We currently live in the digital age and social media has become an essential part of our lives since the internet’s recent growth. Although almost all age groups are using Social Media platforms to interact and communicate with their known community, it has been found that social media sites are more popular among youngsters and specifically among students. Social media being an important part of the lives of the students today, is greatly influencing their academic, social, and personal spheres.
These social media sites, which were first created to make easier connections among users, have grown into powerful tools that affect the way we interact, communicate, and see the world. Students’ use of social media affects them in many ways, including not only their academic lives but also their relationships with others and their mental health.
Students are the most easily influenced group who are easily attracted towards social media and who prefer these channels to stay tuned to the latest updates and to establish connections with people. From the steady stream of updates to the well groomed online personality, these platforms are incredibly powerful in influencing how students study, connect, and even view themselves.
If you observe closely, you’ll realise that social media is a double-edged sword. While social media offers a treasure trove of educational resources and fosters connections beyond the classroom walls, it can also become a breeding ground for distraction, anxiety, and even cyberbullying. Today in this article we will tell you about the various pros & cons of social media and how it is impacting the lives of students. So read ahead to know more about it.
Positive Impact of Social Media on Students
We all know how technology plays a vital role in shaping our tomorrow. Today’s students are our tomorrow’s future. One big gift of technology to our lives today is the social media platforms which have brought the world to the grab of our palms. Using social media today you can connect with anyone sitting anywhere across the globe. This has revolutionised the way we communicate.
This is a very big and beneficial thing for everyone and especially for students.
Awareness
Social media has come up as a powerful tool for educating children about social issues and cultivating a social conscience.
Students may raise awareness of important topics, have thought-provoking conversations, and organise group action on subjects that are important to them by taking advantage of the platforms’ broad reach and interconnection. With the help of Social Media students can easily disseminate information among themselves and keep themselves updated with current affairs and other important information. Moreover, students also begin to recognize various activities and movements around the globe and thus get influenced by numerous activists, public figures and social workers. Therefore, students get more aware of their surroundings and also participate in addressing social concerns.
Education and Opportunity
There was a time when students had to struggle a great deal when it came to education and job applications. This is because back then people were not introduced to the internet and its various benefits. However nowadays, students can get any information regarding their education and even gather study material without breaking a sweat. From searching and applying for jobs to attending job interviews, everything has eased a great deal and all thanks to the internet and social media platforms. Students can easily share study material among themselves or get it from any source online without stress. In fact, there are many social media sites that offer tutorials and study tips to students who need any extra help apart from their schools.
Enhances Communication
We all know how social media has completely changed the mode of communication since it has been introduced to the public. Even for students, social media has played a very important role when it comes to communication. Students not only require study materials but apart from that students can also get more information regarding their education. Students can get more in touch with their respective mentors and get their doubts cleared. Apart from this, students can also make study groups where they learn more study tips and tactics from their peers that help them in their studies.
Networking
Nowadays, students can prepare vast topics with the help of online tests and study materials. Networking sites have helped students a great deal even if they are unable to afford any extra help for their subjects. Nowadays, a great diversity of colleges and educational institutions have allowed the use of networking programs and sites for study purposes and even students admit that it has helped them improve their grades. Most teachers are able to adapt well with the modern technological approach to education and find the present day teaching methodologies easier than the conventional methods.
Adverse Impacts of Social Media
So now that we’ve discussed the positive influence that social media has over students and its various benefits, let’s move on to the disadvantages that it may have and discuss the threats that it poses towards the younger generation.
Distraction
It is a new norm nowadays to see youngsters engrossed in their mobile phones. From waking up in the morning to going to the bed, students seem to be totally held captive by these devices. There are very few students who do not possess any social media accounts. Even though social media has helped students in their studies, it has also proved to be a distraction among the younger generation. Students are easily drawn to phones and waste valuable time by being engrossed in social media. Libraries seem to have ceased to exist because nowadays phones have become more important than books. Not only that, but students nowadays, have become more interested in various colourful social media trends and have rather considered their phones to be more important than their education and they simply spoil their time instead of learning something more valuable and educational.
