University of Dhaka

Department of International Business

Course Name: Business Statistics

Course Code: EIB 504

Assignment on: Social Media (Facebook) Usage behavior Based on University

……………………Students

Prepared by: Name ID

Soad Al Faruk 801724040
Shihab Al Murad 801724050
Md.raquibul islam 801724056
Syed Mashhud Quader 801723007
Mousumi Ela 801722058

Supervisor: Professor Dr. Kamal Uddin

Date of Submission: 24-11-2017

i
 Letter of Transmittal

November 24, 2018

Dr. Kamal Uddin

Professor
Faculty of Business Studies (FBS)
University of Dhaka
Sir:

Subject: Letter of Transmittal for Assignment

With due respect, we would like to present you our assignment on “Social Media (Facebook)
Usage behavior Based on University Students” which has been completed as a part of Business
Statistics. The purpose of this assignment was to conduct a basic research to discover the social
media (Facebook) usage behavior of Dhaka University students. It was a learning experience as
we had the opportunity to utilize the advanced tools and techniques introduced to us throughout
the assignment.

Therefore, we hope that you would accept the assignment and our gratitude for allowing us to
work on this assignment. Thank you.
Sincerely Yours

On behalf of the group

Soad Al Faruk
ID No: 801724040

ii
 Table of Contents

Title page.…………………………………………………………………… i

Letter of Transmittal………………………………………………………... ii

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………… iii

Executive Summary …...………………….……………………………….... iv

Introduction…………………………………………………………………. 1

Literature Review…………………………………………………………… 2

Objectives of the study…………………………………………………….... 3

Methodology……………………………………………………………….... 4

Analysis…………………………………………………………………….... 4

Discussion …………………………………………………………………... 8

Conclusions …………………………………………………………………. 9

References…………………………………………………………………… 9

iii
Executive Summery

The objectives or aim of the study is to identify the usage pattern of Facebook by the students of
International Business (EIB) Department, in Dhaka University. Specific objectives are:

• To study the frequency of Facebook usage;

• To identify whether privacy settings of Facebook is used by the students or not;
• To investigate other social networking tools that are also being used by EIB students; and
• To examine the use of Facebook groups and changing attitude of profile picture by students.

This study found that a majority of EIB students are overwhelmingly aware of, and moderately
knowledgeable about Facebook. Some were interested in, and fascinated by Facebook. The
frequency of internet use varies among the EIB students of University of Dhaka. The study shows
that the largest group of students uses the internet most days. A significant proportion of male
students use the internet than female. The findings also reveal that males spend more time on
Facebook than females. These findings stand in contrast to the findings of Aharony. One area of
attention this study points to is a lack of concern among students toward the Internet and privacy
issues. Among the students one-third is not aware about privacy settings. University students are
very high users of Facebook. This study also shows that most of the students use Facebook after
entering the university. Some students feel that Facebook is unnecessary, given the large number
of communication methods already available in most universities. Similar results also found that
some EIB students have also negatively replied against Facebook. Although, it seems that the large
majority of students do use social media such as Facebook, however, its use is not universal.
Importantly, Facebook can be a particularly good alternative for students who would otherwise
have trouble participating in face-to-face class discussions, since it is simply less intimidating for
these more introverted students. The study found that students are also using other social media
apart from Facebook. For example, 31.71% of students also use Google plus; 0.81% use Orkut,
and 25.20% maintain other social networking media concurrently. Likewise, Smith and Caruso
verified that maximum numbers of university students in US institutions were regular users of
social networking sites, and Facebook was the favorite among the sites. In another survey question,
students were asked to make comments about whether Facebook is time wasting or not? Among
the respondents, 62.60% replied that using Facebook is not time wasting, while 37.40% of the
students think that it is time wasting. Results of chi-square tests for gender also disclose that there
was no significant difference between male and female students about their computer use. The
data on residence of respondents indicate that the largest groups were from villages (88, 63.31%).
The lowest responses were from town (51, 36.69%). Also, chi-square tests for gender reveal that
there was no significant difference between male and female students regarding their residence.

