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by Lori Wade

There's no denying that, ever since social networks and social media made way into our lives, everything is different. Beginning with the way we socialize, interact, plan for parties or even how often we go out. We won't go into a debate regarding the ethical aspects of the way Social Media is influencing our lives. Instead, this article proposes to focus on the numerous ways in which social media is changing the way the education system works. So, stay tuned to find out what effects does social networking have on the way our children are educated both at school and outside of it.

Empowering Effects
Starting from elementary school up until university graduation, social media has the role to empower parents, students and teachers to use new ways of sharing information and build a community. Statistics show that 96% of the students that have internet access are using at least one social network. What's even more extraordinary is that, even though some of the students use the social networks for entertaining and other purposes, there are a lot of them that actually use it to promote a lot of positive and useful activities. From finding a summer internship, promoting a success story about how to win the student-loan battle or collaborate on international projects, everything is made possible.

Implementation in Schools?
When it comes to social media, schools tend to adopt different positions. It's a general consensus that they're useful when it comes to sharing information or organizing the school tasks. And at the same time, the social networking is blamed for the lack of attention in students during classes.

But an increasing trend of adopting social media in school is starting to show. And since students already devote a lot of time for social media and connecting with others outside school hours, why not do it during school as well?

It's a matter of practicability, really, because it makes perfect sense to use the online universe to communicate with your students since they're already there most of the time. There's no need for another case study about the usage of social media in schools. You simply need to walk through the hallways of any school or colleague to see kids of all ages totally immersed in their smartphones. Browsing their news feed, sharing photos on Instagram of sending Snapchat messages has become a part of their daily routine.

How Can Teachers Penetrate the Online World?
Moodle and Blackboard are just two examples of learning management system that involves online learning for more than 10 years now. Slowly but steady, such systems will lead to the actual implementation of social media within classrooms. And the best tool available for teachers is social media itself. Only by being open-minded and using the technology themselves will they be able to really reach out to students.

" The best teachers I've ever had have used technology to enhance the learning process, including Facebook pages and events for upcoming projects" - Katie Benmar, Freshman

As the above statement emphasizes, students also react very positively when a teacher is willing to use their methods and adapt them as part of the educational process. And it makes perfect sense since a homework has a certain strictness about it, but an online chat discussing a certain book gives students the ability to open up and share their opinions.

Daring Teachers
Of course, the examples of teachers already implementing social media in classes are far numerous that we can know of, however, there are a few that did such a great job that their students almost made them viral. For example, a biology teacher from Bergen County proposed a challenge to his students. They had to debate over the subject of meiosis on Twitter by using a specific hashtag. This is a great opportunity for students to have fun and learn at the same time. As you need to know your meiosis in order to compress it into 140 characters.

" We live in a digital ecosystem, and it is vital that educational institutions adapt "

Carla Dawson - Digital Marketing Professor at the Catholic University of Cordoba

Professor Dawson really has a valid point there as history showed us all that, no matter how strong the resistance, technological progress and new trends will eventually become a standard. Of course, this applies to developed countries that already have a well-structured traditional educational system. It's a totally different situation when it comes to developing countries that are still struggling to find their way.

A Stronger Community Through Social Media
The benefits of social media in the education process doesn't have to stop at the teacher-student relationship. There are a lot of other benefits that can be extracted from the use of social networking at higher levels as well. For example, principals or administrators can find a new way to integrate social media. Like sharing school news via social networks, holding online meeting with the parents or even starting fundraising for different projects.

And social media can quickly become the only channel of communication since we're living fast-paced lives, parents are usually busy with work and cannot attend school meetings. But this doesn't mean they shouldn't be in touch with events or be able to check on their kids every once in awhile. Just like in every other field, communication is vital and if it can be done easily with the help of social media, why not go for it?

It may not be criteria just yet, but soon enough questions like 'Does this school have a Facebook page?' could become just as important as the things that parents are asking right now. Like, how well equipped the library is or what are the optional classes their child can be part of.

