Impact of Facebook on Students
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School Affiliation
Impact of Facebook on Students
Students and educational institutions use not only Facebook but the whole Internet generally as well as online social platforms as tools for conveying information. Facebook stands out as some of the used communication tools currently mostly being used by students. In the last few years, Facebook has increasingly been adopted for educational reason. Facebook initially began as an online social network that started initially by a group of students from Harvard University and has subsequently expanded across the world, becoming the most popular social network in the world. Facebook has proved to be useful for high school and college students both for academic purposes and their social lives, as it allows for activities like sharing notes and getting assistance. However, there have also been claims of negative impacts of the online social medium (Al-Dheleai, 2017). The paper will be an argumentative essay that will be revolving around the thesis statement that Facebook has proved to be having a positive impact on students in terms of their academic performance. Still, there are also other negative impacts which there should be a spread of awareness.
Indeed, some benefits have been noted by students from the use of Facebook. These benefits can be defined as tangible and intangible. For the substantial evidence, they include the fact that it has often proved to be good platform students can use to access support and information. In the times when studies are estimated as challenging and difficult, there seems to be a need for additional comfort and knowledge in the course of the learning process, as a way to help students perform better in their academic performance (Al-Dheleai, 2017). The perception that students should solely depend on educational information they get from books in class, and the library does not necessarily assume that student will not need additional support and information.
For instance, for students pursuing courses like engineering, a considerable part of their high-quality academic materials has proved to be accessible via Facebook either from the pages of the study programs or from friends doing the same course. It this has shown to be positively impacting their success in exams. Students with access to focus and other relevant information have the potential of getting good grade as well as pass their exams in the times they do them for the first time, without a need of repeating the exam (Çoklar, 2012). It is a situation that saves time which can be invested during the working hours to earn and save money as well as preventing expenses in private lessons.
Past conducted studies confirm the use of Facebook by students for academic purposes as being minimal. Other studies reinforced these findings and revealed that only 21% of senior students do this. The results lead to concluding that engineering students initially considered Facebook as a significant source of information and try using it in gathering the information they need (Al-Dheleai, 2017). However, in the course of their endeavours, they got disappointed with the value they were obtaining.
Facebook has also proved to be promoting academic relationships among students. The social platform allows the establishment of relations between students. Resultantly, students have proved to be able to consult with one another and get information from one another on lecture summaries, asking questions, etc. These mostly include information that could not have otherwise be received through the other conventional means, like books (Gafni & Deri, 2020).
For instance, physics student] may be having difficulties in having to solve an exercise and mat get immediate assistance on Facebook from his classmates (Gafni & Deri, 2020). The online help may go a long way in saving money and time. By the results, 30% of students received a type of support from other students via Facebook.
Facebook also exposes students on the possible jobs they will get after their academic endeavours. Students also desire to get employment in the course of their studies as a way of maintaining themselves financial while in school. According to made findings in recent years, 45% of a student pursuing an engineering degree also work, and 85% of the one that does not look for work in the course of their studies (Gafni & Deri, 2020). Other research works focusing on the potential benefits people get from having friends on Facebook noted that Facebook could be rewarding in terms of internships and jobs. The value that comes with this benefit is one that may be converted into real money.
Based on these discoveries, it may be correct to conclude that the relationship existing between students through Facebook can lead significantly to a better learning process for the student if used more frequently for academic purposes (Gafni & Deri, 2020). It can, however, be noted that the benefit is not necessarily a part of academic success for the students, neither is it a platform for career success nor the savings on money spent on private lessons, but has proved to have a potential of being that.
With regards to the specific types of interactions via Facebook that have promoted student interaction, it is first to note that students generally express a positive perception for all kinds of interactions via Facebook. However, past research findings attest to students’ belief that their communication via the social medium platform varies according to the type of subject interaction. The difference can reflect on the level of importance of each kind of interaction from their particular understanding or view (Çoklar, 2012). For instance, students proved to be inclined towards asking direct questions as well as provide straightforward answers. It proved to be having less significance to each of the student interaction types. The level reflected on the level of importance for every kind of student interaction from their specific point of view.
For instance, students have often been noted as being inclined to ask questions as well as provide answers via Facebook. Such appears to be having less significance compared to other processes looked at in the study. Indeed, students still held the belief that they could post questions as well as answers related to the course as it was to help them in understanding the content’s course (Çoklar, 2012). However, students can have the understanding that direct answers and questions can provide limited as well as specific information compared to the other methods looked at in recent studies. In the same way, there has also been a noting of students posting questions as a way of seeking opinions as well as initiating discussion as opposed to asking for specific answers.
