The status quo of Facebook usage among young generations in civil engineering education

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is known to be slow in technology adoption. Higher education is an industry that well-placed to assist the AEC industry to move towards digital transformation. Given the popularity of Facebook among generations Y (ages 28-42 years old) and Z (ages 13-27 years old), Facebook could be an innovative learning and teaching platform in higher education. Although research on Facebook usage has been studied extensively in the past, users' behaviour tends to evolve with the emergence of new social media and new features. Hence, this study aims to explore the current state of Facebook usage among civil engineering undergraduate students. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey. Results of questionnaire discovered that Facebook usage among civil engineering students could be categorized into four groups, namely: 'Fulfill basic needs of psychological health', 'Personal enhancement/life long learning', 'Maintaining social connectivity' and 'Engaging for academic achievement'. In conclusion, Facebook is a viable and preferable choice of a learning and teaching platform among younger generations. Educators can consider exploring further the benefits and limitations of using Facebook in improving students' learning experience and collaborative skills in civil engineering programme in the digitalization era.