Conclusions
The bottom line is that social media is a big part of our day to day life and there's no point of keeping it away from the education process. School, college and university staff should be encouraged to make use of technology for student and parent communication. This could easily turn into an argumentative essay topic for college. But the benefits are obvious, starting with healthier parent-teacher relationships and all the way to permanently changing the way our children will learn.
Lori Wade is a content writer who is interested in a wide range of spheres from education and online marketing to entrepreneurship. She is also an aspiring tutor striving to bring education to another level like we all do. If you are interested in writing, you can find her on Twitter or Google+ or find her on other social media. Read and take over Lori's useful insights!

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How Social Media is Reshaping Today's Education System - Center for Social Impact Communication

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by Lori Wade There's no denying that, ever since social networks and social media made way into our lives, everything is different. Beginning with the way we socialize, interact, plan for parties or even how often we go out. We won't go into a debate regarding the ethical aspects of the way Social Media is influencing our lives.

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University of San Diego - Professional & Continuing Education

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Since gaining widespread popularity in the early 2010s, social media has been a controversial topic when it comes to using it for education. However, many educators are now embracing social media as a teaching tool with a wide array of benefits for learning.

From parent-teacher communications to organizing group projects to developing digital literacy, social media has the potential to enhance the curriculum at any grade level - provided it is used responsibly. Here, we'll explore eight platforms and five possible uses for social media in the classroom, plus some best practices for keeping it a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
How Social Media is Reshaping Education Pros & Cons of Social Media for Students 8 Ways Teachers Can Use Social Media in the Classroom 5 Social Media Lesson Ideas to Try FAQs About Social Media in Education
How Social Media is Reshaping Education

As around 60% of the world's population knows, social media can be an effective way to share news, find communities, build social networks and disseminate information instantly to a broad audience. According to Pew Research, 95% of American teens use at least one social media platform - so it makes sense that educators would seek to engage their students using technology they already interact with daily.

Teachers can use social media to organize group projects, communicate with students outside of class, share resources, and much more. Social media also has the potential to connect schools to the wider community for purposes including:

Sharing school news

Promoting school events

Holding virtual town hall meetings

Advertising fundraising initiatives

Sending out emergency alerts

Since 90% of U.S. adults are also on social media (and many likely access it on their phones), it is an incredibly useful medium for sending real-time communications to parents and guardians of school-aged children.

Pros & Cons of Social Media for Students

Of course, a tool as powerful as social media requires its users to exercise great responsibility to maintain a respectful, safe online environment. Teachers and students should be clear on both the benefits and risks before using these tools for educational purposes.
Benefits of social media in the classroom:

Real-time communications can increase student engagement, collaboration, communication and overall participation.

Many students may find it easier to participate in online discussions than in the classroom.

Students can easily ask each other or their teacher questions about assignments outside of class.

Students and teachers can quickly share helpful resources at any time.

Teachers can easily share announcements with the entire class.

Social media can provide a contingency plan for last-minute remote learning scenarios.

Students can organize school events with each other or with the help of a teacher.

Teachers can augment an online-only class by establishing a social media page or account strictly for building community.

Students can practice using social platforms responsibly, including maintaining a respectful online discourse.

Parents can stay informed of school news via a convenient, easily accessible platform.

Teachers can communicate directly with parents as needed, especially if parents cannot attend an in-person meeting.

Educators can build and enhance their own tech literacy skills to add to their portfolios.

Most, if not all, social media platforms are free.

Downsides of using social media in the classroom:

Social media can be a major distraction in class, especially if students are accessing their personal accounts independently. Private side conversations, off-topic activities and mindless scrolling can all happen when students are granted in-class internet access.

If students primarily use social platforms to participate in class discussions, they can miss out on practicing face-to-face conversations and respectful in-person discourse.

Some students may see social media assignments as an opportunity to cyberbully their classmates, so it's critical that teachers set firm ground rules about responsible social media use.

There is always a risk of a group member posting inappropriate content or language, since it is difficult to manage how students use social media platforms independently. Teachers must be responsible and attentive administrators to prevent and address inappropriate behavior.

