Social Media is Changing The Way of Learning by Charlotte

Social Media is Changing The Way of Learning by Charlotte - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

Social media is a vast land of new information flowing through people’s brains as they glance at the screen. While some information might be more so for entertainment, some can be news that sparks up an idea for an essay. When I reflect back at the way social media has affected how I’ve learned, I look at the social aspect. During this semester, another student had created a group chat via Snapchat in order for us to help each other with a difficult Geography class. Through processing and giving different perspectives on the information studied, we had learned more in the class than without that peer connection. I had since taken the final in that class and can reflect on how communication and problem solving with other people can increase the drive to learn and retain information. While I had a very positive way of learning through the Snapchat group chat, others may have a different perspective on the way social media affects education.

Sometimes social media can be more of a distraction rather than a tool for learning. I know I’ve had moments in my Computer Science classes where I look to see online if other people are having similar coding issues, but then spend 30 minutes looking at computer science memes instead. Another disadvantage would be the issue of bias. While researching articles for an essay, it’s a good idea to look at both sides of the argument to get a better idea of the subject and to provide a claim and counterclaim. While everyone has their biases, some articles out there may have an overarching amount of bias towards the subject with little evidence or citation to prove their point or to show what happened in an event. While this point is mainly about articles found online, articles can be resurfaced through social media, especially through Twitter and Facebook. This can cause misinformation about a subject to spread. It’s important to use critical thinking skills when looking at posts/articles on social media in order to limit a negative consequence on education.

On the other hand, social media can have some advantages. For instance, as stated before, you can use social media to contact classmates and better understand the material. As a plus, this can create friendships. In my experience, I have found tools through social media to help me study for tests and quizzes. The most notable website I found out about through social media was Quizlet. I’ve used Quizlet for years to help study for tests ever since and see it as the most helpful study tool for me. Social media can also link to information about subjects that may have been confusing in class. I know that I have used YouTube for a lot of my classes in order to better understand a subject. Sometimes hearing someone go step by step, for example with a math problem, and explain it differently can help a student click with the information better.

While there are negative consequences to social media on education, I mainly see it as a tool that has personally helped. In order to limit the negative consequences, I believe that one must learn the skill of critical thinking and maybe set a timer per website in order to limit distractions. Overall, I see that everyone learns in a different way and whether that’s through reading extra articles or looking at a book and taking extensive notes. Forms of education will always adapt to changing technologies whether it’s for better or for worse.