Is Social Media a Catalyst for the Downfall of Student Life?

This has always been a very speculative question, asked over and over through the past few years. With the introduction of technology and the internet, social media has gone from an early innovation to an ever growing, self sustaining behemoth. Everyone is on some form of social media, from discussion blogs, media sharing sites, social networks and even instant messaging apps. As members of the younger generation, students are already inclined to utilize this technology and the question as to whether it is of advantage or a means to their end is one yet to answer.

The students of course are strong opponents in the debate that social media is a poison to them and to society while the proponents would be senior citizens, parents and teachers. If you observe carefully, you would observe that what these classes of people have in common is that they are significantly advanced in age.

The world is changing constantly and rapidly and one can say that this older generation has a hard time adjusting to these changes. Most of these things seem so foreign to them and they can’t wrap their heads around them. People fear what they do not understand and as such social media is branded irrelevant and destructive.

This is just one of the views of many and in this article, we are here to take a look at some of these views. For equality we will take a look at the pros and cons of social media and how it affects student life. This will give us insight and perhaps get us closer to answering this age-long question. Let us begin with a few pros of social media and its advantages to student life.

Learning and Networking

Learning has gone beyond classroom walls. E-learning has provided means for students to attend classes in virtual classrooms, distance is no longer a barrier. Take for example during the Covid-19 pandemic, where social gatherings were prohibited for the safety of the public, several institutions were able to facilitate learning using online classes while students participated from the safety of their homes.

With the use of different online tools along with social media, modern tutors are able to create an impact on students irrespective of distance. Soon, this will be an inseparable part of our modern education system. Today, it is now very easy to host live lectures via video calling apps like or Skype or webinars via Webinar Jam or broadcast podcasts using Google Podcasts.

Research purposes and information discovery

Gone are the days when people needed to travel miles and miles to utilize the state library or send lengthy emails to special bodies in order to gain access to much-needed information. Various social media platforms now provide plenty of useful information that can be helpful to students. Websites like wiseessays.com equip students with tools to write outstanding papers and essays as well. With the use of social media news feeds, students now have access to websites that are both educative and relevant.

Social media platforms and websites often contain the latest data on various school subjects and more often than not have a dedicated following so that students are always kept in the loop on new updates and development.

Exposure to more job opportunities

In the event that one does get done with school, with the way things are in the present economy it might be difficult for them to get a job. Social media helps them by opening up to more opportunities. Many modern companies now update their vacancies on their social media platforms. Students in need of jobs will come across these companies on social media and can apply by sending in their résumés. LinkedIn is a top example of such social networks where students can upload their portfolios and also actively hunt for jobs

Alternatively, students can showcase their talents and abilities on social media. They can upload completed projects, crafts and various handiworks. Posting these on social media exposes the student to potential customers and clients.

Team projects are simplified

With the aid of social media and its various platforms, assignments like group projects and group presentations are now made easier. As students, collaborations are simplified because of easy materials. Communication between group members as well is now easier, thanks to instant messaging apps students don’t have to spend long nights over at each others’ houses, information can now be relayed seamlessly and effortlessly.

The list is endless, we can go on and on about the many benefits and applications of social media in the life of a student but we also have to consider its pitfalls as well. It would only be unfair to look at the pros without also analysing the cons.

Distraction

The single biggest downside of social media is the fact that it comes with so many side-attractions, distraction is almost unavoidable. Tutors and parents think this is the ultimate downfall of a student. And indeed it is understandable why they might think so, such things did not exist in their time.

Inadequate control for inappropriate content

With the introduction of the internet, there has been an unbridled influx of material on the internet, some highly inappropriate and yet these content lack proper control. Sometimes students come across these materials and it may have an effect on the moral standing of these students.

Facilitates Laziness

The new era of social media causes laziness, it is now easy to spend lots of hours doing absolutely nothing. Life has become so convenient that it creates laziness as a by-product.

Looking at all the information provided above it is indeed difficult to conclude that social media is a catalyst for the downfall of a certain as it has numerous benefits which seem to outweigh its cons, but for the sake of this article we shall say the answer to that question is no.