Social Networking in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example

SOCIAL NETWORKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA Name Institution Lecturer Course Date Introduction The developments in the ways of communication in the world have revolutionized the ways in which different activities in the world are conducted. The use of the World Wide Web dates back from the early 90s where the internet was used by a few individuals to send emails as a way of communication (Li , 2011). However, by 1989, researchers in Geneva had developed the World Wide Web tat was to be used to conducts research works in different parts of the world. The form of internet provision by this time was to offer dial up serves to the researchers and the public. By the year 1995, there was decommissioning of the national science foundation network that provided commercially internet services for commercial traffic services. In addition, the Amazon company was founded which offered different online commercial services. This means that there was a development in interactive communication that was done via the internet. The Amazon online services included the online bookstore which offered access to researchers on the online bookstore that could be accessed online for research purposes (Warschauer, 2009). The developments and growths of the internet services were later followed by interactive online services better referred as social networking sites (Schroeder & Greenbowe, 2009). These sites offered interactive communication through the use of web 2.0 technology. In the years 2000 there was a dotcom burst that saw the emergency of different social media including Twitter, and Facebook. Facebook emerged in 2004 and revolutionized the social networking services in the world. Since then, social media have not only been used for communication but advertisement and sponsorships. Moreover, social media has found use in academic institution where its use has been popularized by the young generation. In Saudi Arabia, the use of the internet gained momentum in the year 1998. Since then, the use of the internet in this country has been faced with a number of challenges due to the content it contains and exposes its citizens. The governments has been controlling the use of interactive learning and social media use in learning institution due to the Islamic regulations that control and filters content in the web (Alwadie , 2013). Literature Review There has been a tremendous growth of the internet and the multimedia industry for the past few decades. This is attributed to the development in information technology and the increased demand for better and efficient ways of interaction and communication in the world (Brady et al., 2010). The World Wide Web got a world acceptance in 1990s when the centre for European nuclear research started using it. By the late 90s, the internet was used by a few individuals and business organization in sending and receiving emails. The increased used of internet was witnessed in 2008, four years after the development of Facebook which saw the use of mobile internet increase exponentially and exceed that of internet use through desktop. This means that many individuals were able to access the internet through their mobile phones. The convenience and accessibility of the phone ensured that people could access the internet anywhere and at any time. Before the development of the social and interactive media, the time of World Wide Web applications were based on web 1.0. Web 1.0 was the earliest version of the evolution of the World Wide Web (Tess, 2013). The web 1.0 only allowed users of the internet to view the different contents of web pages that were available online, but was not allowing the users to contribute anything to the content. This implies that the web 1.0 did not allow for any interactive communication between the users of the internet. It only allowed access of online information such as online bookstores that were available on the Amazon website database. In addition, the number of content creators in web 1.0 was minimal and most users were restricted to being consumers of the web based contents since the web contents were only edited externally. Web 2.0 sites are networks that enable users to share and upload information through the internet, while at the same time allowing interaction between users. This is in contrast to web 1.0, whereby internet users were merely recipients of information. The use of web 2.0 technologies is an emerging trend that makes social network information open to the public and improves administration. Social media has incorporated the use of Web 2.0 in setting up most of the social networks in order to enhance easy sharing of information from one user to another (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2007). Hence, unlike the web 1.0, web 2.0 allows users of technology to edit and share information on inline platforms. On the other hand web 3.0 is the third generation of World Wide Web that will be an advanced version of web 2.0. The tremendous growth of social networking has resulted from the application of web 2.0. Web 2.0 has been applied in different areas including in the development of interactive communication and social media networking in the world. In addition, the web 2.0 has been applied in a number of applications such as browser extensions, networking, management of data, applications used in writing, websites and blogs and concept mapping. The use of web 2.0 in all these application is possible due to the ability of web 2.0 to allow use to be able to edit, and share information in online platforms. The mostly and more advanced use of web 2.0 technology was the development of interactive communication through networking and social media. The use of web 2.0 in social media resulted in the development of social networking (Othman , et al., 2012). Social networking involves the ways in which different individuals communicate and interact in social media networks that are based on web 2.0 applications. In social networking, people form different small online communities in which they share information for different purposes such as entertainment and learning. The development of twitter and Facebook as the leading social networks has increased the use of these social media networks in different sectors