The role of a major social media platform on students’ academic performance: Perception versus reality

The social media component has a central role in students' everyday lives, affecting their academic performance either negatively or positively. Whereas some researchers have noted that social media use promotes collaborative learning, engagement, and knowledge-sharing, others have highlighted its distractive and addictive nature that keeps students from performing well academically. The present study sought to look into the influence of social media on the academic performance of university students, particularly in comparing perceptions of this topic from both students and educators. This study followed a quantitative research design, in which structured questionnaires were used to gather data on a sample of 800 respondents (400 students and 400 educators) in Pune, India. The data were then analyzed using Independent Samples t-test and Chi-Square Test for Independence to respectively assess the differences in perceptions and to assess the relationship between patterns of social media use and academic performance. The results showed a statistically significant difference in the perception of students and educators, with educators holding broader views of the positive and negative attributes of social media influences on academic performance. High usage of social media was seen to distract students from academic engagement; purposeful use of the media for academic tasks was seen to foster engagement with study material and habit formation. In addition, according to the Chi-Square analysis, a significant association was found between social media usage patterns among students and academic performance.The conclusion drawn from the study is that, although social media can serve the purpose of an instrument for education, unregulated usage invites negative academic consequences. The recommendations for universities include formulating structured guidelines on social media use, digital literacy programs, and awareness campaigns designed to encourage responsible use of social media. Future research should focus on the qualitative as well as long-term effects of social media integration in education.

Navigating Social Media in #Ophthalmology

This chapter examines the phenomenon of internet users attempting to report and prevent online child sexual exploitation (CSE) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in the absence of adequate intervention by internet service providers, social media platforms, and government. The chapter discusses the history of online CSE, focusing on regulatory stances over time in which online risks to children have been cast as natural and inevitable by the hegemony of a “cyberlibertarian” ideology. We illustrate the success of this ideology, as well as its profound contradictions and ethical failures, by presenting key examples in which internet users have taken decisive action to prevent online CSE and promote the removal of CSAM. Rejecting simplistic characterizations of “vigilante justice,” we argue instead that the fact that often young internet users report feeling forced to act against online CSE and CSAM undercuts libertarian claims that internet regulation is impossible, unworkable, and unwanted. Recent shifts toward a more progressive ethos of online harm minimization are promising; however, this ethos risks offering a new legitimizing ideology for online business models that will continue to put children at risk of abuse and exploitation. In conclusion, we suggest ways forward toward an internet built in the interests of children, rather than profit.

Background:Today, social media platforms are more popular than ever in Saudi Arabia. Despite the influence of social media on patients’ decisions to undergo cosmetic surgery, it is still unclear how social media platforms affect the private practice of plastic surgeons around Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess Saudi plastic surgeons’ use of social media and its impact on their practices.Methods:The study was based on a self-administered questionnaire that was built on previous literature and distributed to practicing Saudi plastic surgeons. A survey consisting of 12 items was conducted to assess patterns of social media use and its impact on plastic surgery practice.Results:This study included 61 participants. Thirty-four surgeons (55.7%) were using social media platforms in their practice. The use of social media was significantly different among surgeons with different levels of practice in cosmetic surgery (P = 0.004) and reconstructive surgery (P = 0.049). Social media presence was significantly more prevalent among surgeons in private practice (70.6%, P = 0.034). The use of social media in plastic surgery is overall positive for the field (60.7%).Conclusions:Despite plastic surgeons’ differing views on social media, its role within the field of plastic surgery is evidently on the rise. The use of social media is not equal across all practice types. Surgeons practicing in private hospitals and specializing in aesthetic surgery are more likely to view social media favorably and use it in their practice.

This quantitative research study, involving 200 university students, investigates the impact of social media usage on academic performance and various aspects of students' lives. Social media's increasing popularity for interpersonal communication globally is acknowledged, particularly within the educational context where students engage and share knowledge. The study explores factors such as the daily and nightly time spent on social networking sites, reasons for social media use, bedtime habits, and the disruptive influence of social media on educational and learning activities. Findings reveal that social media usage significantly impacts students' academic success, with potential benefits and drawbacks. The study focuses on uneducated rural Pakistanis, with 200 participants, including 100 males and 100 females, representing various academic disciplines. Notably, non-users of social media tend to sleep more than users, and the study highlights a correlation between social media usage and compromised family and personal time. The research underscores the negative effects of social media on education, citing issues such as daydreaming, procrastination, and reduced study time. The study also reveals a strong correlation between academics, family, and social media usage, supported by regression analysis. Interestingly, despite potential drawbacks, Pearson's Correlation indicates that social media can improve academic performance by facilitating networking and information exchange. Overall, the study sheds light on the complex relationship between social media usage, academic success, and various aspects of students' lives.

