WhatsApp an Emerging Medium of Social Interaction: An Analysis

Abstract

The study at hand is an attempt to find out dominant perception about use of WhatsApp among university students. It explores its ease of use, effectiveness and potential to enhance social interactions and distance learning. The study, using a positivist paradigm, employed a descriptive, quantitative and survey-based design. The population was made up of 320 sixth-semester BS students from three universities (International Islamic University Islamabad, Quaid-e-Azam University and Bahria University Islamabad) who were majoring in psychology and economics department. Using Siegle's table (2015), a sample of 175 students was chosen in order to provide a 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. The use of stratified random sampling definite accurate population representation. Mean, frequency and percentage were the descriptive statistics used to examine data from a self-developed questionnaire. The study concludes that WhatsApp fulfils both emotive and cognitive needs, serving as a valuable tool for social connection and education. Highly favoured by university students, it promotes socializing, knowledge exchange and classroom involvement, augmenting peer-to-peer education. While WhatsApp's widespread use in Pakistan highlights its importance for communication and information sharing, users must consider social, cultural and ethical implications. It facilitates resource access and academic organization, but ethical use is necessary for a positive social impact. To maximize benefits, universities may integrate WhatsApp into official communication channels, educational policymakers may develop usage guidelines and teachers may create interactive learning experiences. Institutions may conduct workshops on effective communication, digital well-being and cybersecurity. Students may be educated on responsible use to understand the impact of their online presence and maintain appropriate boundaries between academic and social interactions. Encouraging students to form study groups on WhatsApp can enhance understanding, build community and make learning more dynamic and engaging.