Cyber bullying
This is one big threat that has been imposed on the younger generation via social media platforms. Students are too innocent to understand the dangers of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying where social media users can openly post mean and hurtful comments to the victim making them feel low and discouraged. Cyberbullying has currently been on a rise and has become very common. It is the most common source of spreading hatred and the younger generation becomes an easy target for these cyberbullies. Cyber bullying can actively harm a person’s self esteem and influence their positive mindset. Students are not only distracted but also develop a negative body image and feel threatened.
Depression
Depression is another negative impact of social media as students who are more invested in social media, are unable to work on their skillset, virtues and self esteem. Students get easily distracted and actively cyberbullied and lose their interest in studies as well as extra curricular activities. Their minds feel stressed and burdened and students start to feel burnt out in their daily lives.
Addiction
Addiction to phones is very common nowadays. The younger generation seems to have lost interest in the world around them and all they do the entire day is to sit and browse their mobile phones for more engaging content. They have gradually become slaves to their phones and are addicted to social media platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook etc. Instead of engaging in real life activities, youngsters are more likely to be active on their mobile phones and using social media. In fact, according to a recent discovery, India has ranked second among countries that have the highest number of social media users.
How to minimise the negative impact of social media on studies
Though not easy, reducing the use of social media is not at all impossible. We all realise our mistakes and learn from them, but we also have to take steps so as to improve ourselves. Taking a break from social media is the best way that we can use to break our phone addiction.
All we have to do is:
- Set a timer for the day
Realisation is the first step to make amendments and improvement quite the next. We cannot magically stop using social media so what we can best do is to take baby steps as we move forward on the road of improvement. As we can observe, students spend more than 50% of their time gazing at their mobile screen and on social media. Our prime goal is to target this harmful regime, and we are going to do that by limiting their screen time. All one has to do is go to the settings of the phone, or if possible, the application itself and turn on the timer for 30 to 40 minutes or whatever is suitable. As soon as the timer is up, the application will send a notification that the amount of time allotted has ended. This practise might help people realise and take control of the extreme amount of time that they spend on social media.
- Put your phone on ‘silent’ mode:
This method is helpful when it comes to dealing with the habit of constantly checking the phone when studying. One major problem in studies is distraction, and mobile phones and social media are one of the biggest sources of distraction for scholars. This is because most of their peers are usually texting on these platforms so as to solve some kind of doubts or just to refresh their minds during the exam time. By putting the phone on ‘silent’ mode or using ‘mute notification’ feature, children can easily concentrate without being disturbed by every notification.
- Take a break from social media:
This can be done to break any obsession that one might possess for social media platforms and is widely in use. It is an easy manner that one can use to get rid of social media addiction. Moreover, taking a break from screen time is also healthy for one’s mental and physical state as one starts to deal with the real world instead of the virtual. Limiting the number of social media platforms is also a good method to keep one’s privacy safe as people especially teenagers tend to overshare about their daily lives to everyone that they probably meet on-screen and even the general public and that is very harmful from a safety point of view.
- Delete all Social Media apps:
We know this sounds awful and one can simply not dream of doing that, as it will be like cutting oneself from the rest of the world but in reality it actually brings a big change in one’s life as this way they can break their phone addiction and get in control of their lives. This small step can change everything and it is quite difficult but if you’re determined then you can do anything. Just picture life back in the 19th and 20th century, people were happier and more stable in their lives. They used to live an ideal life and were way much more intelligent than us. If your ancestors can do that then you can too, so pick up the phone and delete them all.
Conclusion
So as we come to the end of the article, all we can say is that it is a blessing to have social media platforms as it gives us an edge in the world but anything in excess is harmful. So instead of students being completely addicted to social media, we can understand their use and manipulate these platforms to get the best out of them.