Finally, its suggested suggested that future studies may comprise more personality characteristics
and students from other departments too, in order to have a broader perception of students
Facebook use.

iv
Introduction

We are seeing education institutions adapting these developments into their systems and relying
on group resources and mechanisms to improve the student life. The use of social media in
education provides students with the ability to get more useful information, to connect with
learning groups and other educational systems that make education convenient.

Social network tools afford students and institutions with multiple opportunities to improve
learning methods. Through these networks, you can incorporate social media plugins that enable
sharing and interaction. Students can benefit from online tutorials and resources that are shared
through social networks and LMS’s.

There is valuable knowledge to be gained through social media such as analytics and insights on
various topics or issues for study purposes. Social media is also a medium where students can
establish beneficial connections for their careers. As an educational institution, it is crucial to be
active in many social platforms possible, this helps create better student training strategies and
shapes student culture.

Students today interact with information differently than students did ten years ago. Facebook and
other social media are having significant effects on the “how” of information literate behaviors
and practices. It is important for educators to understand how students interact with information in
their daily lives in order to know both what to teach and how to teach it. Mark Bauerlein stated
that students develop bad academic habits through social media use. However, Facebook has
evolved into the most visited social networking site in the world with over 90 million active users
in the last decade. Facebook provides a flexible space to interface with a large number of students.
In the field of library and information science, Facebook groups have been created to answer
reference questions, search online public access catalogs, and host multimedia collections.

Wise et al discovered three main areas of Facebook--Facebook’s uses and gratifications theory; its
sociopolitical and psychosocial impacts, and its privacy implications. In this article, we attempt to
explore the psychosocial impacts of Facebook by investigating how personal psychosocial
characteristics and perceptions about Facebook influence students’ patterns of Facebook use.

The internet and social media provide young people with a range of benefits, and opportunities to
empower themselves in a variety of ways. Young people can maintain social connections and
support networks that otherwise wouldn't be possible, and can access more information than ever
before. The communities and social interactions young people form online can be invaluable for
bolstering and developing young people's self-confidence and social skills.

1
Literature review
The introduction and rise of the social network site (SNS) Facebook has been one of the most
important social trends of the past decade. Although it only opened to the public in 2006, Facebook
reports already serving one billion monthly active users at the end of 2016. Moreover, 80% of
these users reside outside the US and services are available in 70 languages, making Facebook a
worldwide platform. While there are concerns about the accuracy and trustworthiness of these
numbers (the number of accounts that are frequently used may differ from the real number of
individuals using the platform) and neutral information is not available, one should agree the size
of this SNS is at least substantial and the growth rate impressive. It is this growth rate that has
attracted the attention of scientists from widely different fields of inquiry.

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. It began as an on-line student
directory for college students and was recognized as a resource for finding people from as early as
2004. Mark Zuckerberg, a keen computer programmer and founder of Facebook developed a
number of social-networking websites while studying Psychology at Harvard University. In
February 2004, he launched "The Facebook", as it was originally known; the name taken from the
sheets of paper distributed to freshmen, profiling students and staff. Within 24 hours, 1,200
Harvard students had signed up, and after one month, over half of the undergraduate population
had a profile. The network was promptly extended to other students of Boston Universities.

As of the third quarter of 2018, Facebook had 2.27 billion monthly active users, and it is altering
the approach of billions of people to communicate with each other and share their information. A
rapidly growing body of research has accompanied the dramatic growth of Facebook as social
scientists assess its impact on community life.

Witek and Grettano1 carried out a survey on information literacy on Facebook. They observed that
three Facebook functions such as Facebook feeds, share, and comment emerged as the primary
means by which information literate practices and behaviors are developed and exhibited on
Facebook. In addition, information literacy in the age of social media requires a “meta-literacy”:
a critical awareness of why we do what we do with information.