Social media are now the cornerstone in everyday life, with the rapid development of technologies shifting the way of communication and learning with different tools that influence student learning in education. The study investigates the media's influence on the academic performance of senior high school students. A total of 325 Grade 11 students were chosen through stratified random sampling, and those selected respondents were senior high school students of the Schools Division of Borongan City. The descriptive-correlational research design and an adopted structured research questionnaire were utilized. Results revealed that Facebook had the highest usage among senior high school students for academic and social purposes. TikTok, Messenger, YouTube, and Instagram are following it. The social media platforms greatly influence the students' academic performance through communication, social skills, and time management. Furthermore, time management had an average score on social media, which indicates that students need to balance life using gadgets and education outcomes. On the distribution of respondents in terms of academic performance, results show that most of the respondents belong to the Outstanding level (60.3%), followed by the Very Satisfactory level (33.5%) and Satisfactory level (6.2%). Testing the relationship between the influence of social media and the academic performance of senior high school students reveals significant correlations that highlight the multifaceted role social media plays in education. The study recommends the limitations of using Facebook and other social media platforms, especially for struggling learners in academic performance in schools. Schools initiate programs, projects, and activities related to anti-cyberbullying, the Internet Safety Act, and Cybercrime Prevention Seminars for the students. Provide peer tutoring and give insights on how to be responsible online users. Benchmarking to improve academic performance using social media platforms and school authorities manage, support, and innovate using social media education.

Social media platforms are suspected to derive hefty profits from youth users who may be vulnerable to negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Platforms, however, are not required to make these data publicly available, which may limit the abilities of researchers and policymakers to adequately investigate and regulate platform practices. This study aimed to estimate the number of U.S.-based child (0–12 years old) and adolescent (13–17 years old) users and the annual advertising revenue generated from youth across six major platforms. Data were drawn from public survey and market research sources conducted in 2021 and 2022. A simulation analysis was conducted to derive estimates of the number of users and the annual advertising revenue per age group and overall (ages 0–17 years) for 2022. The findings reveal that, across six major social media platforms, the 2022 annual advertising revenue from youth users ages 0–17 years is nearly $11 billion. Approximately 30–40% of the advertising revenue generated from three social media platforms is attributable to young people. Our findings highlight the need for greater transparency from social media platforms as well as regulation of potentially harmful advertising practices that may exploit vulnerable child and adolescent social media users.

Purpose This research aims to explore how social media influences the academic performance of university students in Bangladesh and examines the benefits and drawbacks of its usage. Design/methodology/approach We distributed a well-structured questionnaire among students enrolled in various programs at different universities in Bangladesh to collect data. We analyzed the data using factor analysis and regression models to uncover the impact of social media on academic performance. Findings Our research findings demonstrate that social media plays a crucial role in facilitating communication, information sharing and content development among university students in Bangladesh. Excessive reliance on social media can lead to dependence and hinder innovation, as students tend to excessively rely on readily available resources. Research limitations/implications We relied on self-reported data from a limited sample size, which may affect the generalizability of our findings. Social implications This study highlights the need to promote responsible use of social media among university students in Bangladesh to enhance their academic performance. We recommend implementing effective policy measures to control and manage undesired usage patterns, foster an intellectually equipped student body and contribute to the development of a knowledgeable and successful Bangladesh. Originality/value This research makes a significant contribution by examining the influence of social media on academic performance among university students in Bangladesh. It proposes practical policy measures to address the drawbacks associated with excessive reliance on social media, thereby contributing to decision-making and intervention strategies for promoting responsible usage.

The significance of social media in education has garnered heightened scrutiny in the contemporary digital era. Social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, have transformed students' engagement patterns and exert considerable pedagogical influence. This research investigates the social media behaviours of undergraduate students of Odisha and their possible effects on their educational outcomes. Survey research method was adopted for this study. Using multi-stage random sampling technique, a total no of 540 undergraduate students were selected. Social Media Usage Scale (SMUS), a researcher standardised Likert-type questionnaire was employed to collect data regarding social media usage habits of undergraduate students. Academic achievement data were the Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) of students, obtained from college records. The data were analysed using percentages, frequencies, bar die-gram and Regression Analysis was carried out to assess the influence of social media use on the academic achievement of students. The results revealed that YouTube is the most popular social media platform among the students and maximum students use social media one to two hours daily. It is also concluded that utilization of social media platforms has a significant and positive influence on students' academic performance

