الگوی استفاده از شبکه های اجتماعی مجازی در دانشجویان دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بیرجند

Background: Nowadays, social networking sites (SNSs) are one of the most importing means to
communicate in societies and worldwide. Iranian students have shown an increasing interest for using the
networks recently. Whether and how precisely Iranian students use these social networking sites is unclear.
Therefore in the present study, we have studied and determined the rate of using the social networking sites
among the students in Birjand University of Medical Sciences during 2011-2012.
Methods: In this descriptive analytic study, 400 students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences were
randomly participated. The content validity and reliability of questionnaire was confirmed . The information
was analyzed using SPSS software Number 11.0, for Windows (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL, USA).
Results: 401 questioners were included. The mean age of participants was 20.71 ±1.87 years and two
third of them (66.6%) were female. While more than half of the participants (57.5%) were knowledgeable
about SNS, the participants who had a membership at least in one of the sites accounts for 37.8% (153 out
of 401). Moreover, 147 of the members (36.6%) were indicated that they regularly check their accounts
with an average usage of 49.0 ± 27.1 minutes per day. Most use of the virtual social networks was interact
with old friends.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that a considerable percentage of the participants were
the member of social networking sites. In this context, it is highly recommended to enhance the educational
and cultural quality of these sites in order to appropriate and optimal application.