8 Ways Teachers Can Use Social Media in the Classroom
Facebook
While fewer school-aged young people are using Facebook today (about 32%, Pew finds), it can still be a useful tool for maintaining an online community, posting updates, sharing links and asking questions. Facebook can be used to organize specific projects, communicate with classes, form student clubs, plan events and more. The instant group chat function can facilitate real-time discussions, and Facebook Live enables teachers to lead virtual lessons, stream lectures and hold Q&A sessions. As administrators, teachers can set Facebook groups to private or invite-only to maintain a safe space for students.
Twitter
Twitter can serve as more of a bite-sized message board where teachers can post short project updates, announcements, links to helpful resources or answer students' questions. The platform can also serve as the basis for lessons in using concise language, since each post is limited to 280 characters - a valuable skill for both essay writing and future professional communications. Teachers can create dedicated handles or hashtags for each of their classes and invite both students and their guardians to follow along.
Blogs
Blog posts provide another way for students to practice their essay writing, an increasingly important skill for higher grade levels. Instead of maintaining physical reading journals, students can submit weekly blog posts with their reflections and responses to assigned readings. Teachers can also use blogs to communicate project instructions during remote learning days or vacations and even write up a semester report for parents and guardians to review.
Pinterest
This is an excellent tool for sharing visual resources like infographics, artistic inspiration, tutorials or examples of finished projects. Many teachers use Pinterest to collect and organize their own lesson ideas, so creating a board (or several) where students can pin their own resources encourages collaboration and learning ownership. While students of all ages respond well to visuals, Pinterest may be particularly popular with younger students who are still practicing their reading skills.
Instagram
Another great visual platform, Instagram can be useful for teachers to share updates, for administrators to post announcements and for students to post project results or follow accounts that are relevant to course content. Teachers can create class-specific accounts where they post assignments, instructions, resources, updates, and more.
Reddit
This online community provides a space for anyone to unite around any interest imaginable - from fitness to classic film trivia to poetry. Reddit has a bit of an "anything goes" reputation for its lax posting guidelines, but moderators are typically on hand to mitigate any inappropriate or improper use of the platform. There's a subreddit for every academic subject, so students can peruse threads for project research (while still verifying any information therein) and even post their own questions for the Reddit community to discuss.
YouTube
Similar to Reddit, YouTube hosts video resources on any topic under the sun. Teachers can easily share educational videos, tutorials and any other type of video content. YouTube is also a great hosting platform for video projects, where students can upload finished videos for their teachers, classmates and guardians to watch on a private class channel.
LinkedIn
This professional networking platform is mostly used by people in the post-school workforce, so high school students may not even be aware of it yet. However, whether they decide to attend college or not, learning how to market their skills and build a professional network can help students navigate the job market after graduation. LinkedIn is also a great place to find articles and other resources to help young professionals build their industry knowledge and skills.

5 Social Media Lesson Ideas to Try

The ideas in this section are merely suggestions for unique ways to use social media in the classroom - but the internet is your and your students' playground! Use these ideas as jumping-off points for your own social media-based lessons.

1. Use blogs to chart learning progress. Blogs can be useful tools for language learning, whether that's practicing how to craft a five-paragraph essay or improving one's French writing skills. But this long-form writing platform can also be used to track students' progress in any subject. For example, have chemistry students write biweekly posts summarizing everything they've learned in class, and ask them to revisit and write about certain topics once a semester to practice knowledge retrieval. These posts can also serve as test prep and reminders of any concepts students may need to review.

2. Use Instagram or TikTok for visual responses.
Most social media platforms popular with young people are visual-based, meaning they rely on images and videos to convey information. Writing skills are essential for school, but sometimes it's easier (and more fun) for students to engage with their learning using formats they're more comfortable with. Instead of a written response to a textbook chapter, have students react using an appropriate TikTok trend. If students are required to show their work, ask them to create an Instagram carousel or Reel of their process and post it to a class-specific account.

