Abstract

Background: In addition to morbidity and mortality, the COVID-19 pandemic affected various fields such as medical and academic education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of social media used in medical and academic education and identify their advantages and disadvantages. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted to identify published studies related to the effects of social media on medical and academic education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The retrieved records were screened in a two-step process; first by title/abstract and then by full text by two independent researchers and the most relevant studies were selected applying the eligibility criteria. Results: Facebook, YouTube, Zoom, WhatsApp, Moodle, and Skype were the most used platforms. The main purpose of using these applications was to provide distance education to students in the pandemic era. The advantages of using online platforms outweighed the disadvantages. Advantages include the availability of information at any time and place, maintaining communication between students and classmates and instructors, and the possibility of presenting conferences and assignments. Disadvantages comprised infrastructure and internet problems. Conclusion: Social media and messengers have a great potential to meet educational purposes in the epidemic era. Although online platforms can serve as an efficient public repository of learning resources, achieving this needs some prerequisite and infrastructural tasks. © 2023, Journal of Iranian Medical Council.