social media and their academic performance. To ascertain the correlations between

these two variables, Pearson correlation analysis were performed, correlations below ± .30 are

considered "weak," between ± .40 and ± .70 are considered "moderate," between ± .70 and ± .90

are considered "high," and above ± .90 are considered extremely high (Stacks & Hocking, 1999).
 The relationship between time spent by students on social media and academic

performance is examined by Pearson Correlation Coefficient Analysis and the results are shown

in Table 4.4.1. Based on the results, the r-value between academic performance and the amount of

time university students spend on social media is 0.029, proving that there is no link between the

variables. H1 was therefore rejected, indicating that students' use of social media did not

significantly affect their academic performance.

Social media platforms are a huge industry where barriers to connection are breaking down

and access to information has increased dramatically (Hasnain, 2015). Social media can assist

youths in learning knowledge that can be utilized to improve their academic performance if it is

used in a positive way (Hasnain, 2015). Other than that, according to a study by Zahid (2016), the

findings of analyzing the questionnaire responses with descriptive statistics show that social media

can have a favorable impact.

Both social media and technology are becoming essential components of our daily life.

More than half of all people on Earth have accounts on one or more of the well-known social media

platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and others (Kemp, 2020). Other than that,

a person generally uses social media for 145 minutes every day, or 2 hours and 25 minutes (Dean,

2021).

It is true that students use a variety of online resources to meet their needs, proving that in

the present world, social media and education are not mutually exclusive. Students rarely go a day

without utilizing or referring to social media because of how many possibilities there seem to be

with it (Lenhart, 2015). Social media is going to remain and will continue to have an impact on
our society, whether it is utilized for communicating, learning, or making decisions (Duggal,

2022).

With all the free webinars, online courses, and information that are available today, social

media literally has no limit on the ability to learn. However, social networking is actually a

fantastic resource for students to locate mentors and training programmes to pick up new skills

and get closer to their future professional aspirations (Hashem, 2021). Students can obtain

incredible videos to develop their talents for free, for instance, on YouTube, as there are countless

chances for online learning in today's society.

The usage of social media platforms has, however, evolved into a crucial component of

education and has grown in importance for both the delivery of instruction and course evaluations

(Coman, 2020). Social media can be utilized as a tool to aid instructors and students in their

educational endeavors (Coman, 2020). In addition, because social media platforms are essential

for learning and training, they play a vital part in the notions of open learning across the globe by

fostering collaboration, learning, and information sharing among students, teachers, and subject-

matter experts (Coman, 2020).

In fact, students' use of social media can improve their academic performance because they

can obtain more knowledge through data and information (Singh, 2021). When students are given

assignments to complete in class, they use a variety of internet resources to gain information and

come up with solutions (Singh, 2021). Additionally, because social media users are so active on

these platforms, they frequently establish highly participatory platforms where students may share

ideas, create new ones, and discuss material or previously published online content in user-created

groups (Coman, 2020).

5.4 Implication of Study

5.4.1 Practical Implications

Social media is very common in this day and age, and it is very normal to have different platforms

of social media accounts. Social networks are becoming increasingly popular among university

students as a new way to spend free time and as a different route for obtaining important

information, both instructive and amusing (Talaue et.al, 2018). Social media is a very popular and

trending medium for people to get the latest information, interact and stay connected to society

nowadays. Individuals utilize social media to remain in touch with friends, family, and people

from various groups. It is normal for everyone to have access to social media and utilize the usage

of social media.

Despite the fact that Malaysian university students are increasingly likely to use social

media, most academics have paid little attention to the effects of social media on academic

achievement. Certainly, technology breakthroughs and innovations have resulted in a new tipping

point for education to shift from traditional to online teaching and learning methods. Despite the

fact that digital media has definitely become a big and crucial component of many students' social

lives in recent years, research on all of its possible ramifications remains scant. By researching the

features and usage of social media on the academic performance of Malaysian university students,

the research intends to bridge theoretical gaps surrounding the influence of social media on

students and academic performance.

However, the results of the current study may not have some implications for students in

terms of seeking whether the number of time students spend using social media will directly affect

academic performance. Based on the result of research, there’s no relationship between time spent
on social media and academic performance among university students. However, there are various

factors that might affect students’ academic performance.

