20+ Pros And Cons Of Social Media For Students (Explained)

The digital era has resulted in a surge in Social Media usage among individuals of all ages. The quarantine period has added to the popularity of social media.

However, some people continue to feel that social media is detrimental to academics. There’s no way that we can exclude social media from our lives.

Therefore, we must find a way to use it to benefit us. Social media, like everything else, has advantages and disadvantages. Let’s have a look.

Pros Of Social Media For Students	Cons Of Social Media for Students
Exposure	Can be time-consuming
Helps in learning	Distracting
Creates network	Cyber-bullying
Employment opportunities	Can make or break someone’s reputation
Increases collaboration	Addictive
Distance learning	Health issues
Encourages participation	Detachment from reality
Facilitates teaching	Facilitates criminal activities
Smooth flow of information	Glamourizes intoxicants
Global reach	Inappropriate content
Instant help	Makes students lazy

I/C

Best social networking sites for students

Brainly
ClassHook
Classloom
Wikispaces Classroom
Edmodo
Edublog
Liptick
edWeb
Flipgrid
TED-Ed

Advantages Of Social Media For Students

Exposure

Students have realized the importance of honing their creative talents and using them in their daily lives in recent years. Previously, even brilliant students found it difficult to demonstrate their abilities to the outside world.

Several social media sites now allow skilled professionals to showcase their abilities and enhance their talents with feedback, resulting in additional chances shortly.

If you work wholeheartedly, you might leave a mark on the minds of people. This will, in turn, help you in your future to get the best opportunities that suit you.

Helps In Learning

The advent of social media has been a godsend to students and young professionals, allowing them to learn about a variety of topics in an entertaining manner.

Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook are the most popular channels for student learning, particularly in video format. Furthermore, when students utilize Facebook and Instagram correctly, they can exchange information and learn something new every day.

One of the most remarkable benefits of social media for students is group conversation on social media.

Creates Network

Since the coronavirus pandemic, most students and young professionals have recognized the value of expanding their network through various social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Students can also participate in other games and contests.

They can also take part in webinars across the world. Participating in these activities helps students develop soft skills such as communication, cooperation, networking, critical thinking, professionalism, and confidence. It prepares the students for the real world.

Employment Opportunities

In today’s world, social networking has become the go-to medium for freshers and recent graduates looking for work. This strategy has supplanted the conventional method of finding employment through newspaper and job portal searches.

The most famous platform is LinkedIn. Several organizations utilize their social media profiles and social media group conversations to publicize job opportunities. Another advantage is that you may showcase your talents in a portfolio.

Increases Collaboration

Participating in class in front of a big group of people you don’t know might be scary. Many shy students remain silent during class arguments because they are embarrassed to stand up in front of a crowd.

Students’ reluctance to share their ideas and opinions on topics is reduced through social media. Teachers and students are astounded by how some ordinarily quiet pupils become involved in an online meeting.

Distance Learning

Social media is an important component that facilitates distance learning. When physical learning is not possible, education may still be carried out with the help of social media. Students can learn in the privacy of their own homes.

This is also a significant advantage for international students or students from other countries as it means less headache for them, i.e., travel and lodging expenses. Students will no longer need to meet up unless it’s necessary.

Facilitates Teaching

Verbal teamwork between students and teachers is essential. Teaching and learning will be challenging if effective communication is not provided.

Students use the internet to communicate with friends, family, and teachers too. It encourages students to be active participants rather than just recipients of the information.

Smooth Flow Of Information

If students have any doubts, the teachers may easily clear their doubts and post solutions at any moment. Thus, knowledge and information flow freely throughout the whole class.

Everyone will have access to the teacher’s information and the concerns raised by the students. One of the platforms is Google Classroom. It gained popularity during the coronavirus pandemic.

Global Reach

Students benefit greatly from social media since it allows them to communicate with individuals worldwide. They learn about different races and cultures that exist across the world.

They learn about their cuisines, lifestyle, rituals, and work culture. Students can pursue courses offered by colleges throughout the world online. This can make them aware of their shortcomings so that they can work on them.

Informative

Social media give a plethora of online content that kids are more likely to read. Online comments, news, articles, and eBooks provide an infinite supply of material to read.

The majority of the students readily read the articles that are available online rather than reading newspapers. Thus, the stuff that is available online is somehow preferable to the students.

Also, students exchange ideas, thoughts, recommendations, projects, study materials, and other important information. They share useful knowledge for lessons and exams.

Instant Help

You can get advice and help from the online community by sharing your troubles and challenges. There are many groups created on many social media platforms like Facebook and Telegram that guide students who are preparing for exams like SAT, LSAT, ACT, etc.

