Did Japanese Students Change Their Social Media Usage Toward Learning After COVID-19?

This article constitutes an investigation into the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational technology. Notably, in May 2023, the Japanese government reclassified COVID-19 as a commonplace infection. Analyzing the juxtaposition between the pandemic era and the post-redefinition period is pivotal for comprehending the ultimate impact of COVID-19 on Japanese online learning. Consequently, this comparative assessment will furnish valuable insights for designing an optimal e-learning framework in the aftermath of the pandemic. This article addresses the comparative analysis between the empirical findings of Iitaka’s study in 2023 and the survey conducted in September of the same year. Iitaka’s research specifically explored the utilization of social media platforms for educational purposes. Given that social media constitutes a substantial repository of voluminous data, and considering that contemporary artificial intelligence (AI) systems heavily rely on this extensive data, this investigation holds promise in illuminating optimal strategies for harnessing big data within diverse modern e-learning frameworks, all of which are underpinned by AI methodologies. Literature [3] unearthed intricate associations between social isolation and the utilization of social media for educational purposes. Were this outcome replicable, signifying the persistence of these intricate connections, it would necessitate a reevaluation of system design. However, the survey conducted in 2023 failed to reveal such a correlation. Consequently, we may exploit voluminous data within AI-supported e-learning systems.