Can you imagine the current world without a platform where you can freely express yourself or get in touch with your loved ones constantly without having to worry about the time of the day. The social media has become a basic need to the current generation and every sphere of life is attached to it. Studies show that at least one in every four people all over the world uses one of the many available social networking sites. Studies indicate that more than 63% of U.S. citizens use Facebook daily while over 40% use it several times a day (MediLexicon International Limited, 2015). Despite the many positive effects that social media can have on individuals, businesses and politics, social media however also have many negative effects on peoples social life, education and behavior.
There are clear indications from different studies that social media can affect education negatively to a great extend. Education needs a lot of undivided attention from students or learners in order for them to understand and internalize fully what they are being thought. For this to be effective, students should only focus on one thing at a time and not multitask. According to Carr (2010) any form of distraction e.g. from the emails we receive or messages from social media networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook causes division in our attention. As a result, our concentration becomes lowered and we then pay less attention hence we cannot understand compound concepts and ideas that are presented.
It can therefore be concluded that our understanding of new complex thoughts is more enhanced when our attention is focused one thing without any form of distraction. Our memories are made in a manner that we will only be able to internalize new ideas if we can effectively relate the information that we are being given with what we already know. Conclusively, social media affect education negatively by causing unnecessary distraction to students which leads to division of their attention resulting in less understanding. Students should therefore avoid using social networking sites during their class and study time.
Works Cited
MediLexicon International Limited. "Social media: how does it affect our mental health and well-being? - Medical News Today." N.p., 2015. Web. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275361.php>.
Nicholas Carr. "Does the Internet Make You Dumber? - WSJ." N.p., 2010. Web. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704025304575284981644790098>.
