Social Media: The New Villain or Super Hero of Modern Education? by Lucilla

Social Media: The New Villain or Super Hero of Modern Education? by Lucilla - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

Social Media has always been a polarizing topic for many communities and people. With its vice grip on the young minds of many students it has often been cast as the villain of our future generations. But, while many have had negative experiences with cyber bullies, social media addiction or just the general waste of time many people experience as the scroll for hours instead of real human interactions, none of us ever foresaw the outbreak of a global pandemic that has lasted for over 2 years.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 and its subsequent strains, many people suddenly experienced their worst nightmare- limited freedom. But with these restricted privileges, many began looking for ways to escape virtually now that a physical escape was nearly impossible. With this came an even greater growth in the cyber space of social media. Schools also took advantage of this platform to help continue the education of their students.

I would argue that social media is one of the greatest tools students have in their education when used correctly. The amazing advantage of social media is the ability to visit a young girl in India, learn about her life and how she lives, without ever leaving the La-Z-Boy set up in your front room. The opportunities for adolescent learners to experience and understand global diversity and cultures while never setting foot on the front step of their parents’ front porch. Perhaps foreign exchange programs became more difficult to do in person, but people across oceans were still able to connect through social media.

Now to address the caveat of the blessings of social media in education “when used correctly”. Just like anything with a reach as wide as social media, there are also precautionary steps that need to be taken to avoid serious addictions and the dangers of the virtual world. Everyone has seen a case of cyber bullying, of teenagers and young children that have lost the ability to interact in person because they are so entrapped in the web crack spanning the length of their broken phone screen. Therefore, educational systems need to put in place safe guards that will allow students to become the master of social media instead of their devices becoming the master of them. Teaching students how to use social media and their devices in a responsible way will allow education to offer thousands of opportunities to acquire a diverse and expanded perspective of the world expanding young minds and creating a more socially aware and rounded citizen of society.

In my personal experience, social media has been an amazing advantage in my education. I was in my first year of college when the pandemic reached the United States of America putting an immediate end to in-person learning. Thanks to social media I was able to continue with virtual classes but also become more acquainted to the resources I had at the tips of my fingers to learn about a world suddenly suffering from a common sickness. I expanded my global view and therefore, became a more well-rounded student. I also spent the last year living in Chile and being able to see that in every country there are opportunities to connect and learn on social media showed me the importance this new resource now has in the modern world. I learned about a new government, social patterns, behaviors, culture and the Spanish language greatly through the use of social media as much of Chile was still restricted due to the COVID virus. I would argue that in the future if we wish to unite future generations globally and create societies with more social and educational fluidity, educational systems will have the embrace the new influence and power of social media.