Arguementative Essay

Social media refers to interaction among people in which they create, share and exchange information and ideas within virtual communities and networks. The internet has provided our world with a different means of communication and it is available to anyone at any time at the touch of our fingertips. Today's technology has created easier accessibility through all mobile phones, no longer needing a computer to access social networking sites as well as the disintegration of face to face communication. Furthermore, these privileges may offer an individual a sense of self and acceptance within themselves and peers. Although the use of social media can negatively impact a students education but it can also help shape individual identity as well as their own growth of ideas from the creation of blogs, podcasts, videos and gaming sites. In most areas of education, digital social media has been seen as degrading the critical thinking and listening skills of students.

Most students today have a mobile phone which most social media websites can be accessed through thus creating multiple distractions in class through texting, Facebook and game applications. "22% of teenagers log on to there favourite social media sites more than ten times a day, 75% of teenagers now own mobile phones and 25% of them use them for social media." (O'Keeffe, Pearson, 2011). Social media is available to anyone at any time. Students are religiously connecting themselves to it and are repeatedly logging on to check their status. With the accessibility through mobile phones, students are becoming more and more distracted with social media and there is a lack of not only listening skills but the crucial independent thinking skills they need to further their educa...

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...o remember. Therefore, social media is continuously adamant within student life and dictates there social status. An idea to help students be more involved with their education is by connecting their learning material with social media networks. "Along with new technological forms of display, communication, recording and playback come new forms of looking, listening and interacting; they afford new ways of focusing as well as defocusing attention" (Crawford, 2009). Perhaps teachers should think of creating a Facebook page for their classes and students will have updates from their classes right on the Facebook home page. Lastly, it's evident that social media plays a strong role in student life but is seen as a constant distraction during class and studies and has diminished the listening skills of students and there ability to critically analyse different problems.