3. Use Twitter to illustrate the dangers of misinformation.
Learning to find and cite accurate sources is a key skill for students, especially at higher grade levels. Unfortunately, misinformation is easy to encounter on social media, where anyone can make a claim or spread false information without providing a source. Show students an inaccurate tweet or other social post and ask them to verify or debunk its claims. Have them document their research process and cite the sources they used to fact-check the post.

4. Use LinkedIn to help older students craft their resumes.
Marketing themselves in a professional sense isn't always a skill young people learn in school, but it's a skill that proves useful for nearly every adult. Have students use LinkedIn to craft a professional objective, organize and explain their work and educational experiences, ask for recommendations and start making connections with potential mentors and employers.

Best Practices for Social Media in Education

For many young people, social media is a part of their (and their parents') everyday lives. Chances are, if a teacher chooses to incorporate social media into a lesson, many students will already be familiar with the platform and how to use it. Since students may be accustomed to using social media outside of an educational context, it's crucial that teachers set ground rules and expectations for the appropriate use of these tools.

The following are some best practices that will keep social media a safe and productive place for students and their teachers:

Set professional boundaries: Many teachers also likely have personal social media accounts, so when using these platforms for lessons, it's best to create an entirely new account dedicated solely to academics. Keep accounts private and invitation-only so that no one besides students and their parents can access the content. No one, teachers included, should be posting anything about their personal lives or content that is unrelated to the course. Invite students to create new user accounts as well to avoid mixing their personal and academic business.

Prioritize increasing digital literacy: Generations of digital natives (including today's school-aged children and many of their parents) have likely already been practicing online etiquette, but it never hurts to review both practical and appropriate ways to use social media. Remind students that anything they post online has the potential to exist forever, which becomes especially important as they begin to apply to colleges and search for jobs. Students should conduct themselves online just as they are expected to in school.

Promote student achievements: You and your students put in a lot of work during the school year - share your accomplishments with the community! If your school has a public social media account, provide the account manager with information about your class's latest project or an upcoming showcase so members of the community can see what students have been up to. Not only does this give students an opportunity to show off their work, but it also serves as promotional information for anyone considering enrolling their own children in the school.

Manage multiple accounts from the same place: If you manage multiple accounts for one or more classes, use a tool like Hootsuite or Facebook Publishing (which integrates Facebook and Instagram) to draft and schedule posts for multiple platforms at once. This is especially helpful when students and parents need the same information, but each group predominantly uses a different platform.

Part of a teacher's job is to never stop learning, whether it's about the subject matter they teach, new educational tools or innovative ways to engage students. The University of San Diego offers multiple courses for educators in the Professional and Continuing Education program, including classes covering educational technology, digital literacy, equity in the classroom and more. USD also offers certificate programs that focus on specific aspects of education, so that teachers can build a suite of skills in areas like STEAM education or supporting English language learners.

For a full range of USD courses available through the PCE program, explore all course offerings here.

FAQs About Social Media in Education

How can I ensure students' safety on social media?

To protect students' privacy, keep all class-related social media accounts private or invitation-only and encourage them to set their own accounts to private or create new class-specific profiles. Review proper online etiquette and behavior with students and establish firm consequences for cyberbullying. As a teacher, it's critical to maintain professional boundaries online, so avoid discussing or posting anything personal on school social media accounts. You may even want to grant access to students' parents so they can monitor how their children are using these spaces.

How can I use TikTok in my lessons?

According to Pew Research, 67% of U.S. teens use TikTok, with 16% on the app almost constantly. Since so many students already gather in this digital space, teachers can engage them by creatively incorporating it into lessons. Ask students to film reactions to course content using TikTok trends, conduct research via subject matter experts' posts, or create response videos in place of traditional project reports.

Which social media platform is best for communicating with parents?

It depends on what kinds of content you want to share and which platforms parents and guardians are comfortable using. At the beginning of each school year, send out a survey asking parents to indicate their preferred social media platform, then use the top two results for parent-facing communications. With so many people on multiple social media platforms, it's best not to limit school news to just one; fortunately, managing multiple accounts at once is simple with social media management tools like Hootsuite and Facebook Publishing.

