Social Media Use and Transition Into Online Classes Among Undergraduate Students During Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: The main objective of this study is to identify the popular social media sites and assess the influence of on the ease of transitioning into online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate students. Methods: This population based cross-sectional design used an online questionnaire completed by 996 students 18 years or older between March and June 2020. The questionnaire was designed using Qualtrics and included demographics, choice of social media site and hours spent on social media per day. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were used. Results: A total of 872 undergraduate students were included in the analysis. Majority of respondents (64.58%) identified as females and the mean age was 21.9 (+/- 4.8). SnapChat and Instagram were the most preferred social media sites among respondents. The odds of transitioning into online classes increased with hours spent on social media daily. Conclusion: The use of social media for formal academic communication could stimulate an interactive learning environment, foster social presence, and enhance learning outcomes. Furthermore, initiatives could be implemented to encourage students to limit time spent on social media to avoid stress. Further research is needed to investigate the types of activity students engage in on social media