شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

This study was conducted among female student of King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah. The study adopted quantitative methodology based on social survey among a stratified random sample of 150 female students. A questionnaire was designed for data collection. The study focused on three objectives: first, is to know the motives for using face book and twitter; second, is to understand the patterns and social gains from the uses; third, is to examine the positive and the negative effects of the uses on their social cultural and health aspects. The main results are: The majorities (68%) use both face-book and twitter, while (29%) use face-book only. The main motives for the uses are freedom of expression, retrieve old friends and relatives, and, searching new friends from other countries. The pattern of uses are through both mobile phone and laptop. The uses mainly are for building and strengthen social relations with friends, exchange academic knowledge and general news. Concerning the negative effects, the study found that (71%) noticed that the social media has limited social life with family members; and, (72%) remarked that there is no need for visiting kin and clans. Moreover, the respondents perceived that uses of social media has not affected their academic standard nor their physical health. In respect of positive gains from social media, that (84.6%) located individuals from different cultural and social background; (76.6%) declared that social media is the most effective, easy, and quick form of communication and social relations. Furthermore, the study found that students’ education level and motives for usage have no significant relations at ∞≤ 0.05 with perceived positive and negative effects for consuming the social media. While, there were significant relations established at ∞≤0.05 between age and pattern of using the media and the motives and the type of social relations created. (Published abstract)