Status and Impact of Social Media and Networking Sites on Students of College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences

Abstract

The present study investigated the status and impact of social media and networking sites on College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences’ students of Fiji National University, Fiji. Likert scale was used in the questionnaire. The collected data from 516 (86.00 per cent) usable questionnaires was tabulated and analysed using statistical tools and techniques. The findings showed that the majority of students participated in and satisfied with high usage of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram accessed through laptops and PCs on daily and weekly basis. The students made their profiles visible only for the well-known people and comforted with notorious postings. The positive impacts as communication with family and friends, participation in networking activities, and involvement in social activities, as well as negative impacts as discontinuation to the sites for misusing their information, distraction from research/assignments/careers activities, continue if the account is hacked, no review of privacy settings for controlling notorious postings, and consume too much time were identified as the utmost effects of social media and SNSs. This study provides opportunity to higher management to review the social software for the benefit of Fiji National University and to carry out future related studies especially in Fiji.