The Impact of The Internet by Isabel

The Impact of The Internet by Isabel - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

In this new day and age, students must discover new ways of learning as the internet bears a tighter and tighter grip upon society. Social Media has made a tremendous impact on the lives of everyone seeking out information and communication. As the internet has become a more useful and integral tool in education, I have come to utilize it in many forms.
First and foremost, the greatest benefit of social media in education is the quick and easy access to information from all over the world. Information is now accessible with the simple click of a button, covering countless topics. Research has never been easier. By being able to look up anything, the internet has offered my learning experience a more full and diverse study process. I have come to use social media for all subjects, varying from History to Art to Math classes. I have also taken advantage of YouTube's insightful tutorials in Math and Science. Social media is a great way to learn interactively in the classroom and it broadens your future horizon.
As with all things, positives come with negatives. The disadvantage of social media in education is the risk of false and biased information. Without proper knowledge on what makes a source reliable and how to cite that source, you can end up with incorrect facts and plagiarism. Social Media can easily take you down a rabbit hole, of wasted time and procrastination. With everything online, I have personally been affected by distractions from social media. The buzzing of notifications effortlessly takes away my attention from my studies. The internet has also negatively impacted my attention span and my ability to retain long-term information.
As education modernizes and integrates the use of the internet more and more it is important to teach younger generations how to safely use social media. We should use the internet as a tool, as it can help all students in various grades and learning styles have a more equal learning experience. I personally believe the internet is an amazing learning tool, but should not replace in-person contact with peers and teachers. A healthy balance of screens and in-person teaching needs to be found, as this will best benefit students.