Apart from the benefits mentioned above, social media networking sites are utilized for more than just exchanging photographs and videos. Social media has been essential in increasing campus motivation and raising awareness about education.

Improves Reading Skills

Online material contains eye-catching graphics that keep the students involved. It fascinatingly presents the information. It assists students in developing better reading habits, eventually enhancing their writing skills.

Keeps The Students Updated

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram keep students up to speed on the lives of their loved ones and other trending topics from around the world. These platforms create awareness about the happenings around them.

Merely browsing the news stream will allow you to get a preview of employment vacancies, new technological advances, entertainment, and global news updates.

Helps Connect People With Similar Interests

Social media provides students with a platform to meet people with the same interests, hobbies, political and religious beliefs, etc. They can form groups online to help them discuss trending topics, help each other, and do stuff related to their field of interest.

Facilitates Research

If you are a student working on a project or assignment, social media may help you obtain knowledge and create helpful content for study.

Social media provides students with an excellent platform for gathering data. You can learn how individuals perceive and advise on specific topics or how professionals perceive and advise on specific issues.

Keeps The Parents Informed

Every parent wants to participate in their children’s education. They want to be kept up to speed on school-related activities, initiatives, and events.

Parents also prefer to contact teachers if they want to share and learn about their child’s progress in their studies or participation in extra-curricular activities.

A social network for parents may be created to help keep up with the latest on school issues. Parents’ engagement boosts students’ awareness of their academics, which improves their performance.

Disadvantages Of Social Media For Students

Can Be Time-Consuming

Time management skills are crucial for students in the classroom. Punctuality is one of the most important virtues that are taught in school. However, social media definitely leads to poor time management because students stay glued to the platforms without completing the tasks in hand.

Distractive

According to research, social media distraction in the classroom affects college students’ ability to learn visually but not auditorily. The article appears in Advances in Physiology Education. Social media breaks the concentration streak of the students, which in turn prevents them from achieving their goals.

I/C:

How to safely use social media

Make sure not to publish personal information.
Keep a record of anything abusive and report them immediately.
Be aware of offers that seem too good to be true.
Avoid meeting strangers you meet online.
Take care of copyright agreement while posting online.

Cyberbullying

Social media might be utilized as a venue for cyberbullying since it allows users to remain anonymous. Attackers frequently set up phony profiles on social media to harm or take advantage of others.

Bullies frequently use nasty words to attack students, especially teens. The pupils may experience anxiety, sadness, stress, and other mental health issues as a result of this often.

Can Make Or Break Someone’s Reputation

Simply by fabricating a bogus tale and promoting it online, social media may rapidly harm someone’s reputation.

Addictive

Excessive usage of social media after a certain point will result in addiction. Many teenagers are unable to focus their attention during courses after beginning to use social media.

The addiction level may eventually reach a point where it causes diversion from studying. Students are constantly squandering time, looking through their newsfeeds and writing posts.

Health Issues

Students that use social media excessively often, like the majority of users, frequently experience several health issues. Obesity is one of the common issues. Students forego their sleep to use social media.

This may cause a variety of sleeping difficulties, which may have additional harmful effects. Also, students try to maintain a different personality on their social media profiles.

They keep trying to show off that they have a better life than reality. This could be disturbing for both the sender and the recipient.

Detachment From Reality

While it is true that social media facilitates the development of long-distance connections, it may also have a detrimental effect on the relationships of the users’ immediate family members. It detaches them from reality.

They get so soaked up in the virtual world that they forget to socialize with their family members and friends.

Facilitates Criminal Acts

Students are influenced by social media to engage in fraudulent behavior. Many videos are floating over the internet that gives out the message that being out of line is cool and funny.

Internet scams have led to the victimization of numerous students, which also bars them from attending school.

Social media has led some kids to defraud other students, teachers, or bystanders, which in turn has caused these students to lose concentration in their academic work and drop out.

Glamourizes Intoxicants

Social media is not the only platform that glorifies drugs and alcohol. If students start following children who use drugs and drink, social media platforms might become dangerous. It ultimately encourages further kids to do the same.

Inappropriate Content

Certain social media content might not be suitable for students. Students, specifically young teenagers, are mistakenly or purposely exposed to inappropriate material. It could also be pornography.

It may now be seen when playing games or navigating through a newsfeed. The pupils could eventually have mental instability. Parents must keep an eye out for their children.

Makes The Students Lazy

Due to their preference for staying at home and copying and pasting the viewpoints of other people than going to the library to gather information, do research, and form their own opinions on a topic or topic of debate, students are becoming lazier and lazier.