The role of social media in Education

It’s safe to say that today, almost everyone uses social media. Even the most remote parts of the world have heard about Facebook and Twitter, and they probably use them every day too. The number of users has become so large that these outlets continue to play a huge role in any society.

While social media cannot fully account for a candidate winning in a national election due to his/her aggressive efforts and paid ads on Facebook, we simply cannot deny social media still has an indirect impact as it is an indispensable communication tool for politicians. Messaging tool, information source, a way of finding new friends and reconnecting with the lost ones are just some of the benefits people have come to appreciate about social media.

Since its inception it has enjoyed rampant usage in the field of business, sports, science, not to mention education. But are all the “advancements” brought about by social media beneficial to students, being the most likely primary recipients of such technology? Here are some of the pros we can appreciate:

•Access to information has become available with relative ease.

•Lectures and assignments can be easily uploaded online.

•Latest developments in areas of mathematics, science, technology, and much more are available on social media to enhance learning experiences of students.

•Better collaboration can be had among students as they are better able to communicate meeting times and share information quickly.

•Working with technologies allows students to develop familiarity with computers and the internet. Increased focus in technology in education will help students build skills that will aid them in many aspects of their lives.

•Building connections to many people in many industries is an important part of career or business development.

It must be said that social media has a very positive effect on education, however, in some cases it affects negatively:

•The more time the students spend on social media, the less time they spend socializing with others in person. This may hinder their ability communication-wise.

•As access to information becomes quicker and easier, many students tend to rely heavily on social media and the web to gather answers. This results in reduced focus on learning and retaining information.

•Students who love to multi-task, check their social media accounts while studying, show reduced academic performance. Their ability to concentrate on the task at hand is significantly reduced by distractions brought about by YouTube, Facebook or Twitter.

•Social media’s popularity, and the speed at which information is delivered, has created a lax attitude towards proper spelling and grammar. This reduces a student’s ability to effectively write without relying on his/her computer’s spellcheck feature.

•The degree to which private information is available on the internet and the anonymity it seems to provide has made students forget the impact of filtering the information they post. Potential employers investigate an applicant’s social media profiles before granting acceptance or interviews. Most students don’t constantly evaluate the content they’re publishing online, which can bring about negative consequences months or years down the road.

As social media usage primarily roams around teenagers and students, finding ways of negating most, if not all, of the negative aspects can be a daunting task. There are ways though. Moderating their access to social media is one excellent method. Most of the negative aspects can be overcome by reducing the amount of time spent on social media. Paying attention to their academic progress and addressing any issues will go a long way towards keeping the negative aspects of social media from influencing their studies. Provide ample time for face-to-face social interaction, like having some family leisure time in which you discuss their studies in a relaxed atmosphere. As teachers, we can raise awareness of the negative aspects of social media while highlighting the benefits when conducting meetings with parents. All this will help us to reduce the negative impact of social media on the students which will in turn benefit our young generation.

Jade N. Noval

Teacher

Liloan Central School of Liloan, Cebu