This chapter examines the role of new technology in higher education, by focusing on the opportunities to incorporate new online sources on social media for general learning and promoting global competencies. Special attention is given to the COVID-19 pandemic and its recent effects on higher education. While the pandemic posed many new challenges for education institutions, it also has opened doors for the continued use of technologies to overcome educational challenges. Finally, this chapter presents a qualitative case study of how a contemporary cohort of Japanese university students uses social media and how they view it as an educational tool. This research demonstrates how students perceive such information and incorporate it into their identity creation, and how it advances global skills and knowledge. Subsequent analysis examines how online media can be beneficial and detrimental in these regards.