of the economy. There use has been used in marketing and advertising as well and in learning institutions. This is due to the fact that social media networks are easily accessed by a large number of audiences which makes it a target market for advertising. The use of social media in different learning institutions has gained mo9mentum in the recent years (Arnold & Paulus, 2008). The development of distance learning course in higher education learning institutions has increased the demand for the use of social networking in leading institution. This is because social media allows the sharing of information between the lecturer and the students who are located at different locations. Since education is an important aspect of modern life, it has undergone changes and integrated information technology in order to improve its quality (Tess, 2012). The application of technology in higher learning institutions is to make the education system to be more socially oriented. The application of technology in education system plays an important role in improving the lives of the users (Schroeder & Greenbowe , 2009). In higher education, social networks are not only used by young individuals to share social information but as discussion forums and sharing of academic materials that facilitate their learning. In addition, the used of social networking sites to conduct online research by higher education students is becoming common. The higher education sector started the use of social networking since they are mostly used by the youth who make the largest number of students in higher education. Since the social networking sites provide interaction opportunities, higher education adopted its use in order to facilitate academic interaction among the students and develop the learning culture. In order to increase the learning activities and students engagements in learning, educators use social networks to supplement teachings and adopt modern forms of interaction between the teaching staff and the students. However, the use of social networking in the higher education sector has been faced with a number of challenges including the type of content, privacy of information and the effects on education among the users. In order to embrace efficient use of social networking in higher education systems, there is the need to address these challenges in order to enjoy its full benefits. The use of social networking has also been seen in Saudi Arabia higher education institutions. The internet use in Saudi Arabia has been used since 1998 where it was used by student in online programme especially those in medical schools. This means that the medical and health sector in Saudi Arabia was the first beneficiaries of the information technology in higher education. Medical and health professionals in higher education used the social media to share and gather information that impacted their knowledge and skills. Medical students who were working in the health sector used online social media to continue their education so as to acquire more skills and competencies. The use of internet and social media in Saudi Arabia higher education sector provided the users with a number of benefits. For the medical students, social networking provided them with fast information access to use in their line of duty. Inn addition, medical students who were also working could access learning and participate in higher education forums without necessarily leaving their work stations. This provided a constant and quick access of medical services to the patients in the health care system. Social networking sites such as twitter and YouTube are used by students to view different videos that demonstrate some scientific and other learning aspects from different parts of the world. This implies that students in higher education sector could access learning information that was not available in Saudi Arabian universities. Discussion forums among the students and interaction of the students with other university students are possible using social media. The use of the social networking sites in education sector can be exposed to different risks that face the information technology industry. These challenges surround the privacy and confidentiality of the information that is available in social networks and security of information systems (Greiner, 2003). Higher education institutions are also faced with different challenges that may interfere with their information systems as a result of using social networking in their learning institutions. Companies and information centres are faced with different challenges in maintaining the privacy and security of information systems in their organizations. Among the security and privacy threats include the following. Hackers: this is a computer crime in which individuals are able to intrude into an information system of a learning institution without the permission of the institution. This means that the hackers are violating the security and information privacy. In most cases hackers and crackers damage the information of the company hence interfering with information integrity. In addition there are Spoofers who redirect company information to other addresses. This means that computer hackers are able to crack the password of an information system. Student data is confidential in the higher education sector. This means that if the information is hacked it becomes exposed to third parties which can compromise the learning of the student. In addition, the learning institution can also loose vital information to third parties via the social networking sites (Mohamed, & Ahmad , 2012). Privacy breach: This is where an individual is able to access information without permission. In addition, privacy breach consists of the disclosure of information to other parties without the proper channel. The information shared in social networking sites is faced with a number of privacy challenges. In Saudi Arabian any information that concerns that royal family and terrorists should not be distributed to people that may be seen as a threat to the Saudi Arabian governments. However, there is the concern that people may access vital security information in social media without the permission of the authority. In addition, information systems in the higher learning institutions may be breached resulting in information