Understanding Behavioral Patterns of Social Media Usage Among Malaysian Undergraduate Students

Noratikah Nordin
dx.doi.org/10.17576/apjitm-2025-1401-07

Abstract

Social media have become an important part of everyday life, yet the understanding of their usage patterns and motivations among students is still incomplete in order to enhance learning activities using digital technology. This study aims to understand and identify the behavioral patterns of undergraduate students in the context of preferred platform, frequency, duration and purpose of social media use. The study is based on a descriptive survey and 92 undergraduate students from Universiti Sains Malaysia were selected using a stratified sampling technique. The stratified sample size consists of the students who are enrolled in the Digital Communication program. The findings of this study reveal that Instagram is the most preferred social media platform of undergraduate students where many of them spend two to six hours daily. The purpose of using social media is to connect with family and friends. By understanding these patterns, educators can improve student engagement in learning activities by using Instagram to create online videos, awareness-raising content, infographics, and interactive quizzes to develop digital skills and improve digital literacy. Although social media use is significant and impactful for academic purposes, potential distractions from high social media use and mental health issues should be considered. Therefore, it is important to prepare students for success in today?s digital world by understanding behavioral patterns of social media use among undergraduate students.

keyword

social media, social media usage, social media analytics, digital communication

Area