Todays world is a global village.

Everyone is connected to one another in this vast network

generated by the Internet. As said by Marshall McLuhan, a philosopher of communication
theory, The new electronic independence re-creates the world in the image of a global village.
This electronic independence is inherently dependent upon the Internet. It illuminates the lives of
thousands of people by spreading knowledge internationally, thereby making us global citizens.

In the past, the communicating and free sharing of thoughts among people were restricted by
long distance, nationality and/or religion. But now, even these barriers cannot stop the flow of
information and knowledge. The new world of social networking allows free sharing of thoughts.
Online social networks are created by websites such as Facebook, which has emerged as a giant
in this social world. So how do these networks affect our education? How do they influence the
lives of students?

Humans are social animals. We always like to remain in some group or another, and we prefer to
follow what this group does. All of our traditions and cultures are the product of this group-
oriented facet of human nature. A well-known American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, stated
in his Theory of Motivation that the social need of human beings is the third most important
requirement after our physical and safety needs the third tier in his hierarchy of needs. Even
our self-esteem comes after this social dependence. This is the main reason billions of people use
social networking to stay connected, make friends and satisfy their social needs.

As of 2015 the worlds largest social networking company, Facebook, has 1.49 billion active
users, and the number of users is increasing every year. One of the most interesting things to
look at is the increasing number of student users on such social networking sites. As per the
survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 72 percent of high school and 78 percent of college
students spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. These numbers indicate how much the
student community is involved in this virtual world of social networking.

Actually, many reasons exist that explain why students love to spend time socializing. Firstly,
social networks provide them the freedom to do whatever they want to upload what they want
and talk to whom they want. They like to make new friends and comment on the lives of
different people. Students can create other online identities that the real world does not allow.
The freedom it gives them to act just by sitting in front of a computer enthralls them, and they
then demand for more freedom. Never before has it been so easy for young minds to create a
digital image of their actions through such a spontaneous medium.

But this has a darker side that has gained the attention of many parents, and even eminent
psychologists, all over the world. One of the biggest problems is the identity crisis constant
social networking produces. As said by Professor S. Shyam Sunder, a renowned researcher at
Penn State, The types of actions users take and the kinds of information they are adding to their
profiles are a reflection of their identities.

Many psychologists are worried about the identity crisis that our present generation may face
today. The lives of people, especially students, are largely influenced by what is posted by other
people on their profiles. The habits that students learn are decided more by what their friends do
and less by the teachings of parents or professors.
Our students have become prone to frequent fluctuations in mood and self-control. If one of a
students friends posted about his or her present relationship with someone, then other friends are
pressed to do the same thing. Actions that attract more public attention hold more value, even
despite some of them being immoral or illegal. We even see that many students are worried
about their looks, and so they always try to upload nicer pictures than their friends. A recent
survey has stated that whenever someone uploads a profile picture, it immediately affects the
moods of friends. It often produces stress, anxiety or fear about their identities as people.
Consistently thinking in this way can sometimes lead to depression.

The most important things in a students life are studying, learning good habits and gaining
knowledge to become a person with moral character. But today, as we see in various studies, this
optimal learning process is seriously jeopardized by students becoming entrapped by the ploys of
social networking. Students neglect their studies by spending time on social networking websites
rather than studying or interacting with people in person. Actively and frequently participating in
social networking can negatively affect their grades or hamper their journeys to their future
careers.

Getting too involved in social media can lead to an addiction that inculcates bad habits. Students
prefer to chat with friends for hours, and this leads to a waste of time that could have been used
for studying, playing or learning new skills. It is often said that a long-term friendship or
relationship is developed when people meet each other, spend time and share their experiences.
But this virtual way of communicating with each other does not lead to a natural, friendly
experience and hence cannot produce a healthy relationship with those friends. Also, these
relationships tend to terminate easily due to a lack of personal contact.

The system generates a competition to make as many new friends as possible and the so-called
social quotient of a person is decided by how many friends they have and not on how good-
natured and congenial the person really is. Often, students who are not old enough to accurately
analyze the world like or comment on social or political issues, and this leads sometimes to
serious controversies.

