The Potential Influences of Social Media among Nursing Students at the Undergraduate Level
Authors:   , Alamri Huda 
Published: July 2022

Aim: This review aims to consolidate the empirical evidence on the efficacy of social media networks in undergraduate nursing education. Objectives: To examine the ability of social media to influence nursing student’s learning and the expected learning outcomes from using it. To examine the various effects of social media, both positive and negative To gain an understanding of the social media platforms that are being used in nursing education programmes. Introduction: Social media platforms are being examined and explored to determine whether this online technology might aid with the learning process and different other aspects among undergraduate nursing students. Design: Mixed systematised literature review. Data sources: Systematised search of PubMed and ScienceDirect. Date restrictions were imposed from 2011 to 2021. Method: The author independently evaluated titles, abstracts, and complete articles for inclusion criteria before extracting data and assessing its quality. The data synthesis used a sequential explanatory method. Findings: Eight studies were included in this review and their results showed that social media appears to assist students with gaining new knowledge, improving their practical skills, and raising their level of confidence during the learning process. Learners benefitted from a platform's dynamic sharing and discussion capabilities, which allowed information to be exchanged in timely manner; however, social media had some negative effects such as excessive usage. Social media learning was supported by the ease of use of these platforms, but one of the papers in this review confirmed the opposite. Future research and implications for practice: Educators in nursing need to examine and explore other SM applications that are popular among young people now such as Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, in order to develop a greater understanding of their various abilities, and therefore, do so during their future professional lives. Descriptions should go into depth about SM initiatives, as missing explanations of how these applications operate were a common flaw found in the papers reviewed Conclusion: This review is the first of its kind to examine the impact of SM on nursing students at the undergraduate level, assisting in the establishment of a solid research foundation for this innovative teaching tool. Teachers and students will benefit from this since it highlights the SM platforms presently in use, the potential effect of each platform, and the capabilities of this modern technology and learning process. SM platforms are conducive to learning as they encourage them to learn, share, communicate and increase their confidence. They are an effective method for exam and assignment preparation. A future agenda for nursing research may benefit from the review's conclusions and recommendations, which could help to change higher and continuing education learning. Based on these results and recommendations, future research projects may be developed to improve learning at post-secondary educational institutions.