Effects of Social Media on Students' Education

Abstract

Social networking has changed the global village drastically, all ages of people are using it, and networking has changed the global village drastically, all ages of people are using it which is surprising. It has evolved into a kind of platform where people create content, learn about new technologies, and develop intellectual skills. Social media usage has become a common international trend and has spread its reach to massive audiences. Among the prominent users of social media are students. This research investigates the effects of social media on students’ education at the Institute of Communication Studies, University of the Punjab. The study was guided by two research questions. A quantitative survey design method was used. The population used as a sample were students at the Institute of Communication Studies, University of the Punjab. 100 students were chosen from respective departments as respondents using convenient sampling. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Studies showed that there are both positive and negative effects of using social media. Almost 70% of respondents agreed to the fact that social media improves learning, assists in making academic assignments, and informs about innovations. A lot of respondents also agreed that unethical posts and advertisements distract them from their studies and interrupt their focus. This study suggests that students must learn to use social media more responsibly and should not use it unnecessarily. Also, ad blocker applications can be used to prevent distraction.

    Keywords: Social media, education, academic performance, new technologies, learning