Considering all of the above pros and cons, it is necessary to develop certain regulations over the
use of such social networking sites, especially for high school and college students. But still,
students should get the choice to spend time socializing in an effective way. It should not hamper
their school or college performance, and it should be kept in mind that social networking sites
create virtual worlds that drastically differ from reality. Students should develop the cognitive
and intuitive ability to analyze how much time they want to spend on social media. It is left up to
the students to decide what really matters in their life and how much of this virtual life translates
to real life

Social networking communities are here to stay. Facebook has over 500 million users, while
Twitter has over 200 million. Thats not even counting blogs or YouTube video blogs. Theres
no doubt that students are actively engaged in online communities, but what kind of effects are
these sites having and how can parents counteract the bad and bolster the positive?

The Negative
1. Many students rely on the accessibility of information on social media specifically and the
web in general to provide answers. That means a reduced focus on learning and retaining
information.

2. Students who attempt to multi-task, checking social media sites while studying, show reduced
academic performance (http://viralms.com/blog/2011/04/how-social-media-affects-students/).
Their ability to concentrate on the task at hand is significantly reduced by the distractions that are
brought about by YouTube, stumbleupon, Facebook or Twitter.

3. The more time students spend on social sites, the less time they spend socializing in person.
Because of the lack of body signals and other nonverbal cues, like tone and inflection, social
networking sites are not an adequate replacement for face-to-face communication. Students who
spend a great deal of time on social networking are less able to effectively communicate in
person.

4. The popularity of social media, and the speed at which information is published, has created a
lax attitude towards proper spelling and grammar. The reduces a students ability to effectively
write without relying on a computers spell check feature. (source)

5. The degree to which private information is available online and the anonymity the internet
seems to provide has made students forget the need to filter the information they post. Many
colleges and potential employers investigate an applicants social networking profiles before
granting acceptance or interviews. Most students dont constantly evaluate the content theyre
publishing online, which can bring about negative consequences months or years down the road.

The Positive
1. Social networking has increased the rate and quality of collaboration for students. They are
better able to communicate meeting times or share information quickly, which can increase
productivity and help them learn how to work well in groups.

2. Social networking teaches students skills theyll need to survive in the business world. Being
able to create and maintain connections to many people in many industries is an integral part of
developing a career or building a business.

3. By spending so much time working with new technologies, students develop more familiarity
with computers and other electronic devices. With the increased focus on technology in
education and business, this will help students build skills that will aid them throughout their
lives.

4. The ease with which a student can customize their profile makes them more aware of basic
aspects of design and layout that are not often taught in schools. Building resumes and personal
websites, which are increasingly used as online portfolios, benefit greatly from the skills
obtained by customizing the layout and designs of social networking profiles.
5. The ease and speed with which users can upload pictures, videos or stories has resulted in a
greater amount of sharing of creative works. Being able to get instant feedback from friends and
family on their creative outlets helps students refine and develop their artistic abilities and can
provide much needed confidence or help them decide what career path they may want to pursue.

What Next? mentor

How can parents mitigate the negative aspects of social media while improving upon the positive
results? Moderating their access to social media is one excellent method. Most of the negative
aspects can be overcome by reducing the amount of time spent on social network sites. Provide
ample time for face-to-face social interaction, like having some family leisure time in which you
discuss their studies in a relaxed atmosphere or inviting friends and family over for cookouts.

Paying attention to their academic progress and addressing any issues will go a long way towards
keeping the negative aspects of social media from influencing their studies. So, too, will
providing fun, face-to-face social interaction with loved ones.

Joseph Bakers business experience in management and technology spans more than 15 years. A
leader of development and management teams, he also implemented budget reductions
professionally and as an independent contractor. Joseph led strategic planning and systems of
implementation for nine organizations, public and private, and worked extensively with small
businesses. He is an advocate for educational reform and a proponent of social media
integration.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Indiana Universitys Kelley School of

Business, and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. Would you like to write for
Edudemic?