5 REASONS WHY CONTINUING EDUCATION MATTERS FOR EDUCATORS

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Curriculum covered in this article

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Social Media in Education: 13 Ideas for the Classroom

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Social media in education can be a powerful learning tool if used responsibly. Find tips and best practices for using social media in the classroom here.

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In today's digital era, we can see many educational institutions adapting social media developments into their systems to improve students' life. The use of social media in education enables students, teachers, and parents to get helpful information easily, connect with other learning groups, and understand other educational systems. And all these are reasons why social media plays a key role in making education convenient these days.

This is why educators who see the value in social media have begun to embrace it and use its many benefits fully. This article will explore using social media in education and how it may benefit student's learning experiences and lives. So, without further ado, let's jump right in!

How Does Social Media Help in Education?

Due to students' familiarity with several platforms, integrating technology into the classroom has never been simpler. Some of the numerous ways that social media may be used in the classroom are to disseminate notifications and give live lectures to the students.

Using social media for communication, question-and-answer sessions, and grading and commenting on student work might be beneficial for teachers, parents, and students. In addition, students might get experience with distant cooperation thanks to the use of social media. Students in today's increasingly digital society must have the ability to thrive independently and adapt quickly to new contexts.

Although there are many things to think about before bringing social media into the classroom, we know that doing so will help pupils develop more sophisticated technological abilities.

Top Benefits of Social Media in Education

Here are some of the top benefits of social media that describe its important role in education;

1. Helps in learning actively rather than passively

Utilizing social media for educational purposes has several advantages, one of which is increased student engagement. Using social media, students can participate in active rather than passive learning. By writing comments on other people's articles, seeing live streaming, or completing quizzes, students may connect with the material and different knowledgeable people.

This improves the understanding of the subject and makes it more appealing by allowing the students to access content tailored to their unique areas of interest.

2. Helps in Gaining access to many educational resources

The Pandemic has simplified online education since YouTube is now many students' gateway to online education. Students may now access several courses and lectures from the comfort of their own homes. In addition, due to the accessibility of social media, students have access to a variety of materials.

Many individuals now live-stream their lectures on other websites, allowing students to acquire diverse knowledge. In addition, it enhances their understanding of the topic. They may even communicate with field experts to resolve their questions.

3. Helps in Developing good communication skills

Students' ability to communicate may improve or worsen as a result of their usage of social media. Professional educators generally agree that students' everyday social media usage is erasing boundaries between school and home. However, communicating effectively involves much more than just sitting in a classroom.

Many students find that the act of blogging, texting, or tweeting itself boosts their self-esteem. Students may feel more empowered when allowed to express themselves via these mediums. In addition, they have a powerful medium for spreading their ideas to others.

4. Helps in connecting and collaborating outside the classroom

Education and online social networks are a natural fit if you want to interact with others and work together outside a traditional classroom setting. Students may get insight from

one another by participating in online discussion groups and forums. They may interact with peers from all around the globe to gain comments, ask questions, and initiate debates.

Students may even attend conferences from different parts of the world. Video conferencing technology makes this scenario feasible. Some schools actively promote student-student international collaboration on social media initiatives. Students may gain a deeper understanding of their peers' linguistic and cultural backgrounds, which can make them aware of the culture.

5. Makes building networks easy

Most schools have a presence on LinkedIn, which can be very helpful when building a network. Students can start networking after they graduate. They can make a profile on LinkedIn and start connecting with people and building relationships. One of the benefits of connections is the chance to find a mentor.

By the time they graduate, they can already have a network of contacts if they join relevant LinkedIn groups while still in school.

6. Provides credibility in the social domain

A rising number of secondary schools and colleges are providing students with the chance to communicate through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The school community now uses these platforms to keep students informed of critical news, facilitate fruitful conversations, and provide useful information to the students.

Social media makes it simpler for authorities to communicate with students. As a result, the institution comes in a stronger position to address the problems voiced by students with unique interests, and it helps in establishing a close bond with the student.

