The Role of Interactive Social Media in Forming Academic Public Opinion during the "COVID 19" Crisis among Students of the University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the role of interactive social media in forming academic public opinion during the crisis of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among students of the University of Nizwa in the Sultanate of Oman. The researchers used a relational descriptive methodology. The study’s population comprised of all the students of the University of Nizwa, whose number is (5505). The study sample consisted of (320) male and female students.  The questionnaire was used to achieve the objectives of the study. The results of the study revealed that students' hours of using social media are high, whereas (22%) of students use it more than (12) hours a day. Regarding languages use, it is noticed that the predominant language in use is Arabic at a rate of (64.8%). The levels of the role of learning media, with averages varying between the weak and the high, took the first place with the Google app, with a mean of (3.90) and a high level, while WhatsApp took the second place with a mean of (3.80) and a high level.The researchers recommended the necessity of providing free social media for teaching university students, and paying the attention of the university administration to student public opinion through social media.