If we go back to 20 years ago, social media apps weren't as popular as they are today thanks to the emergence of things like Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. While other platforms like MySpace have faded and are not used anymore, the ones mentioned above have become a very important part of our lives and continue to help people stay connected.
There has been a wide range of studies in recent years that have talked about the impact social media has on the life of a student. This article was composed together with experts from DoMyPapers.com, and we are going to discuss whether social media is a helpful tool or a distraction.
Benefits of social media
1. Social media helps students collaborate
For students who are studying computer science, for example, social media makes working on their assignments easier because they don't have to meet their tutor, peers, or writing service in the flesh.
Collaborating and communicating can be done online, and they can tell which social media network can help with this subject better. New ideas can be discussed over platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp which do a great job of ensuring everyone is kept in the loop.
2. Social media makes learning easy
As mentioned above, the best thing about social media is it allows students to share information on a variety of subjects which is a positive thing. If a student is writing a piece on a person or a company, they can find out all the information they want by accessing social media platforms run by the company or person.
This information they find will not be available in books, lecture notes, or laboratories. Social media has enhanced how students learn and enables them to think outside the box.
3. Social media sparks curiosity when it comes to the tech world
When one uses social media a lot, not only do they familiarize themselves with it but also increase their desire to know about it. Technology played a very important role during the coronavirus pandemic when it started way back in 2019.
Many colleges and universities took action to stop the spread of the coronavirus by educating students online. It is not just the educational system that had to change its ways, many businesses had to change too by encouraging employees to work from home.
Someone who uses social media, which in this case is a student, will be less fearful when it comes to learning new programs and systems. This makes them a very attractive candidate in the eyes of many businesses.
4. Social media allows students to learn online
Thanks to social media, tutors can now put lessons online for their students to access at any time. This is helpful for students who cannot physically attend lessons due to things like illness, or family commitments. While learning online will never take the place of more traditional learning in the classroom, it brings joy to people’s everyday life whether it is communication or entertainment.
Drawbacks of social media
1. Social media can be a distraction
This is one of the major drawbacks of social media and the reason why opinions are sometimes split. The average person checks their phone every 10 minutes making it a distraction especially if new alerts are popping up. When some students start watching videos on YouTube, they find it very hard to stop.
2. Social media can make students poor writers
Writing essays and writing social media post is two different things because one is very formal while the other uses a lot of abbreviations and emojis. While most students can differentiate the two, some will make the mistake of incorporating internet slang into their essays which can result in marks being dropped or getting a low grade.
3. Social media can make students over-reliant on the internet
The internet is a great place to find information because students don't grasp the concept of something they learned in class, they can find out further online. It can also be damaging to a student because they can become overly reliant on it for their school work meaning they will not use their brain to its max capacity.
This is where parents and tutors need to step in to ensure that students are not addicted to social media. When students are at home, parents can ensure that they restrict the use of social media apps after 10 pm for example, or stop them altogether.
When students are at college or university, tutors can have their students put their phones in a basket at the start of lessons or in lockers so that they don't use them while in a lecture. It is small things like these that can make a difference in a student’s life and prevent addiction.
The worst part of social media
The evilest thing that happens on social media is cyber bullying where people get attacked verbally by others. Bullies are not just present physically on college or university campuses, they can also be found online.
With tablets like phones, PCs, and tablets at many people's disposal, bullies can remain anonymous knowing full well they won't suffer any consequences. One can create multiple accounts and operate them simultaneously because there aren't any strong policies in place to protect people.
Social media also has a habit of corrupting people's morals because the algorithms are designed in a way that if one sees a particular piece of content, the system will promote similar content all the time. This makes one see the world from one angle rather than multiple ones.
Final thoughts
Social media, despite the good things it brings to the table, can be very distracting. Students and even professionals who work for big businesses need to use their time wisely. The coronavirus pandemic allowed people to use social media to connect because physical contact was restricted to stop the spread.
Social media is here to stay and from the above, the good outweighs the bad, but there are some worst parts of it too. One has to be careful how they conduct themselves because they are bullies out there