leaks. Malicious software: these are software or programs that are able to interfere with the normal functioning of an information system. They include computer viruses, worms and key loggers. In higher education, student data and examination information may be disrupted and distorted through malwares that may find way to the institution databases through shared links in social networking. This is because social media have the tendencies of sharing information including links to other non-secure websites that contain malwares (Mohamed & Ahmad , 2012). The restriction of other information in the social networking sites and internet in general is seen as an obstacle to the learning institutions in higher education. This is because to ensure smooth learning activities in higher education, information should not be restricted so as to allow vast information access for research and development. Control of illegal information by students has also been a challenge (Brady et al., 2010). This is because most youth use the internet to access pornographic and other materials that radicalize them resulting in the development of radical youths in most parts of middle east. Although the radicalisation may not be directly linked to social media, it can be deduced that information sharing through social networking may increase the rate of radicalization through sharing of radicalisation materials. Hence, there is the need to identify different gaps in research to ensure proper use of information systems and social networking in Saudi Arabia. The use of social networking in higher education in Saudi Arabia presents a number of research gaps. There are not computer based packages that are used to deal with internet security in educational institutions especially those that use social media. This is because not all risks that are involved in the use of social networking in educational institutions are addressed (Selwyn, 2009). The findings of paper will help in the development and implementation of ways that can be used to manage the risks and obstacles that face the use of social networking in Saudi Arabian higher education sector and the public in general in order to ensure secure information sharing. In addition, there is no enough literature on the extensive use of social networking in Saudi Arabia. There is the need to document some of the literature that relate to the use of social networking in higher education in the country. The use of internet and online services in Saudi Arabia are highly controlled by the communication and information technology commission. The social media is among those sites that are strictly controlled by the Saudi Arabian governments. As stated earlier, the basis of the Saudi Arabian laws is the Sharia law of Islam. This means that the social media content in Saudi Arabia is controlled by the Islamic laws. Although higher education in Saudi Arabia benefit a lot from the social networking, the country control access to information that criticizes the royal family, is anti-Islamic and is pornographic in nature. The access the internet and social networking is Saudi Arabia is controlled by the communication and information technology commission. This commission mandated to control the access of information over the internet by the citizens and filters the content. This means that students in higher learning institutions are availed with limited information that impact their learning outcomes. Although the country has strict control to the internet, social media sites such as Facebook are exempted from the heavy restrictions hence accessing and contribution of users to these sites is not under strict monitoring. Despite this the freedom of expression in the country is limited (Abrams, 2010). The main concept of social networking is to allow user to share and contribute any information that is of any benefit to them and facilitate learning between different individuals. Since the Saudi Arabian government limit the expression of citizen, it means that the information shared on social networking sites is limited and controlled. In order to make social networking more applicable in higher education, the control measures in accessing information should not be restricted. This is because students in higher education conduct different research that may be contrary to the Islamic law but may help in understanding of various concepts of human psychology and sociology. This implies that students in higher education should be granted full access to social media content with permission from the communication and information technology commission to enable them carry out their research. This way, the social media will improve the learning outcomes in higher education and improve the society wellbeing (Al-Saggaf , 2011). Conclusion The development of the internet in the world revolutionized the ways in which people communicated with one another. The developments and growths of the internet services were later followed by interactive online services better referred as social networking sites. These sites offered interactive communication through the use of web 2.0 technology. In the years 2000 there was a dotcom burst that saw the emergency of different social media including Twitter, and Facebook. In addition, the development of the World Wide Web from web 1.0 to web 2.0 allowed the sharing of information from one individual to another. This resulted in social networking that was used to develop social networking sites. Social networks such as Facebook and twitter allowed sharing of information, a concept that was adopted by education systems in most parts of the world. The internet use in Saudi Arabia has been used since 198 where it was used by student in online programme especially those in medical schools. This means that the medical and health sector in Saudi Arabia was the first beneficiaries of the information technology in higher education. Medical and health professionals in higher education used the social media to share and gather information that impacted their knowledge and skills. However, the use of internet in Saudi Arabia is under strict control by the communication of information technology commission. Social networking is less restricted but is faced with other challenges such as security and privacy concerns. 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