Aharony studied Facebook use by library and information science (LIS) students. The purpose
of his paper was to examine whether LIS students’ patterns of Facebook use are affected by
personality characteristics and by their perceptions about Facebook. He found that personality
characteristics as well as gender, level of education and age influence both LIS students’ patterns
of Facebook use and their perceptions about Facebook. Charnigo and Barnett-Ellis conducted a
survey of academic librarians to ascertain perspectives on Facebook and its implications in
libraries. They noted their sample of librarians (n = 123) were aware of Facebook and its use on
campus. In terms of Facebook's potential as an academic tool, 54% of those surveyed said there
was no academic use, 34% were unsure, and 12% felt that such promises existed. This latter
minority suggested the use of Facebook in academic settings to promote library services, set up
book clubs, and create online study groups. Survey data found that most librarians were neither
“enthusiastic nor disdainful” of Facebook.

2
 Mathews contacted 1,500 students in the school of mechanical engineering via a messaging
application in Facebook. While some students simply responded “thanks,” others initiated
questions. Other positive results of this outreach included the author being “friended” by students
and being recognized outside of the library at other campus locations. Mathews encouraged
librarians to embrace social networks to increase visibility and “let students know what the library
is all about.” Facebook may also fail to provide timely and relevant results when users attempt to
get information from persons with whom the user has a feeble relationship.

Chu and Meulemans gathered data through a survey and focus group which revealed that 67%
of surveyed students discussed their schools and professors on these two sites. Students reported a
reluctance to communicate with professors via these means and indicated that email was a more
appropriate means to communicate with a faculty. Despite the hesitation of some students, the
authors pointed out that many other campus entities such as athletes, student associations,
fraternities and sororities have a MySpace or Facebook presence. They concluded that having a
library page can be a useful promotional tool.

Tancer, in a study, found that information needs were being fulfilled by friends in Facebook
thus substituting the user’s use of a traditional search engine. The finding provides insight into
how humans in social networking sites surroundings can participate and collaborate to meet up
user information needs. The information delivered was not just limited to information on the web,
but also available from personal experience and referral to print sources.

Selwyn established that 76% of a sample of 909 American undergraduate students maintained
Facebook profiles. Likewise, Smith and Caruso (2010) showed that 94.1% of their samples of
university students in U.S institutions were regular users of social networking sites, and Facebook
surpassed all other sites as the “favorite”.

The literature review reveals that there is no study on the usage of Facebook by students in
Bangladesh and hence the present study was undertaken.

Objectives of the study

The objectives or aim of the study is to identify the usage pattern of Facebook by the students of
International Business (EIB) Department, in Dhaka University. Specific objectives are:

• To study the frequency of Facebook usage;

• To identify whether privacy settings of Facebook is used by the students or not;
• To investigate other social networking tools that are also being used by EIB students; and
• To examine the use of Facebook groups and changing attitude of profile picture by students.

3
Methodology
One hundred and sixty Master of Business Administration (EMBA) students of EIB Department
were selected as the sample for this study. Data for the study were obtained through a questionnaire
survey through facebook. Out of the 160 responses, 139 were usable. Data were processed and
analyzed using SPSS.

Analysis
Respondent’s profile

Out of the 139 responses it was found that 86 (61.87%) were males and 53 (38.13%) were females
(Table 1). The largest group of students (105, 75.54%) was comprised of those in the age group of
28-33 years. The smallest group of students (34, 24.46%) was aged between 22-27 years.

Out of 139 students, 18 (12.95%) were in the first semester, 21 (15.11%) were in the second
semester, 56 (40.29%) in the third semester and 44 (31.65%) in the fourth semester (Table 2).

Facebook account usage

Out of the 139 respondents, 123 (88.40%) had Facebook accounts (Table 3).
Levy et al. revealed that Facebook is one of the most well-liked social networking sites and is
uniquely identified as a resource for locating persons. It began as an online student directory for
students since 2004.

