Determinants of social media usage for knowledge sharing by higher education students in Tanzania

Abstract

This paper investigated the determinants of social media usage for knowledge sharing by higher education students in Tanzania. The study used a mixed-methods approach with a convergent research design. The population of the study is 633 postgraduate students from the four higher education institutions located in northern Tanzania. An online survey was used to collect quantitative data, and 171 responded out of the expected 239 respondents. Quantitative data were descriptively analysed using SPSS version 24, while qualitative data were analysed thematically using Atlas TI. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were the factors that determined the use of social media by students in the selected higher education institutions in Tanzania. The problem of internet connectivity was reported to impede knowledge sharing among students. The study recommends that the management of the selected higher education institutions offer training and ensure the availability of internet connectivity around campuses.