The Role of Social Media in Medical Education And Training

Objective: Social media (SM) is an integral part of life. Our study aims to investigate how SM impacts the educational experience of medical students and seek to acquire a better understanding of the scope of studies pertaining to the influence of social media on medical education. Materials and Methods: The participants were given a questionnaire developed by the researchers with a completion time of approximately 5 minutes. The questionnaire comprised inquiries that were designed to evaluate the extent to which students employed SM in their academic pursuits, drawing based on a review of relevant literature. Results: The social media platforms that were predominantly entered were Instagram and YouTube. Moreover, a majority of respondents (48.4%) expressed a preference for a hybrid educational framework that integrates conventional and digital practices. A substantial majority of respondents (70.3%) held the belief that SM does indeed have an impact on medical education. Conclusıon: With the impact of developing technology, SM has become an important part of information and medical education. Although the conventional clinical teaching approach remains firmly established in medical education, there is a growing recognition towards the need to integrate technology to enrich the educational experience. In the coming years, educational institutions will prioritize enhancing online education experience and instructors' competencies, as well as facilitating students' disciplined and comfortable participation, so as to add a new dimension to education through the use of technology.