Table 4 shows that among 123 students 121 (98.37%) were Facebook users and only 2 (1.63%)
were not Facebook users.

Frequency of Facebook use

The frequency of Facebook use varied among the students. Table 5 shows that the largest group
i.e.

Table 1—Age group by gender

Male Female Total
Age N % N % N %
22-27 years 18 12.95 16 11.51 34 24.46
28-33 years 68 48.92 37 26.62 105 75.54
Totals 86 61.87 53 38.13 139 100

4
 Table 2—Academic year by gender
Male Female Total
Academic
year N % N % N %
1st semester 13 9.35 5 3.60 18 12.95
2nd semester 14 10.07 7 5.05 21 15.11
3rd semester 35 25.18 21 15.11 56 40.29
4th semester 24 17.27 20 14.39 44 31.65
Total 86 61.87 53 38.13 139 100

Table 3—Facebook account by gender

Male Female Total
Facebook
account N % N % N %
Yes 81 58.27 42 30.22 123 88.49
No 3 2.16 8 5.76 11 7.91
I plan on
getting one 2 1.44 3 2.16 5 3.60
Total 86 61.87 53 38.13 139 100

Table 4—Use of Facebook by gender

Male Female Total
Use
Facebook N % N % N %
Yes 79 64.23 42 38.13 121 98.37
No 2 1.63 0 00 2 1.63
Total 81 65.85 42 34.15 123 100

53.66% of students used Facebook on most days and 2.44% students used Facebook at least once
a fortnight. Moreover, we the students of EIB get all news such as – class date, exam date, exam
hall, assignment submission date, lecture’s soft copy etc. through a Facebook group named
IB_EMBA_DU. One can easily check this by using mobile internet at any time from any place.

Privacy settings on Facebook

There are many features of Facebook but privacy settings on Facebook is now a vital issue. So,
the students were also asked regarding the privacy settings on Facebook. About 70% of the
respondents stated that they used the privacy settings in Facebook (see Table 6).

Facebook groups by gender

Among 123 students only 7 (5.69%) were not connected to any Facebook group. Thirty five
students (28.46%) were connected to 1 to 5 Facebook groups, 30 (24.39%) students were

5
connected with 6-10 Facebook groups, 21 (17.07%) students were connected with 11 to 15, 13
(10.57%) were connected with 16 to 20 and 8 (6.50%) students each were connected with 21 to
25, or more than 30 groups on Facebook (Table 7).

Table 5—Frequency of Facebook use by gender

Male Female Total
Frequency of
Facebook use N % N % N %
Most days 42 34.15 24 19.51 66 53.66
A few times 21.14 9.76
every week 26 12 38 30.89
At least once
a week 5 4.07 3 2.44 8 6.50
At least once
a fortnight 3 2.44 0 0 3 2.44
At least once
a month 5 4.07 3 2.44 8 6.50
Total 81 65.85 42 34.15 123 100

Table 6— Privacy settings on Facebook

Male Female Total
Privacy
settings on
Facebook N % N % N %
Yes 52 42.28 34 27.64 86 69.92
No 29 23.58 8 6.50 37 30.08
Total 81 65.85 42 34.15 123 100

Table 7—Facebook groups by gender

Male Female Total
Facebook
groups N % N % N %
0 5 4.07 2 1.63 7 5.69
1-5 20 16.26 15 12.20 35 28.46
6-10 17 13.82 13 10.57 30 24.39
11-15 17 13.82 4 3.25 21 17.07
16-20 8 6.50 5 4.07 13 10.57
21-25 8 6.50 0 0.00 8 6.50
30+ 6 4.88 2 1.63 8 6.50
Total 81 65.85 42 34.15 123 100

