Effects of Social Media on Students Academic performance

INTRODUCTION:

The social media has become one of the most important communication means in recent times. However,

social networking exist so as to provide communication among people regardless of the distance, making

it open to people easily share information, files and pictures and videos, create blogs and send messages,

and conduct real-time conversations. These systems are referred to as social, simply because they allow

communication with buddies and coworkers so easily and effectively. It also strengthens the ties between

people of those systems. The favorite in the realm of internet sites are Facebook, Twitter and others.

These websites and social forums are way of communication directly with other people socially and in

media. They are playing a large and influential role decision-making in the occasions from the global

world economically, politically, socially and educationally. The driving factors for adoption of social

media are the progressively ubiquitous access, convenience, functionality, and flexibility of social

technologies. It has been contended that, poor greater education, social technologies supports social

constructivist techniques to learning they potentially have to improve students construction of

understanding and promote student interaction. An additional benefit of social technologies provided on

the internet is that they are frequently free or require marginal investment, eliminating a potential barrier

to adoptions. There has been various overview and opinions which recognized four major advantages of

social media use in higher education. These include, enhancing relationship, improving learning

motivation, offering personalized course material, and developing collaborative abilities. This means that

social networking activities have the possibility of enhancing student contact and is used to improve their

participation in class, particularly where introverted students are involved. Students can function in online

group learning, with less or no anxiety of needing to raise questions before peers at school.

Effects of Social Media on Students Academic performance 1

Background to the Study:

The world is today celebrating the improvements in communication technology which has

broadened the scope of communication through Information and Communication Technologies

(ICTs). Modern Technology in communication no doubt has turned the entire world into a

Global village. But as it is, technology like two sides of a coin, bring with it both negative and

positive sides. It helps people to be better informed, enlightened, and keeping abreast with world

developments. Technology exposes mankind to a better way of doing things. Social networking

sites include: Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook Messenger, blackberry Messenger (BBM),

Whatsapp messenger, 2go messenger, Skype, Google talk, Google Messenger, iPhone and

Androids. These networking sites are used by most people to interact with old and new friends,

physical or internet friends. The world has been changed rapidly by the evolution of technology;

this has resulted into the use of technology as the best medium to explore the wide area of

knowledge.

The evolution of internet technology has led to its use as the best medium for communication.

Whereby, two-third of the worlds internet population visits social networking or blogging sites,

thus serving as a communication and connection tool. Social networking sites (SNSs) are online

Communities of Internet users who want to communicate with other users about areas of mutual

interest, whether from a personal, business or academic perspective. The millions of social

networking sites have transformed the thought of global village into a reality whereby billions of

people communicate through social networking sites. Numerous benefits have been obtained

through distant communication through the use of social networking sites. Academic excellence

or achievement plays an important role in an individual placement, be it in the academic

institutions or job placement. Due to this, many people are concerned with the ways they can

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enhance their academic achievement. The emphasis on academic excellence which is also

prevalent worldwide has encouraged many studies about the conditions promoting it. The role of

academic achievement as one of the predictors of ones life success and also in the aspect of

academic placement in schools to higher institutions as well as the level of employability in

ones career is inevitable.

Academic performance, which is measured by the examination results, is one of the major goals

of a school. The schools are established with the aim of imparting knowledge and skills to those

who go through them and behind all this is the idea of enhancing good academic performance.

Academic performance or achievement is the outcome of education, the extent to which a

student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. Academic performance is

commonly measured by examinations or continuous assessment but there is no general

agreement on how it is best tested or which aspects are most important, procedural knowledge

such as skills or declarative knowledge such as facts.

A direct relationship exists between Social media usage and the academic performance of

students in universities. However the darker side within technological evolution has resulted in

dilemmas such as the setback of real values of life especially among students who form the

majority of users interacting through the use of social networking sites.

Online social networking sites focus on building and reflecting social associations among people

who share interests and or activities. With so many social networking sites displayed on the

internet, students are tempted to abandon their homework and reading times in preference for

chatting online with friends. Many students are now addicted to the online rave of the moment,

with Facebook, Twitter etc.