For instance, several variables impact students' academic achievement, including their

learning abilities, communication, proper guidance, family background, peer influence, teacher

quality, and learning infrastructure (Mushtaq et.al, 2012). Time spent on social media is not one

of the factors that are able to influence academic performance based on the example provided.

Major factors that affect academic performance are the student's attitude towards their study and

academic achievement, followed by the pressure from peers.

To summarize, it was discovered that the internet has a special position in the lives of

student respondents. It is more towards students’ self-control on the usage of social media as in

affecting their academic performance. The majority of them complete their schoolwork on the

internet and surfing social media, yet it does not interfere with their education. There are good and

bad sides to everything, it just depends on how the students balance their time spent on social

media and studies, how they arrange their schedule, how disciplined they are in self-controlling

themselves of the usage of social media, how they interpret and digest the information on their

own.

5.4.2 Theoretical Implications

In short, this study has effectively identified the components that impact social media use on

academic performance by utilizing the Uses and Gratification Theory which was attributed by Jay

G. Blumler and Elihu Katz., as this theory is to describe people utilize media to satisfy various

wants and needs (Gordon, 2022). People that chose media for uses and gratifications are engaged
and driven in their choices (Vinney, 2019). The Uses and Gratifications Theory is a Mass

Communication theory that focuses on media consumers' requirements, motivations, and

gratifications. Unlike many media theories, which consider media users to be passive, uses and

gratifications consider media consumers to be active agents with power over their media use

(Gordon, 2022). The study specifically highlighted how the users control their media consumption

and access based on the implication of the theory.

According to the data from the study, the implication of the theory fulfilled the needs and

wants of the users depending on their demands. The characteristics of social media, time spent on

social media, and academic performance did not and will not directly have an effect on students.

Based on the theory, users have the power and right to choose which platform they want to use. It

is able to fulfill the user’s needs and wants with this theory based on different purposes such as

entertainment, academics, research or access to news, and other purposes.

There is no significant relationship between time spent on social media and academic

performance, however, there are various factors that might influence students’ attention and focus

on the study as mentioned above. Students themselves are the main factor that will affect their

academic performance based on their behavior and attitude towards studies. With the uses and

gratification theory, people consume what they are interested in and what they want to know online

to get themselves updated with the latest information. Self-control and students’ own discipline

are the major factors that will affect their academic performance as well. Besides, students'

intention of using social media in both education and entertainment ways is another major factor

as well, depending on their consumption and objective of social media usage.

 In this case, it might influence students’ academic performance as the outcome of social

media usage and time spent on social media. For example, students need to take responsibility for

their poor performances when they do not spend time studying. However, there will be positive

outcomes as well if they utilize the social media platform for study purposes in the right way.

There are few positive manners if students utilize social media platforms for academic purposes

like resourceful information for studies, and make use of the provided resources and learning

platforms. As a result, it is critical to investigate the impact of social networks on their users,

particularly how the usage of social networks impacts students' academic progress.

5.5 Limitations of Study

Apart from the contribution, there are still some limitations that should be taken into

consideration in this study. First of all, using online survey techniques for data collection is one of

the limitations of this study. According to Wright (2005), the results of online surveys are usually

affected by sampling issues. The characteristics of respondents in online communities cannot be

clearly identified as the information provided may not be accurate and there may be part of the

respondents willing to complete the survey and some do not. Also, there are no accurate ways for

the researchers to differentiate the respondents as most of the information provided by them is

unidentified too. Although the respondents were acknowledged on the personal data protection

notice, there are still some who do not agree with the notice. This also reflects that they might

provide incorrect information and answers why completing the survey.

Besides, this study uses cross-sectional study rather than longitudinal study due to the time

constraint. Unlike longitudinal study, cross-sectional study only allows the researcher to draw

conclusions about the potential relationships or collect preliminary data to support additional study
investigation (Cherry, 2019). This also means the answers from the respondents only show their

current behavior and performance on social media usage. As the day passed, the behavior of

respondents might change whereby their academic performance might change due to various

reasons, not only due to social media usage.

Moreover, the use of radio buttons and likert scale questionnaires also is one of the

limitations in this study. By using radio button questions, respondents are allowed to choose only

one single answer among the options. Although this allows researchers to identify the best answer

from the respondents, it also limits the respondents to express their own idea towards the questions.

