In the generation of technological advancement, it is inevitable to find students on social media platforms. According to research, almost 92% of students create their social media accounts under the influence of their peers. Denying the fact that it harms students’ lives will be a mistake. However, social media and education are correlated in the modern world, especially after COVID-19. We understand that education has a gazillion dimensions and going online is one of them. Let us understand the influence and effects of social media on education.
Impact of social media on learning
Social media is an innovation in connecting people online. Students navigating through changes, often find social media as an escape. It is not only a platform for social interaction but also to find relevant information. Curious students often end up exploring loads of information on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. The role of social media in education is vast when it comes to learning. Platforms like YouTube provide informative videos about specific topics that are difficult to understand otherwise. Educating yourself on social media is a new trend among students, where they explore the concepts and generate queries to discuss in the classroom. Research about social media in education finds crucial results imparting social media as a boon for students with a learning mentality.
How social media is essential for teaching and learning concepts?
Social media is recognised as a distraction for students as they end up spending way too much time on unnecessary information. However, in the 21st century, we witness social media as a medium of interaction and connection. Higher education and social media are interconnected to each other. We often find it difficult to comprehend complex information through lectures. With technological advancement, professors use videos, presentations, and even trending slang to make students understand the concept. By building educational communities online, students tend to hop on the ongoing research and understand real-life examples. This opens up the horizon of students and their learning capacities. Let us look at the positive and negative influence of social media.
What are the positive and negative influences of social media on education?
Positive Influence of social media on education
Many residential schools appreciate the influence of social media on student’s life. It helps them to become confident in formulating opinions and making decisions while learning. Social media and education are interconnected as they promote collaborative learning.
Creativity - Students are way more talented than we can imagine. Restricting their creativity to school is daunting. Students express their opinions, learn about their talents and showcase their work online. This helps in gaining a sense of belongingness in the community and also helps in polishing the skills. Students improve their creative elements by reaching out to the experts in the industry, thus ensuring confidence in them.
Mastering the technology - Engagement and interaction on social media not only broaden one’s learning perspective but also cultivate technological familiarities. When the world is online, we don’t want students to lag behind and not indulge in advanced technologies. Staying abreast of innovations and technological advancements will keep them competitive in the market.
Boost academic performance - Educational technology and social media are closely related to upskilling students. When assigned a new task in academic boarding schools, students often research on the Internet and curate ideas from social media platforms as well. This helps them to look at the broader picture of what the world has already created and fill in the gap with their creativity.
Skill development - Platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube provide immense opportunities for students to learn and develop new skills. Students develop digital literacy in education by enrolling for courses that are near their mainstream education. For example, writing skills to communicate ideas.
The negative influence of social media on education
Distraction - Of all the positives we have discussed so far, distraction is the most significant drawback of social media channels. Excessive use can lead students astray from the path to success. When engagement and interaction extend beyond educational purposes, it can result in unnecessary involvement, such as prolonged chatting among friends and scrolling through memes.
Privacy concerns - Social anxiety among students leads to oversharing which can become daunting. There are many cases of students getting exposed to social media. Parents and teachers should check for cyberbullying and social media safety. With hackers around every corner, we should maintain basic security systems on our devices to ensure safety.
While there are pros and cons of social media in education, we should encourage apt social media policies in schools to ensure the safe usage of technology for a better learning experience. Students leveraging social media for educational content become creative and resourceful, utilizing a dynamic platform to enhance their learning experiences and foster innovative approaches to acquiring knowledge.
SKV, the best school for girls, encourages students to exercise mindfulness on social media channels and leverage the internet for their educational pursuits as social media and education go hand in hand.
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