The Academic use of Social Networks Among University Students in Jordan Atika Al Doghmi 1 , Hasan Al-Shalabi 2 , Jwaifell Mustafa Odeh 3 , Swidan Andraws 4 Arafat Awajan 5 and Adnan I. Alrabea 6 1 Faculty of Information Technology, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Jordan 2 Faculty of Engineering, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Jordan 3 Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Jordan 4 Computer engineering department, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Jordan, Jordan 5 Computer Science Department, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Jordan 6 Faculty of Information Technology, Al Balqa Applied University, Jordan Abstract Most of the Arab world youths are using Social Networks for many different uses, while academic uses are still not in a formal perspective. This study aimed at exploring the academic uses of Social Networks among the students of several Jordanian Universities. The sample was analyzed according to university, faculty, gender, and year level. The study took place in four Jordanian universities in the first semester / 2012, by exploring (727) of those students through a questionnaire to collect data about SNS uses. Results of T-test, ANOVA, and Scheffe Post Hoc Tests, revealed a great deal of uses of Social Networks in three domains:1) Academic, 2) Intensity, and 3) Group uses, but not in a formal perspective. The researchers’ recommendations are to make better use of those Social Networks by integrating them in universities' learning management systems. Keywords: Social Networks Sites (SNSs), Higher Education, Academic Use, academic relations, University students, Jordanian University. 1. Introduction Over the past decade, the use of social network sites (SNSs) has been increasing. SNSs is considered an important research field for scholars who area interested in online technologies and the social and cultural impact on them, it is shown in recent scholar work in the area (Andraws et al., 2013; Boyd & Ellison, 2007; Donath, 2007; Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, 2007; Golder, Wilkinson & Huberman, 2007; Valkenburg, Peter & Schouten, 2006, Lampe, Ellison & Steinfield, 2007). SNS is considered as the “web-based services” which allow individuals to (1) create a public or semi-public profile within a certain bounded system, (2) connect with other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and visit their list of connections and other connections made by others within the system” (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). In 1997 first social network site was launched and now there are hundreds of SNSs worldwide, supporting many kinds of practices, users and interests (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Facebook is one of the biggest social network sites among the Jordanian students. Referring to statistical date by the Arab Social Media Report (ASMR), there were 2.244 million Facebook users in Jordan by till October 2012, and more than 217,000 new accounts were created between January and June 2012. Jordan has been ranked the 7th among the Arab states in number of Twitter users and 2nd in volume of Facebook users across the region. 75 percent of Facebook users in Jordan are between the age 15 and 29, 56 per cent are male, and 58 percent prefer to use Arabic language in their activities son these sites. Facebook became also very popular among undergraduates, with usage rates up to 90% at most American campuses (Stutzman, 2006; Lampe, Ellison & Steinfield, 2006. Many recent researches has been inducted on various aspects of SNSs usage, such as the use of Facebook in academic settings and the demographic predictors of Facebook use (Hewitt & Forte, 2006). Many of the research aspects focus on the outcomes of Facebook IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 5, No 2, September 2013 ISSN (Print): 1694-0814 | ISSN (Online): 1694-0784 www.IJCSI.org 134 Copyright (c) 2013 International Journal of Computer Science Issues. All Rights Reserved.