6. Keeps parents and teachers informed

Regarding practical benefits, social media makes it easy for parents and teachers to share information quickly. Teachers can share information with parents by making a private group for them. For example, they might talk about field trips, special events, school projects, etc. Teachers can post updates, share assignments, and even live stream meetings on a Facebook group for the parents.

Twitter is also a good place to quickly remind parents when assignments are due or share links to useful resources. Teachers can use a certain hashtag on Twitter to start chats. Parents may be on Twitter daily, so it's easy for them to find out how their kids are doing in school. Pinterest's virtual pinboards excel in both use and aesthetics. Parents may learn more about their children's interests, hobbies, and reading progress via engaging bulletin boards. As a result, they'll feel like they have a greater stake in their education.

7. Marketing platform for educational institutions

Social media is a great tool for educational institutions to reach prospective students. Educators may gain credibility as subject-matter authorities by participating in relevant online communities. Through their guidance, students may learn from genuine authorities. Schools may use social media to reach out to both present and potential students. By doing so, they will be able to address a wider range of student concerns and increase their level of participation and trust.

Institutions of higher learning might use encouraging and helpful blogs for their audience. Motivating kids to persevere in adversity is an ideal application of video content.

Conclusion

The success of collaboration may depend on how well people are educated and how well they use social media. In the last few decades, social media have become more popular as a free way to get and share information and ideas. Every social media platform can be used in various ways, from making it easier for parents and teachers to talk to each other and for students and professionals to work together across borders. In addition, teachers are increasingly using social media to help students learn and improve the classroom environment.

If some students do not use social media, they can receive assistance with their homework through AssignmentBro . In addition, they can hire a professional writer with education and expertise in management to do their assignments without any worries.

Q. Can I use social media while studying for exam preparation?

Social networking is one of the barriers that can keep you from studying. So, if you have an important test, it's best to avoid social media because it can waste your time and keep you from learning.

Q. Should I use social media as a student?

The best way to improve your social skills is by using social media. Thanks to the social media platform's attractive design, students are more inclined to interact and take note of one another's strengths and abilities. In addition, students learn to be more accepting of each other and make good connections with their peers through audio and video tools.

Q. How can social media affect a student?

Students who spend too much time on social media are at increased risk for various mental health problems, including sleeplessness, eye strain, body image difficulties, depression, anxiety, and cyberbullying.

Q. Does social media provide any benefits to students?

Social media allows students to express themselves online. It gives students the courage to express their opinions and advance their careers. In addition, social media enables students to communicate globally and helps them learn from peers and many others globally.

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The Role of Social Media in Education | SocialBu

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Learn how social media can be used to enhance the educational experience for students and educators. Get to know all about the role of social media in education.

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Teaching & Learning in the Age of Social Media

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Joeseph Cossette shares the advantages and challenges of teaching in the age of social media, utilizing his personal experiences to connect with students. Joe Cossette teaches Physics and Physical Science at Minnetonka High School. He enjoys designing experiences for students that challenge the mold of traditional education and spends much of his free time dreaming up science lyrics for popular songs.

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Hosts: Allison Beatty, Cat Olah, Dan Anderson

Guest: Matthew Duncan

On this episode of "Teaching with Technology", Allison, Cat, and Dan talk with Matt Duncan about the academic legitimacy of social media, how to integrate TikTok into the classroom, and how social media platforms affect our attention span. This episode will be of interest to social media users, skeptics, and instructors looking to utilize social media streams in research and teaching.

Note: We experienced some technical difficulties around the 35 minute mark. Alison and Dan summarize the missing conversation points and offer some second-hand insights.

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Episode 02: Social Media in the Classroom

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Hosts: Allison Beatty, Cat Olah, Dan Anderson Guest: Matthew Duncan On this episode of "Teaching with Technology", Allison, Cat, and Dan talk with Matt Duncan about the academic legitimacy of social media, how to integrate TikTok into the classroom, and how social media platforms affect our attention span.

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Amelie Zilber (@ameliezilber) Official | TikTok

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Amelie Zilber (@ameliezilber) on TikTok | 309.7M Likes. 6.7M Followers. Watch the latest video from Amelie Zilber (@ameliezilber).