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Today most youths and students possess Facebook accounts. The reason most of them perform

badly in school might not be far- fetched. While many minds might be quick to blame the poor

quality of teachers

Social networking sites although has been recognized as an important resource for education

today, studies however shows that students use social networking sites such as Facebook for fun,

to kill time, to meet existing friends or to make new ones Although it has been put forward that

students spends much time on participating in social networking activities, with many students

blaming the various social networking sites for their steady decrease in grade point averages it

also shows that only few students are aware of the academic and professional networking

opportunities the sites offered.

Statement of Problem:

The world today is a global market in which the internet is the most important sort of Information Since

the advent of social media sites in the 1990s, it is assumed in some quarters that the academic

performance of students is facing a lot of neglect and challenges. The educational system in Nigeria is

faced with so many challenges which have certainly brought about a rapidly decline in the quality of

education. There is a deviation, distraction and divided attention between social networking activities and

their academic work. It is observed that students devote more attention to social media than they do to

their studies. Students addictiveness to social networks, students frequency of exposure to social

network, social media network that the students are more exposed to and the influence of social media as

a medium of interaction between students has been part of discussion in recent times and which have

imparted on their academic performance. Instead of students reading their books, they spend their time

chatting and making friends via the social media and this might definitely have influence on their

academic performance, because when you do not read, there is no way you can perform well

academically. It is a common sight to see a student chatting in sensitive and highly organized places like

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church, mosque and lecture venues. Some are so carried away that even as they are walking along the

high way, they keep chatting.

The manufacturing and distribution of equally sophisticated cellular phones has complicated the situation,

as students no longer need to visit a cybercaf before they send and receive messages. Attention has been

shifted from visible to invisible friends, while important ventures like study and writing might be affected

in the process. This phenomenon has become a source of worry to many who believe in knowledge and

skill acquisition.

In recent times social media have been a major stay in the minds of students and the world at large

thereby causing a lot of drastic measure by students, teacher and even educational administrators at large.

It is therefore of great importance to explore some of the trending issues facing students academic

performance as a result of social media. Students at all levels of learning now have divided attention to

studies, as a result of available opportunities to be harnessed from social media. Whether these

opportunities promote studies is a question that needs to be answered. Thus, the problem this study

investigates is the influence of social media networks on the academic performance of the students in

University.

Significance of the Study:

This study is significant to the teachers, parents and students. This study will help the teachers of

the school to know the influence that social media has on their students, so as to assist them to

enlighten and create awareness to the students on the possible influence it has on them. The

study is of significant to parents in the sense that they will know the possible effects these social

media usage has on their children, so as to serve as watch-dog to their children on the usage of

the social networking site.

The study will enable the students of the senior level so that they will be aware that, apart from

the social benefits of this social networking site, using the sites more than necessary will pose

possible dangers to their health. It will be relevant in assisting students in understanding the

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diversity of social media. It will provide relevance material for students and other researchers

undertaking similar research. The study will help researchers with more information on the

Influence of social media on students academic performance.

Literature Review:

Earlier studies, such as examined the general usability of social media among young students in higher

level of education. Similarly, examined the use of social media and maintain that, the appropriation of

social technologies is not an easy and straightforward process. At higher level of education more complex

academic tasks are handled and the new generation of students is perceived to understand that social

media and social technologies are influential to learning. A number of earlier studies have shown

evidence that efforts are required in order to start using social media in order to influence educational

activities. Researchers have argued that in teaching and learning the integration of media to facilitate the

process is widely encouraged especially in relation to improving final results of scholars . According to

students ought to be given careful scrutiny to check their use of the tools they feel at ease and acquainted

with which they feel are viable in accomplishing academic tasks. In connection with this, the social

affordances of utilizing social networking may not be provided in a single particular social technology but

instead within the mixture of several social technologies. Previous literature recognized the challenges

that are connected with using social media in higher education. [13] Carried out an empirical study of

social networking usability among University students. The study discovered that, there are 5 major

challenges of social networking and its relation to learning such as studying originality and copyright

issues feeling of information constraint. Teachers sometimes are not up-to-date and could not understand

how to integrate and take advantage of social software into their classes. The findings of the study

confirmed the earlier issues outlined by according to their next generation research in three Australian