6
 Table 8—Changing profile picture
Male Female Total
N % N % N %
I don't
change my
profile
picture 23 18.7 10 8.1 33 26.83
Change 35.7
profile
picture once
a month 44 22 17.8 66 53.66
Change
profile
picture once
a week 6 4.88 5 4.07 11 8.94
Change
profile
picture twice
a week 1 0.81 1 0.81 2 1.63
Change
profile
picture three
or more 7 5.69 4 3.25 11 8.94
times a week 81 65.85 42 34.15 123 100

Table 9— Other social networking account by gender

Male Female Male
Other SN
tools N % N % N %
None 31 25.20 15 12.20 46 37.40
MySpace 4 3.25 1 0.81 5 4.07
Google plus 27 21.95 12 9.76 39 31.71
Orkut 1 0.81 0 0.00 1 0.81
Others 17 13.82 14 11.38 31 25.20
All above 1 0.81 0 0.00 1 0.81
Total 81 65.85 42 34.15 123 100

Changing attitude of profile picture

Table 8 shows that 53.6% of the students change their profile picture once in a month. Following
8.94% of the students change their profile picture three or more times in a week. 26.83% of the
students replied that they don’t change their profile picture frequently.

Use of other social networking sites

Selwyn established that 76% of his sample of 909 American undergraduate students maintained
Facebook profiles. Similarly, Smith and Caruso demonstrated that 94.1 per cent of their samples
of university students in US institutions were regular users of social networking sites, and
Facebook surpassed all other sites as the “favorite”.

7
Table 9 reveals that students are also using other social media except Facebook. Such as 31.71%
students also use Google plus, 0.81% use Orkut and 25.20% maintain other social networking
media concurrently. It was also seen that 37.40% of the students are not using any other social
networking site along with Facebook.

Discussion
This study found that a majority of EIB students are overwhelmingly aware of, and moderately
knowledgeable about Facebook. Some were interested in, and fascinated by Facebook. The
frequency of internet use varies among the EIB students of University of Dhaka. The study shows
that the largest group of students uses the internet most days. A significant proportion of male
students use the internet than female. The findings also reveal that males spend more time on
Facebook than females. These findings stand in contrast to the findings of Aharony. One area of
attention this study points to is a lack of concern among students toward the Internet and privacy
issues. Among the students one-third is not aware about privacy settings. University students are
very high users of Facebook. This study also shows that most of the students use Facebook after
entering the university. Some students feel that Facebook is unnecessary, given the large number
of communication methods already available in most universities. Similar results also found that
some EIB students have also negatively replied against Facebook. Although, it seems that the large
majority of students do use social media such as Facebook, however, its use is not universal.
Importantly, Facebook can be a particularly good alternative for students who would otherwise
have trouble participating in face-to-face class discussions, since it is simply less intimidating for
these more introverted students. The study found that students are also using other social media
apart from Facebook. For example, 31.71% of students also use Google plus; 0.81% use Orkut,
and 25.20% maintain other social networking media concurrently. Likewise, Smith and Caruso
verified that maximum numbers of university students in US institutions were regular users of
social networking sites, and Facebook was the favorite among the sites. In another survey question,
students were asked to make comments about whether Facebook is time wasting or not? Among
the respondents, 62.60% replied that using Facebook is not time wasting, while 37.40% of the
students think that it is time wasting. Results of chi-square tests for gender also disclose that there
was no significant difference between male and female students about their computer use. The
data on residence of respondents indicate that the largest groups were from villages (88, 63.31%).
The lowest responses were from town (51, 36.69%). Also, chi-square tests for gender reveal that
there was no significant difference between male and female students regarding their residence.

8
Conclusion
Facebook might prove to be a passing fad, it is one of the earliest and largest online social
networking communities geared specifically for students in higher education. It represents a new
form of communication that connects students socially in an online environment. If online
academics have evolved and continue to do so, then it is only natural that online academic social
environments, such as Facebook, will continue to evolve as well. Finally, its suggested suggested
that future studies may comprise more personality characteristics and students from other
departments too, in order to have a broader perception of students Facebook use.

References

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9
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