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Abstract

The advent of technology in education has seen a revolutionary change in the teaching-learning process. Social media is one such invention which has a major impact on students' academic performance. This research analyzed the impact of social media on the academic performance of extraversion and introversion personality students. Further, the comparative study between these two personalities will be analysed on education level (postgraduate and undergraduate) and gender (male and female). The research was initiated by identifying the factors of social media impacting students' academic performance. Thereafter, the scale was developed, validated and tested for reliability in the Indian context. Data were collected from 408 students segregated into 202 males and 206 females. Two hundred and thirty-four students are enrolled in postgraduation courses, whereas 174 are registered in the undergraduate programme. One-way ANOVA has been employed to compare the extraversion and introversion students of different education levels and gender. A significant difference is identified between extraversion and introversion students for the impact of social media on their academic performance.

Keywords: Social networking sites, Academic performance, Social media, Personality traits, Education levels, Extraversion and introversion, Gender

Introduction

Social Networking Sites (SNS) gained instant popularity just after the invention and expansion of the Internet. Today, these sites are used the most to communicate and spread the message. The population on these social networking sites (SNS) has increased exponentially. Social networking sites (SNS) in general are called social media (Boyd & Ellison, 2008). Social media (SM) is used extensively to share content, initiate discussion, promote businesses and gain advantages over traditional media. Technology plays a vital role to make SM more robust by reducing security threats and increasing reliability (Stergiou et al., 2018).

As of January 2022, more than 4.95 billion people are using the Internet worldwide, and around 4.62 billion are active SM users (Johnson, 2022). In India, the number of Internet users was 680 million by January 2022, and there were 487 million active social media users (Basuray, 2022). According to Statista Research Department ( 2022), in India, SM is dominated by two social media sites, i.e. YouTube and Facebook. YouTube has 467 million users followed by Facebook with 329 million users.

Although almost all age groups are using SM platforms to interact and communicate with their known community (Whiting & Williams, 2013), it has been found that social media sites are more popular among youngsters and specifically among students. They use SM for personal as well as academic activities extensively (Laura et al., 2017). Other than SM, from the last two years, several online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet are preferred to organize any kind of virtual meetings, webinars and online classes. These platforms were used worldwide to share and disseminate knowledge across the defined user community during the pandemic. Social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and blogs are comparatively more open and used to communicate with public and/or private groups. Earlier these social media platforms were used only to connect with friends and family, but gradually these platforms became one of the essential learning tools for students (Park et al., 2009). To enhance the teaching-learning process, these social media sites are explored by all types of learning communities (Dzogbenuku et al., 2019). SM when used in academics has both advantages and disadvantages. Social media helps to improve academic performance, but it may also distract the students from studies and indulge them in other non-academic activities (Alshuaibi et al., 2018).

Here, it is important to understand that the personality traits of students, their education level and gender are critical constructs to determine academic performance. There are different personality traits of an individual such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and introversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (McCrae & Costa, 1987). This cross-functional research is an attempt to study the impact of social media on the academic performance of students while using extraversion and introversion personality traits, education levels and gender as moderating variables.

Literature Review

There has been a drastic change in the internet world due to the invention of social media sites in the last ten years. People of all age groups now share their stories, feelings, videos, pictures and all kinds of public stuff on social media platforms exponentially (Asur & Huberman, 2010). Youth, particularly from the age group of 16-24, embraced social media sites to connect with their friends and family, exchange information and showcase their social status (Boyd & Ellison, 2008). Social media sites have many advantages when used in academics. The fun element of social media sites always helps students to be connected with peers and teachers to gain knowledge (Amin et al., 2016). Social media also enhances the communication between teachers and students as this are no ambiguity and miscommunication from social media which eventually improves the academic performance of the students (Oueder & Abousaber, 2018).

