Social networking software: its acceptance and use among students of selected institutions of higher learning in Malaysia

Abstract

This study investigated the trends of use and factors influencing acceptance of social networking software (SNS) among students of selected institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. Social networking software emanated from web 2.0 which is a second generation of internet technology that allows interactivity and collaboration among users. The wide spread of its use among the present generation of students more than ever before needed to be empirically investigated, because it has become a phenomenon, owing to the rate of its adoption everywhere in the world. Despite the fewer empirical information about social networking software use, there are increasing calls for its integration into teaching and learning function. Therefore, the study aims at understanding the why, how and what of SNS use among undergraduate students in Malaysia. In order to achieve the objective of the study, a cross sectional survey method was used for conducting the study. The sample population of the study comprises 500 students drawn from four research based universities in Malaysia. Out of 500 questionnaires administered, only 443 were found usable for the study. The study was theoretically driven. Factors from innovation diffusion theory, technology acceptance model, and social influence theory were used for conceptualizing a model that was proposed for the study. The proposed model of the study was known as SNS acceptance model. The data collected from the study was analyzed with descriptive statistic; structural equation model (SEM) with Amos 16 version was used to fit the data to the model hypothesized for the study. Similarly, SEM statistical tool was used to analyze the hypotheses of the study as well as the invariant analysis conducted to determine whether the model is invariant across gender and student area of specialization (Science and Non-Science). The findings of the study revealed the dominance use of facebook sites above other SNS sites among the respondents of the study. Other SNS that the student has preference for were MySpace, Twitter and instant messaging. The findings also revealed that students utilized the sites majorly to keep in contact with their old friends and acquaintances. The major contribution of this study was that the study has been use to developed an empirical information on SNS phenomenon in the present setting, it has also been used to developed an empirical based framework that represent SNS phenomenon and its correspondent determinant. The researcher therefore suggests that the study should be replicated in other setting so as to confirm and validate the SNS model.