Hence, it might lead to inaccurate data from the respondents. In this case, researchers might feel

regret in not including specific answers or questions in the survey which could have helped them

in analyzing the study. Nevertheless, the likert scale questions only allowed the respondents to

choose between the values from strongly disagree to strongly agree. In this type of questionnaire,

the researchers often provide respondents with the value in terms of extreme and neutral. Although

this type of questionnaire enables researchers to conduct in-depth interval-level research, the

results might be difficult for them to discern vague responses from respondents. The respondents

tend to choose the middle point of likert scale as they could not choose the value among options

such as neutral, agree and strongly agree. Also, likert scale also lead to acquiescence bias as

respondents tend to choose the same answer as they do not want to think about the question which

will lead the researcher to fail in better analyzing the data.

5.6 Recommendations

Due to the limitation, the future researchers are suggested to speak with the respondents

face-to-face rather than using an online platform to do the survey. It is simpler to establish a
relationship and win the interviewer over in a face-to-face setting. When we win the trust, the

interview section will be smoother and get more information. Since the verbal communication will

take place during the physical approach, it is possible to see the respondents' expressions clearly

by physically approaching them. This could help to prevent miscommunication to the greatest

extent possible. And through this, The interviewer can observe the respondent's nonverbal actions

and record down the extra information from their actions. Additionally, a physical method is more

effective than an online one because it can guarantee that respondents complete the survey form

truthfully and appropriately and allows researchers to immediately address any misunderstandings

from participants. Besides, the physical interview session can prevent the possibility that

respondents will disregard the online survey they got because researchers can help them perform

it there and then. The interview session will be more flexible as the interviewer can ask what he or

she has thought at the moment. Thus, it will be better to conduct a physical interview session to

make the research more successful.

5.7 Conclusion

In conclusion, all findings in this study were discussed thoroughly and the results indicate both the

independent variable (Time spent) and the dependent variable (academic performance) does not

correlate to each other. In other words, the amount of time respondents spent on social media does

not directly affect their academic performance (CGPA). Thus, hypothesis H1 is not accepted.

Meanwhile, the implications and limitations were discussed comprehensively in this study, and a

few recommendations were suggested for future researchers to refer to. This research provides an

auspicious insight for upcoming researchers regarding the potential factors that have a direct

impact and influence on the students’ academic CGPA. It is indeed crucial to conduct this study

as the usage of social media among university students is rising ever since it became more and
more mainstream to a point where it occupies our daily lives, and it has been a trend that university

students nowadays achieved a relatively lower CGPA. Inarguably, the generalization of using

social media has brought utmost convenience to every aspect of our daily lives but also dominates

the time of university students as they were too caught up in social media causing them to pay less

attention to their studies. However, this study shows that the amount of university students spent

on social media does not affect their academic CGPA.

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Appendix

Questionnaires

Section A

1. What is your gender?

● Male

● Female

2. Please indicate your age by typing it in the box below.

● 18
● 19
 ● 20
● 21
● 22
● 23
● 24

0. What is your ethnicity?

● Malay

● Chinese

● Indian

● Others. Please indicate it.

0. What is your work status?

● I do not have a job

● I work for part time

● I work for full time

0. What university are you studying?

Please indicate it.

6. Type your course of study in the box below. Example: Bachelor of Arts (Public
Relations)

7. Please select your current academic GPA in the box below.

● Below 2.0
● 2.0 - 2.5
● 2.6 - 3.0
● 3.1 - 3.5
 ● 3.6 - 4.0
● Others. Please indicate it.

Section B

1. What is current social media platform do you use MOST?

(You are able to select more than one)

● WhatsApp

● Facebook

● YouTube

● Others. Please indicate it.

3. Which characteristics of Facebook help you to improve your study? [SB2]

● Group collaboration

● Knowledge exchange

● Enhance language learning skills

● Others. Please indicate it.

4. Which characteristics of WhatsApp help you to improve your study?

● Exchange educational material

 ● Instant messaging

● Enhance language learning skills

● Others. Please indicate it

5. Which characteristics of YouTube help you to improve your study?

● Learning tools

● Repository site

● Complementary learning platform

● Others. Please indicate it

6. What content do you search when using social media?

● Academic content

● Entertainment content

● News

● Others. Please indicate it

7. Does social media play a crucial role during your studies? [SB6]

● Yes

● No
8. Why does social media play an important role in your studies?

Please indicate it.

9. What are the advantages of using social media?

● Direct connection with audience

● Primer source for up-to-date information

● Provides learning opportunities

● Building communities around people

● Others. Please indicate it.

