How Can Students' English Level Affect Their Use of Social Media When Choosing Universities - Essay Example

How can international English level affect their use of social media in the process of choosing universities (UK University: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Social media has been denoted as the most unique medium for communication across the world. This is as a result of advanced technology (Friedrichsen, 2012). It is has gradually overtaken the conventional means of communication and more so with young adults who spend most of their social life on such sites as face book, twitter, MySpace, YouTube among others. Just like in the global corporate world and in manufacturing industries, development in technology has turned things around in learning institutions. Young people entering college are considered digital natives or the social media generation as a result of this. As such learning institutions have turned to social media sites to market themselves not just to local students but to international ones as well (Information Resources Management Association, 2014). Universities in the UK use English as their language of communication. English language has come of age as a language used all over the world with a considerable number of people using it and especially non native speakers. However, there are still many countries which do not use English as their first language. Therefore, many people may not be competent with the Language or do not understand it at all. Advent of internet and communications technology has changed the way people and organisations operate and especially when institutions are marketing themselves (Funk, 2013). In an attempt to maintain the latest trends, as well as to save on resources used in the old methods of marketing and communication, universities in the UK have moved to this digital platform and have capitalised on them to market their programmes to international students. Prospective students lately are increasingly accessing social media sites and alternative education sites to seek information about universities abroad (Gillin, 2011). Furthermore, the trend have been maintained by the fact that universities have made it a priority to incorporate social media strategies as a way of recruiting potential international students. Literature Review According to Sweeney & Craig (2011), a large number of students use social media to guide them in the university decision making process which is guided by the research beeh they conduct online which can be observed for example from the number of likes a university page receives. They consider which universities to join as per the courses and programs offered. As such, language is of paramount importance when making such crucial decisions. It is therefore essential that one understands before that will guide him or her in applying for universities as it is a vital decision ( Evans & Mckee, 2010). This becomes a challenge to many international students willing to join universities in the UK whose understanding of the English language is limited. Foreigners or Non native speakers of English may not fully understand the language which is normally used on social media such as twitter where there is excessive use of abbreviations and strange hash tags which may confuse a person who is not well aware of their meanings. Kabani (2012) articulates that some of the universities may use complex words in their advertisements online or words that have multiple meanings may end up confusing the audience who lack a better understanding of English. Social media could also misguide such international students whose level of English is low in that instead of selecting a certain university according to the needs of the student; he or she may end up choosing a university due to the number of people who like their page on face book or the number of followers on Instagram. As such, universities should use simple language so that they are easily understood by those seeking their services and whose understanding of English language is low. Eid (2012) argues that many international students have only the basic understanding of English, as such the difficult marketing language used on social media sites may end up locking out prospective students who have toyed with the idea of studying in the UK. It is of high level with the usage of terminologies that will automatically be challenging for students who are not efficient in English to facilitate interpretation. They may need a third party to assist them in getting the hard jargon as well as interpret some of the courses and programs advertised by the universities. Some of the social sites have an option where students can translate the English language to a language they can understand and as such, get the information they require. However, those international students who are proficient in the English language have an advantage as they are presented with a variety of choices. They can look at the offers in which the universities have presented online and analyse them critically (Gay, Charlesworth, & Esen, 2006). They can even ask questions or engage with other students to better understand where they are best suited. They can compare offers and locations with ease without having an interpreter as compared to those who haven’t got a full grasp of English. They also feel confident when applying for universities as they possess the feeling that they have something in common with others in the UK who use English (Jenkins, Ford & Green, 2013). Language barrier may limit international students whose usage of English is limited or may affect their social skills as a result of shying away as they may be sidelined and ridiculed online due to poor language skills. This will lead to poor self esteem that stems from cyber bullying and such students may reconsider their decisions to study in the UK. Conclusion Language barrier is just one the examples of culture shock that international students face even before they can relocate to the UK for their university education. It is therefore necessary for the universities to consider such facts when strategizing on how to sell their services to international students. People seeking information should have access to it in the most simplistic way possible without having to seek for interpretation from other sources. It is however difficult for international students with low English levels because even if they were to be admitted to universities in the UK, they would still need to learn more English and quickly since most if not all courses offered in a majority of UK higher institutions of learning are presented using English and some of the words maybe difficult to translate to other or simpler language in order to be understood. Universities should consider every step necessary to ensure that language is not a deterrent to international students since this is the one of the most popular ways of marketing in the digital age with research showing that the numbers of international students have increased drastically over the last few years. The face and structure of recruiting international students have changed and evolved due to the many social media sites that are easy to use and quite popular since social media marketing is far cheaper as compared to the traditional means of advertising. if universities lack good marketing skills or use jargon that is not easily understood, they may end up missing on opportunities not only to get the best international students but also on the financial benefits associate with recruiting such students. However, not all students’ decisions are affected with what is presented online. Some of them despite the many deterrents that come with social media some will not change their mindset about studying in the UK. A good example is the Chinese students who prefer UK programs as they see them as superior as compared to the ones offered in their own colleges at home. Reference list Eid, R. (2012). Successful customer relationship management programs and technologies: Issues and trends. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference. Friedrichsen, M. (2012). Handbook of Social Media Management: Value Chain and Business Models in Changing Media Markets. Berlin: Springer Verlag. Gay, R., Charlesworth, A., & Esen, R. (2006). Online marketing: A customer-led approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Information Resources Management Association. (2014). Digital arts and entertainment: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications. Sweeney, S., & Craig, R. (2011). Social media for business: 101 ways to grow your business without wasting your time. Gulf Breeze, FL: Maximum Press. Jenkins, H., Ford, S., & Green, J. (2013). Spreadable media: creating value and meaning in a networked culture. New York, New York University Press. Kabani, S. H. (2012). The zen of social media marketing: an easier way to build credibility, generate buzz, and increase revenue. Dallas, TX, Benbella Books. Funk, T. (2013). Advanced social media marketing: how to lead, launch, and manage a successful social media program. [Berkeley, CA], Apress. Evans, D., & Mckee, J. (2010). Social media marketing: the next generation of business engagement. Indianapolis, Ind, Wiley Pub. Gillin, P. (2011). Social marketing to the business customer: listen to your B2B market, generate major account leads, and build client relationships. Social Marketing to the Business Customer. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. Read More