HOW SOCIAL MEDIA "A BOON FOR BANE" FOR STUDENTS ? 

CHANCES ARE, IF YOUR ARE A COLLEGE STUDENT YOU ARE USING SOME FORM OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PAST YEAR-OR IN THE PAST DAY OR IN THE PAST HOUR. SOCIAL MEDIA IS DEFINED AS, "FORMS OF ELECTRONIC OMMUNICATION THROUGH  WHICH USERS CREATE ONLINE COMMUNICATE TO SHARE INFROMATION, IDEAS, PERSONNEL MESSAGES AND OTHER CONTNT". IT CAN BE A TOOL FOR MARKETING, SHARING NEWS, COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND MORE; HOWEVER IT CAN ALSO BE A PLACE WHERE NEGATIVITY SPREADS OR SCROLLING STEALS HOURS OF YOUR TIME. SO, WHAT CAN COLLEGE STUDENTS GAIN FROM SOCIAL MEDIA?

TODAY'S COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE UNIQUE IN THAT THEY HAVE GROWN UP KNOWING THE EXISTENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY ALSO TEND TO USE MORE THAN THEIR MILLENIAL COUNTERPARTS, AVERAGING ABOUT 4.5 HOURS OF USE EACH DAY, AS OPPOSED TO THE AVERAGE MILLENIAL'S 3.5 HOURS.

THEIR ARE BOTH PROS AND CONS TO THEIR INCREASED USAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG THE MODERN COLEGIATE POPULATION:

*PROS: IT HELP STUDENTS STAY CONNECTED TO PEOPLE AT HOME:

College, for many students, is a first foray outside of the world in which they grew up. It is a time for them to forge their own paths, which can be intimidating. Support from family and friends is crucial, not only during this period, but throughout the student’s college experience. Fortunately, in today’s world, social media is a resource for communication across hundreds of miles and state – or even country – lines. Not only can students message their friends and family at home directly, but they can share photos and videos, video-call, or send voice messages to them.  

*CONS: IT CAN BE REALLY DISCTRACTING:

Most students have felt the pull of other, perhaps more exciting activities when they are supposed to be doing something that they are not as interested in – such as homework. Scrolling through social media can seem like a “brain break” when the homework gets especially boring, but it is easy to scroll between videos that are just seconds long...for hours. Social media can end up drawing your attention from the task at hand for much longer than you intend. 

*PROS: COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN KEEP UP WITH WHAT IS GOING ON ACROSS CAMPUS:

Most universities have pages on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Various campus clubs and activities, including many at Concordia, often have an established presence on these platforms. On these pages, students can find out about upcoming events, campus news, and various on- and off-campus opportunities. Social media can also be a place where students can find updates from a variety of organizations on one streamlined platform, such as Instagram.

*CONS: IT CAN BE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN LONELINESS AND UNHELTHY COMPARISON:

Social media, especially on platforms that allow for the sharing of photos and documentation of one’s life experiences, tends to be more of a place for highlights and successes than the sharing of realistic, day-to-day life. Seeing others’ posts over and over that paint their lives as the epitome of happiness and satisfaction can be draining, especially if you spend hours scrolling through Instagram or Facebook. In fact, studies show that high usage of many social media platforms can increase feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.    

*PROS: IT CAN BE A PLACE TO EXPRESS YOURSELF AND YOUR CREATIVITY:

YouTube is full of videos created by people who pour their passions into their craft, just like Instagram is overflowing with posts of the same nature and Facebook can be used for people to share and even buy and sell their handiwork. Being on these platforms can expose you to the vast range of others’ God-given gifts, as well as giving you a place to express yourself. Today, many people use social media to promote their brand, their work, or their skills, resulting in publicity and appreciation for their handiwork. 

*CONS: STUDENTS CAN USE IT DISHONESTY:

Yes, it’s one of the classic examples of the misuse of social media or the Internet in general – cheating. Students may use social media to share answers to tests. They could use AI tools like Chat-GPT to generate convincing, albeit fake, responses to essay prompts. They could also use various technological tools, hidden during tests, to cheat in the moment. These occurrences may be difficult to execute, but they do happen. Therefore, honesty when using social media is of crucial importance to college students, especially those who want to take charge of their own learning while they study.  

*PROS: IT CAN HELP FUTURE EMPLOYERS FIND YOU:

According to Career-arc, as many as 92 percent of companies use social media in some form to hire new employees for jobs. Social media accounts are one place that employers may search to gain insight into a prospective employee’s values, habits and integrity. Plus, employees can even use it to search for or secure a position with a company. Platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter allow employees to connect with employers, find positions in their area and filter available jobs to discover ones that are the right fit for them.

Everything is entirely being operated in the modern world because of the inventions and technologies introduced ten or twenty years ago. Social media is also an integral part of this lifestyle change, and it has revolutionized the ideologies of many people and nations. It has provided employment and other opportunities that were never even thought about in the past years. It is well known by people worldwide that social media has its positives and negatives, but awareness is the central aspect that guides people about how to use it efficiently and not get harmed by it. Everything new to the world or already present inside has its positives and negatives, and social media is no exception. 

People using social media should know that utilizing it in a better manner is very beneficial to them and society. No one should do any harm to themselves or the people around them just by getting influenced in a wrong way by anything said or shown on social media. The concept of awareness is fundamental and plays a significant role in people characterizing and sorting their behaviour on social media platforms.

Social media is a part of our world now and is a kind of technology that is also the future. Every generation will benefit from the goods and services provided through social media and the connection it helps to make. Sorting out the advantages and disadvantages of this technology is that's why very important.