10. What are the disadvantages of using social media?

● Time wasting

● Privacy is almost compromised

● Creates addictive habits

● Affect mental health

● Exposed to fraud and the risk of scamming

● Others. Please indicate it.

11. Do you often use social media to publish your study contents? [SB10]

● Yes

● No
 ● Rarely

● Often

Section C

1. Why do you use social media?

Statements Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree

a) I use social media to discuss academic

topics with my groupmates[SCA]

b) I use social media to do academic

research [SCB]

c) I use social media to do collaborative

work [SCC]

d) I use social media to post professional

information related to my study field
[SCD]
e) I use social media as it enhances my
academic performance [SCE]

f) I use social media to entertain

myself[SCF]

g) I use social media to post and share

media content [SCG]

h) I use social media to watch movies

[SCH]
 i) I use social media to listen to music
[SCI]

j) I use social media because it helps me

to get relief from academic stress
[SCJ]

k) I use social media to become more

sociable [SCK]

l) I use social media to interact with my

friends online [SCL]

m) I use social media as it makes me

to be part of other’s social life [SCM]

n) I use social media as it allows me to

express myself [SCN]

o) I use social media to get latest news

regarding current affairs [SCO]

Section D

1. How many hours do you use for accessing WhatsApp per day?

● Less than 1 hours

● 1-2 hours

● 2-4 hours

● 4-6 hours
 ● 7-10 hours above

2. How many hours do you use for accessing Facebook per day?

● Less than 1 hours

● 1-2 hours

● 2-4 hours

● 4-6 hours

● 7-10 hours above

3. How many hours do you use for accessing YouTube per day?

● Less than 1 hours

● 1-2 hours

● 2-4 hours

● 4-6 hours

● 7-10 hours above

4. When do you always access your social media account?

● In the morning

● In the afternoon

● At night

● I do not have a social media account

● Others. Please indicate it.

5. What proportions of study contents do you search on social media most?

● Self-study for skill improvement

● Languages and Literature

● Research

● Others. Please indicate it.

6. Do you think social media helps you in your studies?

● Yes

● No

7. Do you think social media helps you to improve your academic results?

● Yes

● No

8. Which social media affects your academic studies MOST?

● WhatsApp

● Facebook

● YouTube
 ● Others. Please indicate it.

9. Are you addicted to social media?

Statements Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree

Are you addicted to social media?

10. Why do you think you are addicted to social media? Indicate it.

11. Do you think social media has negative effect to your academic performance?

● Yes. Please indicate it. [1]

● No. Please indicate it. [2]

12. Do you think that time spent on social media will affect your academic performance?

● Yes. Please indicate it. [1]

● No. Please indicate it. [2]

Pilot test
Table 4.1.1: Gender of respondents

Table 4.1.3: Ethnicity of respondents

 Table 4.1.4: Working status of respondents

Table 4.1.5: Courses of respondents

Table 4.2.1: Facebook’s characteristic of respondents

Table 4.2.2: WhatsApp’s characteristic of respondents

Table 4.2.3: YouTube’s characteristic of respondents

 Table 4.2.4: Contents of respondents search

Table 4.2.5: Importances of social media towards respondents

Table 4.2.6: Advantages of social media towards respondents

Table 4.2.7: Disadvantages of social media towards respondents

Table 4.2.8: Study Contents Posting Frequency on Social Media

Table 4.2.9: Respondents’ Time Spent On WhatsApp

Table 4.2.10: Respondents’ Time Spent on Facebook

Table 4.2.11: Respondents’ Time Spent on YouTube

 Table 4.2.13: Time Respondents Access Their Social Media

Table 4.2.13:Proportions of study contents search on social media of respondents

Table 4.2.14: Efficiency of Social Media towards Respondents

 Table 4.2.15: Visible Improvements of Academic Results of Respondents

Table 4.2.16: Academic Results Improvement based on Different Social Media Platform

Table 4.2.17: Addiction on social media of respondents

Table 4.2.18: Negative effect on social media to respondents’ academic performance

Table 4.2.19 Impact of time spent on social media on students’ academic performance
Table 4.3.1.1: Time spent on social media

C1 to C15
Table 4.3.2.1: Academic results, CGPA of respondents
 Table 4.4.1: Model Summary

Table 4.4.1.2: Coefficients a

Table 4.4.1: Pearson Correlation Coefficient Analysis