Profiling facebook users among KIRKHS students and their motives for using facebook

Abstract

Facebook is now the largest social networking site and it is a great way to catch up with old friends, keep up-to-date with everyone, and interact with people. Previous studies found that university students are heavy users of Facebook. As such, this study tries to find out the profile of Facebook users among undergraduate students of the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (KIRKHS) at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and to investigate their motives for using Facebook based on the Uses and Gratifications Theory. The specific objectives of this study are: (1) to find out the characteristics of Facebook users among IRKHS undergraduate students; (2) to find out how IRKHS undergraduate students use Facebook; (3) to find out motives for using Facebook among IRKHS undergraduate students; (4) to find out the differences between demographic profile of IRKHS undergraduate students and their motives for using Facebook; and (5) to find out the advantages and the disadvantages of using Facebook among IRKHS undergraduate students. This study uses a survey research design whereby the data are collected from 355 students using a stratified random sampling procedure, based on division, gender, and nationality. Descriptive and inferential statistics are employed to analyze the data and to test the hypotheses. Four general hypotheses were generated in this study. The results showed that the majority of IRKHS students are Facebook users. Many of them are extrovert Malaysian females, aged 22 years and above. They are heavy users of Facebook and highly connected with others. IRKHS students use Facebook for social interaction, communication, education, and religious motives. They claim that Facebook is beneficial in maintaining relationships with others and for doing dakwah. It is also found that female students use Facebook more than male students for religious motive and education motives.