Social media has turned out to be rampant, impacting the social fabric of today society and transforming the way of social relationships. It has transformed the manner people communicate, socialize and interact. New technologies aids facilitate and offer flexibility in communicating and allocating resources. This innovative technique for consuming and creating information is particularly attractive to youths as a tool and room for activities not probable in the face-to-face setting. Nevertheless, improper use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter by college students has called for a debate over whether or not it has revolutionized the structure and shape of pupil' academic practices and social behavior, and, therefore, caused top educationalists to redefine their understanding of study dynamics and interactive communication.
Importance of the Study
This area of study is significant because socially is a primary theme is employing forms of social media. As this social media phenomenon is progressing to develop as a fast rapid pace, it is vital to understand the consequences it has on an individual communication. Online networks provide a direct approach to converse with friends and get friends feedback, also, which may sway a young adult's self-image (Fang, 2015). For instance, Facebook is used mainly by students to sustain relationships with persons they are familiar with who reside near and away. Facebook simplifies conversation with several people simultaneously. The Internet can also make it easier for students to monitor practices of individuals they have not met for some time in addition to reconnecting with new and old peers (as cited in Gershon, 2010, p. 128).
Theoretical Framework
According to Fang (2015), there have been multiple revolutions during the past century, for example, delayed marriage parenting that has transformed the teenage and early adulthood stages into a further transitional period. Emergent adulthood has grown into a more modern stage of development for people during their late adolescence and early twenties. Emerging adulthood, which is the ages 18-25, is a grouping of late teens and early adulthood stages. It is a time in which persons are attempting to determine a sense of self-esteem while exploring probabilities of love, job, and world opinions (Li, 2012). Identity formation takes place during the evolving adulthood since young adults are thinking about who they are as an individual. Because this is a period of exploration and evolution, persons may look for peer views to help nurture their self-identity (Corres, 2014).
Emerging adults utilize social media communication techniques as they make endless choices for themselves. Social media enables a channel for identity exploration to happen via peer feedback and strengthening interactions. The objective of this study is to evaluate social media use among students and how it impacts communication with others and their self-concept (Kushin & Yamamoto, 2010).
Communication Skills through Social Networks
For many people, it is now a daily trend to communicate with friends online since it is easier, more convenient, and affordable instead of traditional communication methods mostly for schoolchildren. Pupils these days use at least one type of social networking website. The escalating popularity and widespread use of social media have enabled students who use it as part of the class to feel more associated with their peers than that student who does not use social media. Even though they did interact by sharing information, most of their time are spent on viewing information without communicating in any way. Vesting the socialization and forming their self-identity remains one approaches the peers use to open up so as to distinguish between what others think of them (Fang, 2015).
On the contrary, no uncertainty using internet technology occasionally may be linked to poorer academic and other impacts (Panek, 2013). There can be outcomes in social media interaction due to the limited context accessible. Even though particular uses of online technology may inculcate negatively, contribution in social media may create a more communicative and collaborative learning environment for students by offering opportunities for interactions and discussion with their peers (Li, 2012).
Self-Concept and Social Media
As social media offers a simple means to receive feedback and interact with friends, young adult's attitude of themselves may be affected by using social media platforms (Mihailidis, 2014). Social media networks empower users to play an active role in their socialization course and in building their self-identity. As a result of digital technology, users may disclose considerable information regarding themselves and their peers. This self-disclosure is a means to open up their identities of how they require others to see them. Intimate self-disclosures aids generate greater intimacy online communication than face-to-face contacts. Creating an attractive profile for others to like is a way to enhance self-concept (Holt & Sanson, 2013).
Extent of Use of Social Media
Consistent with Kirsh (2014) survey, approximately 58% of social media users are 18-29 of age and have created a personal profile on several media sites. Most participants spent about 30 minutes daily socializing, in particular in the evening hours. More than 50% of university students use social website multiple times every day. Younger scholars also tend to use Facebook more often than older scholars to continue interacting with friends from high school. On the gender basis, women are more probable to create a personal profile on Facebook; on the contrary, men are more probable than women to maintain a profile on LinkedIn (Matzat & Vrieling, 2015).
Conclusion
Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook create new methods of communication with family and friends and similarly affect person’s self-concept. Social media websites likewise provide innovative and new ways to interact with other persons in a quick and easier way. As well, individuals are using social networks sites at rising rates and viewing them regularly.
References
Corres, J. (2014). The Relationship Among Social Anxiety, Self-consciousness, and Friendships in College Students. PsycEXTRA . Retrieved May 16, 2011.
Fang, L. (2015). Do College Students Benefit from Their Social Network Experience? Human Behavior, Psychology, and Social Interaction in the Digital Era, 259-278. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
Gershon, I. (2010). The breakup 2.0: Disconnecting over innovative media. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Holt, J., & Sanson, K. (2013). Connected Viewing: Selling, Streaming, and Sharing media within the digital era. New York, US.
Kirsh, S. J. (2014). Children, adolescents, and media abuse: A critical look at the study. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Kushin, M. J., & Yamamoto, M. (2010). Did Social Media Matter? College Students' Use of Online Networks and Political Decision Making in the 2008 Election. Mass Communication and Society, 13(5), 608-630. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
Li, T. (2012). The relationship between social support, self-concept and academic attainment of students in a Cheung Chau secondary school. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
Matzat, U., & Vrieling, E. (2015). Self-regulated learning and social media – a ‘natural alliance’? Evidence on students’ self-regulation of learning, social media use, and student–teacher relationship. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 73-99.
Mihailidis, P. (2014). The civic-social interaction disconnect: Exploring perceptions of social media for engagement in the daily life of college students. Information, Communication & Society, 17(9), 1059-1071. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
Panek, E. (2013). Left to Their Own Devices: College Students' "Guilty Pleasure" Media Use and Time Management. Communication Research, 41(4), 561-577. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
