1.1 Background of the study
Since social networking sites was introduced, to communicate with friends and family has become easy when you have access to the internet. The Internet has given us the ability to connect with people from all over the world with a few clicks of a button. Where you can easily send information to a friend or get information from the internet. Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Youtube, Skype and others have attracted millions of users who mostly have integrated these sites into their daily practices. This, people will take a lot of time on this site to upload or download, information about their career or academic work. People always go online at any time, chat with friends, watch movies online, do some research. Social networking site has become a habit for some people, they find it difficult to learn for an hour without logging into a site next network. Some people have become very smart because they are getting information from this website. Why there has been very poor in academics, as it is easy to get information about any materials for assignments.
1.2 Statement of the problem
The popularity of social media is rapidly increasing in the last few decades. This may be due to the students of colleges and universities as well as youth is widely used for global access. Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become a craze for everyone nowadays. In these cases, some students are more concerned about social media or social networks than on teaching by lecturers and will cause affected their academic performance.
The negative effects of social networking sites overweigh the positive. These sites has resulted in an impact of potential hazards to the community. The students are victims of social networks more often than others. This is because the consequences when they learn or find their course material online, they get attracted to these sites to kill their boredom in their studies and also distract them from their duties. Other negative effects of social networking sites include the following:
Reduce the ability of learning and research.
Students begin to rely more on information easily accessible on social networking sites and websites. This reduces the ability of learning and research.
Multitasking.
Students involved in activities on social media sites during the study resulted in a reduction in their focus of attention. This causes a decrease in their academic performance, and concentration to learn as well.
Michael J. Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University and author of“Facing the Facebook” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, states that the initial purpose of having access to the Internet in the classroom was to give students the opportunity to conduct research. However, this privilege is rapidly being used as a means for students to not pay attention during class. A poll was taken at Iowa State University where 20,247 out of the 25,741 enrollees were registered on Facebook (Bugeja 1). Social networking sites such as Facebook have had some negative effects in academia such as “institutions seeking to build enrollment learn that ‘technology’ rates higher than ‘rigor’ or ‘reputation’” (2), that there has been improper use of the freedom to use technology in the classroom, that employers and parents check Facebook to see what users have been doing, and that technology is an overall distraction in the classroom.
Hung, H.-T., & Yuen, S. C.-Y. (2010). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education , 703-714.
Humans are prone to distraction, adding in easily accessible sites such as social media, increases their potential for distraction. 59% of students are accessing social media in class, effecting the classroom environment, while even more access it during study time (Does social media effect efficiency). Technology is a tool that most college students were born into, and social media has become a major part of that tool. We use social media to reach out to our friends, family, and those across the world. As well as getting our opinions, feelings, experiences and plans shared.
Lastly, students who use social networking applications very little or do not use them at all can be positively affected because they have a lot more time to complete homework, study, sleep, and practice good eating habits. These same students can be negatively affected because they usually don’t receive information pertaining to global issues and pop culture without the direct access to social media.
The web is no longer a read only product, it now has the ability to be interactive and particpatory. Users are able to interact over the internet with each other with instant messaging and emails and use social networks to share news, videos, and photos with others, bringing people with common interest, opinions, and experiences together and closer. Some of the most popular social networks include Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Currently social networks are mostly used to keep in touch with friends, colleagues, peers and family, there are far more benefits, that the social media platform can provide. This paper explores the topic of social media in modern education. There are benefits and disadvantages to social media being used in the classroom setting, and they are discussed in detail through the paper.
Exposing students to the power of social media in the classroom is an important part of preparing them to be active and positive digital citizens in a 21st century world. In the last two years, my own students have rapidly been drawn to Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and many other social networking platforms. They upload, share, and connect with others often without any regard to how their digital footprints may reflect them as individuals. Having continuous conversations with students about the choices that they make can lead to positive results. Students don't realize how powerful social media platforms can be in terms of networking, researching, and engaging in academic conversations. It makes me laugh every time I hear them whisper about my colleague Heather's or my Twitter feed. First of all kids, I can hear you. Second of all, yes, social media can be an amazing way to give and exchanged knowledge.
