It is hardly breaking news that Facebook (FB) continues to dominate as the preferred social
networking (SN) site. During the last ten years, it’s unabated growth has appeared to be
unstoppable and the statistics continue to impress, with FB now reaching in excess of 1.3
billion monthly active users worldwide (Facebook 2014). Although some teenagers might be
looking for alternatives, FB remains the preferred social network for students. While 85% of
students still choose to use FB over other social media providers, it is likely to maintain its
dominance of the market. (McDermott 2014).
Despite recent evidence that indicates students rarely use email1 many higher education
institutions (HEIs) still utilise email as the official medium for communication. Whether for
security or general policy reasons, academic staff tend to rely much more on email and do not
utilise social media to the same extent as students. In general, students seem quite open to using
Facebook in connection with their course of study. Students rely on social media to discuss
various aspects of their daily lives that are, of course, also related to their studies (Roblyer et al.
2010). Thus, given they regard it as a beneficial communication tool (Grosseck, Bran, and Tiru
2011), it is only natural that they should exchange information related to courses, assignments
etc. (Belshaw 2010) using this form of communication.
The growing popularity of social networking has led to an increase in research output in
academic journals on the use of SN in higher education for both teaching and research. The FB
trend has raised the question of whether or not the usage of SN sites should be incorporated into
higher education, i.e. whether or not it should be used in an official capacity to promote and
support effective student learning. (Aydin 2012).