Universities. According to enumerated six issues surrounding pedagogy in terms of technology

integration. These issues include: student learning diversity, equity and use of technology curriculum and

assessment academic integrity staff development and capacity building, and finally, ICT infrastructure.

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Regardless of the benefits and challenges recognized, the study further revealed that teachers that do not

belong to the new generation are skeptical to social network integration in class. Teachers are encouraged

to be conscious in their appropriation and employ of social networking regarding focus on the different

students learning preference. Additionally, the scholars should choose we've got the technology that

meets their career. The idea of discussing understanding and cooperative learning through the social

networking like Facebook, Talking, E-mail and Website or any types of learning assets that let the

students in understanding and experience discussing between your students, coach, experts, officials or

even the business proprietor can help the scholars in hooking up the lesson learned towards the context in

tangible existence of working. The significance of individuals all reasons pointed out, the investigator has

inspiration to create a conceptual framework of Social networking to aid Collaborative Learning for

improving understanding construction.

Method of study:

A considerable amount of work has been done in this field and several articles are available on

the internet and magazines about the social networking sites. So first we carried out a literature

survey of the available data for collection of secondary information. We followed it by a

descriptive research design in order to understand the problem and carry out the research in a

lucid manner.

Target population:

The target population for this research was defined as the students who form the major chunk of

users of these social networking sites. This was done to have a better insight into the research as

the target population was one of the most avid users of these sites and could provide exceptional

responses. Even the understanding of the questionnaire was easy for them as they were familiar

with the sites and are quite clear about the reasons they use it for and the various problems that

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they now face because of the effects of using these social networking sites. The extent of the

survey was limited to the University.

Method of Data Collection:

After secondary data collection through data collection over the internet, a primary research was

carried out through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was well structured and the responses

were sought from the respondents. The nature of the questions was such that it avoided

ambiguous responses from the respondents and it also helped in quick analysis of the data

collected.

Scope of study of social media:

Most people post just about everything on social media. The days of private events are nearly

gone. This creates an interesting problem for a personal injury attorney. Keeping up with social

media is necessary when dealing with inevitable discovery disputes.

Towards the end of last year there was a significant decision issued on the topic of social media

discovery. The plaintiff in this particular case claimed that her injuries prevented her from

participating in social and recreational activities. During depositions the plaintiff indicated she

had deactivated her Facebook account. A dispute occurred over photos that were added prior to

deactivating the account. The trial court ordered all privately posted pictures of herself on

Facebook that were going to be introduced during the trial. When photos are requested from a

social media account for trial they have to qualify as Material and Necessary.

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Limitation of study:

This study looks at social media network participation and academic performance of students.

The study is aimed at identifying social media network sites and their usage among students,

how students networked and participated in social media networks, time invested by students on

social networks, the effects of social media on students grammar and spelling as well as the

effects of social network participation on the students academic performance.

Social Media Provide Answer To The Question That Were Not Asked:

Through social media you have access to millions of potential research panelists, but there is

much more to statistically valid research than sheer numbers. Without some kind of multiple-

choice closed option question and answer survey you will be left with hundreds of thousands of

verbose answers to wade through.

Your followers on social media sites do not represent the perfect cross section of your future

customers for several reasons:

o They are mostly people who have already bought something from you; as such they have a

vested interest in your companys future

o You have no opportunity to pre-screen research participants for objectivity

o Not everyone uses social media, and, of those that do many are not willing to spend time

responding to your research questions

o The people who do respond are those either who have time on their hands or who have very

strong opinions on the subject under discussion

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