The study assessed the usage of social media networks in seeking information by college students: with reference to Buhare Community Development Training Institute (CDTI), Musoma-Mara region, Tanzania. Data were collected from two hundred seventy-three (273) study participants using questionnaires. The sample of the study was representative. The results from the analysis showed that Buhare CDTI students were familiar with social media while performance and efficiency was the highly cited factor influencing the choice of social media. Study findings further showed that social media sites were a reliable source of information for academic purposes and the majority of the participants noted that the reason for use of social media was academic and information-sharing purposes. Additionally, the majority of the participants revealed that there was a strong relationship between the extent of their use of social media and their academic performance. The study further established that the high cost of Internet bandwidth, identifying the author of materials retrieved from social media sites due to information overload, and failure to discover reliable information to be used on academic references due to the flood of information from social media were the critical challenges faced by students. Conclusively, it was clear from the current study that social media platforms are reliable sources of information to be used by college students in their daily academic life. The study suggests that academic institutions should promote and motivate students to use social media in their daily academic activities. Also, tutors and all academic stakeholders have to train students so that they may have the skills and knowledge to use IT devices.

The widespread use of social media platforms among young adults has prompted researchers to investigate its impact on college students' lives. This paper examines the existing literature on social media's effects on college students in areas such as academic performance, mental health, and social relationships.The findings indicate that social media use can have both positive and negative effects on college students. On the positive side, social media provides opportunities for social connection, online communication, support, and self-expression. However, social media use has also been linked to negative impacts on academics, including distraction, procrastination, and time management issues. Additionally, social media use can have a significant impact on mental health and self-care, with increased levels of apprehension, anxiety, and depression reported. Furthermore, excessive social media use can affect college students' social relationships, leading to a decline in face-to-face communication and relationship quality. In conclusion, social media has become an integral part of college students' lives, with the potential to provide benefits such as social connections and academic support, but also negative effects on mental health and social relationships. Therefore, it is crucial for college students to be aware of the risks associated with social media usage and take steps to manage their social media use in a healthy way.

The emergence of the internet has propelled the influence of social media among tertiary students all over the world. This study investigates the effect of social media on the academic lives of University of Ghana undergraduate students as well as their coping strategies in dealing with the social media pressures. By relying on a mixed method approach and a sample of 420 students from the University of Ghana, the study shows that WhatsApp is the mostly used social media platform among University of Ghana students for academic purposes. Also, the study showed that social media platforms are often used to communicate with their family and friends rather than for academic purposes. While the use of social media positively impacted on academic performance through research, the study also showed that it impacts negatively on academic lives given its addictive nature. Thus, to cope with this effect, the study revealed that respondents prefer to put off their mobile data or WiFi when studying. It is recommended that the University of Ghana must embark on sensitization to educate students on how to balance their studies with social media usage so that they can use the internet productively.

Spatial Patterns of Purposeful Social Networking and Socioeconomic Influences: Towards a Mature, Inclusive Networked Society in the U.S.

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of socialization agents (social media) on domestic university students' academic performance and psychological well-being, while the influence of these agents on the increasing population of international students at universities in the United States (US) remains understudied. The current study examined international students' (N = 331) global satisfaction with life as a mediator in the relationship between general social media use (and Skype™ use) and academic performance. The results indicated that both mediation models were supported. Social media and Skype™ use were positively predictive of satisfaction with life, and there was a positive relationship between satisfaction with life and academic performance. These findings have implications for university staff and administrators who need to be aware of the positive influence social media use has on international students' perceptions of their experiences, which in turn can positively impact their academic performance.

This article attempts to explore the influence of social media on building political culture at the international level, the role of major social media platforms, and the key stages where social media contributes to political culture formation. Based on a qualitative framework, the article utilizes purposive sampling methods to collect necessary information and statistics from various websites. With the onset of the 21st century and the expansion of the internet, the development and growth of various social media platforms have also surged. Social media has been playing a significant role in shaping global political culture and public opinion. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, WeChat, Reddit, and Telegram have brought millions of people together on a single stage, the factual details of which are presented in this article. Algorithms designed to enhance the effectiveness of social media play a vital role in political culture formation by repeatedly showing content based on people's preferences and thoughts. Similarly, boosting mechanisms for content have also contributed to building political opinions. Social media serves as a crucial tool for informing people about various programs and campaigns, increasing public participation, and effectively presenting demands to generate the necessary public opinion for their implementation by relevant authorities .Political culture formation involves specific stages where social media plays a supportive role. The article concludes that the expansion and rapid usage of social media in the present time have significantly influenced global politics. The number of social media platform users is increasing daily, and social media is playing a supportive role in the process of political culture and opinion formation.