In the age that we live in, social media has intergraded with college student’s daily lives and how much time is spent on social media. Social media is neither inherently bad nor good it all depends on how it is being used. “Social media are increasingly mobile, smartphones and tablets give users instant and around the clock access to social media and other web functions.” (Martinez-Aleman) When college students access sites on social media like Twitter or Facebook and get side tracked then social media is bad because it effects their education. However, when it is being used to communicate with their peers or professors then social media is a tool of good. Some researchers believe that the social media helps college
Communication plays an important role and becomes an essential part in our daily lives. Today we have taken communication to new level as social media and social networking. They have had a tremendous impacts on the word, on our culture and in business as well. Social media websites are some of the most popular on the internet, such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. They are the places where people can interact with others easily and expose themselves to strangers. Our generation and the younger ones have more opportunities to grow up with the new development of technology that will shape the way they live of communicating and sharing ideas. The social media causes some problems that lead to less social interaction and negatively affect students academic, but it also brings benefit to people that creates new social connections to bring people from all over the world to be closer.
Social Media has become a very essential tool in the society; in addition, it has a huge impact on communication and learning process. Social media is defined as websites and applications used for social networking. “As of September 2013, seventy-one percent of online adult use Facebook, eighteen percent use Twitter and seventeen percent use Instagram, twenty-two percent use PInterest, and another twenty-two percent use LinkedIn. (PewReasearch, 2013). In addition, "Between February 2005 and August 2006, the use of social networking sites among young adult internet user ages eighteen and twenty-nine jumped from nine percent to forty-nine percent. The usage of social media had grown drastically.” On social media sites like these, users may develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts, photos, music, links, and more” (Socialnetworking.procon,2012). Social media has impacted everyone in several different ways. In this present time, majority of college student use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media has a bold impact college student's grades, social interactions, and the teaching and learning process.
Supporters of social networking sites say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access to educational support and materials. Social networks are now widespread in our world with existing social networks expanding, social networking sites are being created for educators, medical professionals all accessible 24 hours a day via computer, tablet, smart phone, and Internet-enabled devices. Challengers of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication, waste time on frivolous activity and spread false and potentially dangerous information.
However, there are also some negative effects of social networking sites. Spending too much time on social networking sites affects people’s work and study, and people will become more and more isolated from their friends in real life. Moreover, it is difficult to protect users’ privacy on social networking sites, so it may result in the risk of revealing personal details. All in all, the popularity of social networking sites depends on the copycat effect among people, convenience in themselves, and their good functions. When social networking sites are becoming an important part of people’s lives, people should learn to make the most of these sites instead of wasting time.
All these networking sites have become so popular its part of a person’s everyday life. These sites are fun and give you the chance to explore and meet new people but there’s a time and place for it. If it’s not being used at the proper time a student’s education could be at stake. 50% of students feel it’s hard to get through the day without using social media. If Facebook, Instagram, and twitter are all part of a student’s lifestyle then there should be a way to use them as an educational tool to help better their learning and not become the leading cause for failing students. If a goal is set to accomplish don’t let social media be the reason it doesn’t happen, make it the reason it does happen! These sites are fun to use but when it’s being used for the wrong things at the wrong time it leads to addiction, distraction, lack of study time, low grades and poor communication. It time to make social media educationally useful helping students succeed and make their dreams come
Facebook is one of the most famous social networking websites which has become a part of the daily routine for most college students. This has led to a question amongst researchers whether students’ use of this networking site influences their academic outcomes. This literature review will examine and synthesize the published current research concerning the impact of Facebook on college students’ academic performance. Even though most studies are inconclusive in determining the relationship between Facebook and academic performance, all researchers contribute to understanding the way that Facebook might affect students’ academic achievement. While some studies speculate that Facebook does not impact academic outcomes, most studies show that there is a significant relationship between Facebook usage and college students’ academic performance, which is indicated by GPAs and students’ engagements.
Masuma Ahuja, journalist from the Washington Post, said “Teens today, also known as the Facebook Generation or ‘digital natives,’ are part of the first U.S. generation to be so closely identified with technology (Ahuja 3).” Many people believe that social media tends to distract students. With the increasing technological advances, students are encouraged and even required to take part in social media. Social media is a part almost many aspects of a teens life. Social media applications such as Instagram, twitter, snap chat, Facebook, vine, and many more are changing the way teens are interacting which can result in academic struggles. Social media is having a negative affect on students by distracting them from their work and prohibiting them from using their full potential in the classroom and at home.
However, this can prove to be a huge problem for many persons especially students because the use of social media could have a negative effect on students’ academic performance. Some of the ways that social media can have a negative effect on academic performance are that social media can cause procrastination meaning students will spend time on Social media instead of getting their work done in a timely fashion. Also, social media can make students depressed which will surely have a negative on their academic performance. Furthermore, social media gives a wider form of plagiarism that will definitely have a negative effect on students’ academic