Social Media in Education: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly by Talia

Social Media in Education: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly by Talia - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

Dictionary.com defines social media as “websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts”. Most people think social media is relegated to sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. However, the scope is much larger including sites such as Reddit, Quora, YouTube, and TikTok. These sites allow the user to communicate with one another, share information and ideas, and collaborate on projects with people near and far. While social media has been recognized as a way to network and keep in touch with others, it has been integrated into education as well. As such, social media has good, bad, and “ugly” effects on education.

Social media can be used in the education sector in many ways. First and foremost, it is a way of sharing information. With the way social media sites are set up to share content, students can find materials on anything they are interested in. Students can grow and learn by following different companies, colleges, or people on social media who engage in activities that support their interests.

Not only does social media allow students to follow their interests but during this time of Covid-19, social media enables students to continue education efforts from home. Online learning collaboratives like Blackboard and Canvas, create a social media learning environment where students can stay at home and learn remotely without missing anytime away from school. This has allowed many schools to do away with inclement weather days and sick days therefore creating a more productive and effective atmosphere.

Another positive that social media offers the student is the ability to encourage collaboration. Especially with many students learning remotely, social media facilitates students to complete projects together online when meeting in person isn’t plausible. This is especially helpful for college students who take online courses and are not on or near the campus. They can still work with their peers in a timely manner and complete projects or assignments as one with the class.

Consequently, there are negatives to social media on education. The most common would be poor writing skills. Most people use abbreviations and text lingo when communicating on social media. This has caused many teens to forget spelling rules and rely on autocorrect when writing. As a result, grammar and spelling have are negatively affected by social media.

Another aspect that might seem like a positive, but is actually a negative, is the ease with which information is found. Anything a student may need to find out, whether it be the conversion of pounds to kilograms or who created the polio vaccine, can be found with a few clicks. While Google searching and instant gratification may be nice, students are not learning the research skills that they will need for higher education.

Easy information is also one of the ugly qualities of social media. Not only are students able to find educational information on social media sites but they are often inundated with materials that are inappropriate or harmful in nature. For young people who are still learning and developing opinions and morals, they might see information on social media sights that they trust and be misled or misinformed by this type of information.

Additionally, one of the effects we see most often, is distraction. Students become engrossed in watching funny YouTube videos or their favorite TikToker that they lose track of time. Social media becomes a “time suck” wasting hours of student’s time that could be better spent doing homework or studying.

Lastly, social media has created a new avenue for bullying. By creating a space where bullies can remain anonymous, the emotional attacks on victims hit harder and deeper. Cyberbullies can do or say anything they want knowing there will be no ramifications for their behavior. Unfortunately, this has led to students with severe depression, students dropping out of school, and even committing suicide.

Obviously, social media has a worthwhile effect on education and how students learn. It would be most beneficial if there was a way that we could harness the positive aspects of these tools for education purposes and dispose of the negatives. However, as with everything, we must take the good with the bad (and the ugly). The best we can do is teach students how to maximize the good and overcome and overlook the negatives, so that they can effectively use social media in the education sector.