Abstract:

Nowadays it is hard to imagine the world without information technology, internet and social media. Therefore, it seems natural that they can affect all areas of our lives – both private and professional life. Popularity of social media causes that it is very popular subject of many researches on different fields among, which several can be distinguished. One of them creates research to find down who and which extent uses Information Communication Technology (ICT). According to a survey conducted among Polish young people, over 93% of them use the Internet, 31% of which are more than five hours a day, 78% of them use social networking sites, almost 68% of them contact their friends online several times a day.

Another area of research presents the impact of digital devices and social media technology on users lives. New technologies change the nature of interpersonal relationships. Psychological scientists show that they don’t only change how we communicate each other, but also they change who we are. Using ICT may also contribute to the development or exacerbation of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) syndrome.

Also universities are aware of the power of social media and increasingly implement this new tool into their marketing strategies. For example one empirical finding about using social media by educational institutions on the university pointed out that higher schools see not only the opportunities but also the need to use and diversify these media in scientific communication. Using of the media by the university can positively influence the recruitment or reach of a larger group of potential audiences. It is very important especially for growing Generation Y, because they are the first generation which has spent entire life in the digital environment.

The development of information and communication technologies contributes to changes in the performance of many professions, the profession of academic teacher should not be an exception in this area. Doubts and hesitation still exist among teachers as to the benefits and practicality of social media in teaching. Therefore applying new resources in the learning process not only requires reflection and acquisition of new skills, but also allows to break the routine, to dismiss the feeling of burnout, which occurs especially after 20-30 years of professional work.

However, the question is whether academic teachers can find themselves in this new reality and use these methods of information and communication in their work? How do they apply and to what extent they see the pros and cons of these applications? What are their concerns?

The purpose of this article was to examine the use and perspectives of social media by academic teachers. In order to obtain answers to the research's questions method of diagnostic survey and questionnaire technique were used. The research was carried out on a sample of 131 respondents among Polish universities from Upper Silesia region. To complement the obtained data, the additional qualitative research unstructured interviews were conducted. The survey has showed that Polish academic teachers although use social media in scientific work (ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Mendeley) but in the didactic process, it is rare. Significant differences were observed in use of social media of the various generations. Younger academic teachers are more willing to use social media tools in their work both in communication with students and during lectures.

Keywords:

Social media, academic teacher, information and communication technology (ICT).