Opportunities and Challenges of Social Media Usage in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the opportunities and challenges of social media usage in higher education institutions. The study is significant because it adds both theoretical and practical knowledge to the existing literature on how higher education institutions’ students use social media to improve the quality of their education in a given context. PRISMA guidelines for systematic review methodology were employed to explore the current literature on the topic. Different sources were searched using pre-defined search items. A total of 1156 papers were found and screened for abstracts and titles, and 27 full-text articles were evaluated for eligibility. Finally, 9 articles were selected for the systematic review. The result indicated that social media usage in higher education institutions has both opportunities and challenges. Most of the reviewed articles mentioned f social media as an opportunity for improving students' academic performance and helping in sharing information, thoughts, and ideas with their peers. On the contrary, improper usage of social media platforms could distract students’ attention, and also make them become addicted, and may result in sleeping disorders for students of higher education institutions.