Students have, on the contrary, registered a higher perception with regards to the sharing of information through Facebook as well as its impact in aiding them in understanding its course content (Çoklar, 2012). The perception that higher education students have on information-sharing may be attributed to the experience students have in using Facebook as a way of sharing a variety of information on differing platforms.
Therefore, students may be able to share information in the platform in the form of photos, texts or videos. They can also share information via their course announcements, events and also learning materials on Facebook pages (Çoklar, 2012). Consequently, students may give such a type of data through Facebook more significance compared to other investigated types.
The finding proved to be going hand-in-hand with the previous ones that showed 71% of students as using Facebook as a way of exchanging information. Students “commenting” other students’ posts were also noted as being distinguished from the students in a manner that kept it in line with the contents of the course (Gafni & Deri, 2020). Students help the belief that comments in learning post were able to aid them in understanding the content of the course considerably.
It is also interesting that students have a good interest in commenting o the posts of other students, and they also welcome other students to their respective posts (Gafni & Deri, 2020). The findings show students has easily trusting others in terms of accuracy of the opinions they express as well as respect for their opinion, even in the case of them disagreeing on posts. However, there have also been recent arguments which accepted people’s point of view as well as their disagreement, reflecting on their level of respect and building-up trust among learners.
In terms of the understanding that Facebook stands out as one of the types of interaction among students, students have been noted to firmly believe in the fact that they can take part in the course-related views and discussion via the Facebook platform (Belal, 2017). Discussion conducted in the platform can be done according to initiatives of the students, with or without the instructor’s presence.
Nevertheless, students still hold the belief that the discussions they carry out on Facebook can be treated in the course’s content (Çoklar, 2012). The perception shows the willingness of students to be given a chance of working more independently as well as having more control over the online setting of learning. The finding contradicts with other studies that noted that 5% of undergraduates as well as graduates as agreeing on the use of Facebook for the sole purpose of collaborating with classmates.
Reflecting on the various learning approaches taken by students on Facebook is but a single type of student interaction often looked at by scholars. There is a strong belief held by the student that they may indeed share their reflections concerning the level of understanding of their course’s content (Çoklar, 2012). The point shows students as having the confidence of sharing their level of knowledge of the course’s content with their counterparts on Facebook. In the same wat, students can also expect other students to have the same understanding level of the subject educational content.
After reflection, students let their counter pages identify with their level of understanding of the course content either negatively or positively in the various made pages and groups on Facebook. In such a case, a student can be willing to openly share their experience in learning through Facebook (Al-Dheleai, 2017). In the same way, reflecting on the possible negative learning experiences is better facilitated by the support students get from one another in the social media platform.
Therefore, it can be carried on that one of the types of student interactions that can be noted in the whole academic socializing experience includes that of scaffolding (Gafni & Deri, 2020). It is interesting also to note that in the scaffolding type of interaction, students get to expresses how will they are in providing scaffolding and offering support to other students in terms of information which can help them in better understanding the course’s content.
There are also other intangible benefits that students have been noted getting from Facebook. These include self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-enlargement in their respective social circles. There has been recently conducted studies on the benefits of having Facebook friends among college students and noted that there are indeed great benefits, particularly for people with self-esteem (IBID, 2009). Additionally, there seems to a negative correlation between the time spent on Facebook and the self-esteem noted, and it can be stated that first-year students have proved to have lower self-esteem compared to second-year students. Those in the higher more senior year Facebook provide gives a chance of social interactions where one may otherwise avoid.
However, examinations on the student experience in the social platform noted 18% of students as using Facebook in communicating among themselves. The same results were pointed out, even though 18%of students estimated as expanding their friends’ circle at the academic institution via Facebook, the effect differed between the different academic years. Added to the expansion of the social sphere on campus, Facebook also stood out as a place of expressing and sharing feeling and thoughts about school 55% of all students (71% of first-year students) understood Facebook as a right place for such a purpose (Belal, 2017).
With students having a place where they can share their feelings and thoughts about school, this can generate motivation for learning among students (Belal, 2017). It can, therefore, as far as the benefits of Facebook to students are concerned, it may be safe to conclude that Facebook leads to a sense of belong among the different groups of students from the same as well as different college, universities and high schools. However, it may indeed stand out as a way of promoting friendships in academic institutions.
