Since the emergence of social media, different researchers have been working on the effect of social media on students’ academic performance. This research is not only limited to researchers, even parents, guardians, etc. are worried to know if there is a positive or negative effect on social media on students’ academic performance.
The rapid changes being experienced in our communication today is due to the emergence of social media. The emergent of social media is influencing the academic life of students in one way or the other. Schools and teachers are gradually using social media technologies to reach out to their students and impact them academically beyond the classroom.
Read: 10 Reasons to use social media to your advantage as a student
- What is social media?
- The negative effect of social media on students’ academic performance
- The positive effect of social media on students’ academic performance
What is social media?
It is a platform that encourages students to come together to communicate, exchanges ideas and information, collaborates, etc. via an Internet-based device like smartphones, PC, etc. Examples of social media platform include Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
The negative effect of social media on students’ academic performance
Superficially, one might think social media significantly affects students’ academic life negatively. The reason for this thought is due to the wrong use of the technology. However, Yasmin Hashem noted that “social media does not impact school students’ academic performance in any way because although they spend hours on social media, they still manage to find time to study, and achieve good grades.”
From a statement of Yasmin Hashem, it is clear that the if students still find time to study regardless of the numbers of hours spent online they can, achieve good grades, i.e., it can only have a negative effect when it distracts you from studying.
Nowadays, learning is not restricted to the confine of the classroom only; it can be done on social media and this rest on the ability to access information nodes and sources as at when required.
Read: Should Cellphones be allowed in school?
Positive effect of social media on students’ academic performance
- It promotes a good relationship among students
- It can be used in any place and at any time to meet students’ academic needs
- It encourages group learning, i.e., it provides the avenue to exchange ideas with your colleagues.
- Social media provides students a new mechanism for a familiar exercise.
- It gives students a direct medium by which to publicly air their views, evaluate and comment on issues on campus environments,
- It opens up new ways of collaboration and discussion.
- It offers a great deal of content posting, copying, sharing and searchability through the use of online search engines.
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References
1. Yasmin Hashem (2015): “The Impact of Social Media on the Academic Development of School Students”
2. Raymond Owusu Boateng & Afua Amankwaa: ” The Impact of Social Media on Student Academic Life in Higher Education”
