Facebook Messenger as the medium of academic consultation and the message in a Thai context

Abstract

If Facebook Messenger is the medium of academic consultation, what, per Marshall McLuhan, is the message? This paper reports on Thai undergraduate students’ attitudes toward the use of Facebook Messenger for the purpose of academic consultation. Qualitative outcomes through virtual interviews with eleven participants unfold the investigation that as compared to face-to-face interactions during office hours, they obtain positive attitudes toward using Facebook Messenger as the medium of academic consultation and the message. It is an extension of their mind and body as it offers them senses of convenience, confidence, lower power distance, travel time saving and money saving. Since the participants are Millennials or Digital Natives who tend to enjoy learning via technology, the research outcomes imply that Facebook Messenger can also be used as the medium of blended academic learning.