One the other hand, there are also negative impacts of Facebook that can also be brought to light as a counterargument. Facebook has, in recent years, been acclaimed as bringing harmful effects for students. Firstly, with regards to student education, students have proved to be subjected to reading updates on Facebook compared to reading books. Facebook users most often than not desire to know about their status update, and without realizing, they end up wasting a lot of time during which they could have been more constructive things (Gafni & Deri, 2020). They have often been noted as writing unimportant something. Such habits can make Facebook destruction to the students’ study, as they may be likely to ignore their valuable time doing homework and studying before the exams.
Additionally, students spend more time on Facebook compared to the one they spend on reviewing lessons. When students browse on the Internet to look for assignments, they prefer chatting with their friends on the nonsense thing. Badly enough, similar to drugs, Facebook makes students get addicted. Students can spend more hours just reading their friends updates as well as looking at the latest posts and pictures (Çoklar, 2012). Another issue includes the fact that through the use of Facebook, students get to spend too much money paying for internet costs.
The costs that come with using Facebook among students can, in detail, be categorized as having two phases. The first one is the establishment phase, where the user gets to open an account on the social network, uploads the original photos, files, and data as a way of building their profile and browsing the web in finding friends they will be establishing connections with (Gafni & Deri, 2020).
Some costs come with the establishment phase. For instance, at the time a student decides to embark on opening a Facebook account in the course of their studies, it may need an investment of their restricted time in filling out some information, uploading the photos and other contents (Çoklar, 2012). In accordance to results, only 9% of students were in the creation of a Facebook account in the course of their studies and costs in terms of time proved negligible, concerning four years of studies due to activities being performed only once a time. The conclusion is that this phase lacks meaning on the cost-effectiveness of students.
The second phase of costs is the operational phase costs Some of the most critical costs of having a Facebook account, for students in courses that had been viewed as being difficult, including the number of hours that were being spent on it. It was noted that first-year students proved to be having a higher emotional connection with the social platform, therefore spending more time using it (Çoklar, 2012). In accordance with current studies, all the first-year students used Facebook, where 20% of the senior students failed to use Facebook at all.
There is the question on whether quality learning time that students lose daily is as a result of destructions caused by using Facebook. Additionally, to the time spent by students in surfing Facebook, it is may also be interesting to considering the time recovery time, meaning that time not being used in studying after using Facebook, as the emotional impacts of Facebook on students. The extent of influence may depend on whether the subject students get to agree that Facebook has been affecting how they feel.
In summarizing this potential negative impact of Facebook on students, there is indeed a significant amount of time that can use in exploring Facebook. Beyond this, Facebook has proved to be having effects on students even preceding the time of using it, due to Facebook could arouse emotions, as well as these feelings inhibiting the learning process in a significant way (IBID, 2009). In the case students deciding to reduce their using Facebook, they could be able to use such a time to work, earning money, as well as for additional learning hours in the day.
Conclusively, the above discussed argued views are the positive and negative impacts of Facebook on students in sum. It is indeed okay for students to think of Facebook as excellent social networking took. With reality currently, it may be a challenge to stop people from visiting Facebook, especially students. It may be necessary for students to ensure they do not use the account all often. Education stands out as an essential aspect. In the case, students use Facebook all too often, and it may disturb their concentration in study. It may prove to be better in the case where the students are on Facebook excessively it may disrupt their attention in the study (Gafni & Deri, 2020). It may prove better in the case students more responsible not to waste not abuse their academic hours. These findings have also been supported by recently conducted studies that noted a high percentage of students (7%) being comfortable to interact with the other students as well as in supporting more opportunities of interaction with instructors and other students.
References
Al-Dheleai, Y. M. (2017, Oct). Using Facebook for Students’ Interaction and its Correlation with. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 16(4).
Belal, H. (2017). Social Networking Experiences on Facebook: A Study on the Students’ of Comilla University. Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism, 7(3), 2-6.
Çoklar, A. N. (2012, April). Evaluations of Students on Facebook as an Educational Environment. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 3(2), 42-54.
Gafni, R., & Deri, M. (2020). Costs and Benefits of Facebook for Undergraduate Students. 7.
IBID. (2009, October). Chapter 2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media and Electronic Communication. Retrieved from http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/