When social media is used for educational purposes, it may improve academic performance, but some associated challenges also come along with it (Rithika & Selvaraj, 2013). If social media is incorporated into academics, students try to also use it for non-academic discussions (Arnold & Paulus, 2010). The primary reason for such distraction is its design as it is designed to be a social networking tool (Qiu et al., 2013). According to Englander et al. ( 2010), the usage of social media in academics has more disadvantages than advantages. Social media severely impacts the academic performance of a student. The addiction to social media is found more among the students of higher studies which ruins the academic excellence of an individual (Nalwa & Anand, 2003). Among the social media users, Facebook users' academic performance was worse than the nonusers or users of any other social media network. Facebook was found to be the major distraction among students (Kirschner & Karpinski, 2010). However, other studies report contrary findings and argued that students benefited from chatting (Jain et al., 2012), as it improves their vocabulary and writing skills (Yunus & Salehi, 2012). Social media can be used either to excel in academics or to devastate academics. It all depends on the way it is used by the students. The good or bad use of social media in academics is the users' decision because both the options are open to the students (Landry, 2014).

Kaplan and Haenlein ( 2010) defined social media as user-generated content shared on web 2.0. They have also classified social media into six categories:

1. Social Networking Sites: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram are the social networking sites where a user may create their profile and invite their friends to join. Users may communicate with each other by sharing common content.

2. Blogging Sites: Blogging sites are individual web pages where users may communicate and share their knowledge with the audience.

3. Content Communities and Groups: YouTube and Slideshare are examples of content communities where people may share media files such as pictures, audio and video and PPT presentations.

4. Gaming Sites: Users may virtually participate and enjoy the virtual games.

5. Virtual Worlds: During COVID-19, this type of social media was used the most. In the virtual world, users meet with each other at some decided virtual place and can do the pre-decided things together. For example, the teacher may decide on a virtual place of meeting, and students may connect there and continue their learning.

6. Collaborative Content Sites: Wikipedia is an example of a collaborative content site. It permits many users to work on the same project. Users have all rights to edit and add the new content to the published project.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are in trend since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Raja & Kallarakal, 2020). MOOCs courses are generally free, and anyone may enrol for them online. Many renowned institutions have their online courses on MOOCs platform which provides a flexible learning opportunity to the students. Students find them useful to enhance their knowledge base and also in career development. Many standalone universities have collaborated with the MOOCs platform and included these courses in their curriculum (Chen, 2013).

Security and privacy are the two major concerns associated with social media. Teachers are quite apprehensive in using social media for knowledge sharing due to the same concerns (Fedock et al., 2019). It was found that around 72% teachers were reluctant to use social media platforms due to integrity issues and around 63% teachers confirmed that security needs to be tightened before using social media in the classroom (Surface et al., 2014). Proper training on security and privacy, to use social media platforms in academics, is needed for students and teachers (Bhatnagar & Pry, 2020).

The personality traits of a student also play a significant role in deciding the impact of social media on students' academic performance. Personality is a dynamic organization which simplifies the way a person behaves in a situation (Phares, 1991). Human behaviour has further been described by many renowned researchers. According to Lubinski ( 2000), human behaviour may be divided into five factors, i.e. cognitive abilities, personality, social attitudes, psychological interests and psychopathology. These personality traits are very important characteristics of a human being and play a substantial role in work commitment (Macey & Schneider, 2008). Goldberg ( 1993) elaborated on five dimensions of personality which are commonly known as the Big Five personality traits. The traits are "openness vs. cautious"; "extraversion vs. introversion"; "agreeableness vs. rational"; "conscientiousness vs. careless"; and "neuroticism vs. resilient".

It has been found that among all personality traits, the "extraversion vs. introversion" personality trait has a greater impact on students' academic performance (Costa & McCrae, 1999). Extrovert students are outgoing, talkative and assertive (Chamorro et al., 2003). They are positive thinkers and comfortable working in a crowd. Introvert students are reserved and quiet. They prefer to be isolated and work in silos (Bidjerano & Dai, 2007). So, in the present study, we have considered only the "extraversion vs. introversion" personality trait. This study is going to analyse the impact of social media platforms on students' academic performance by taking the personality trait of extraversion and introversion as moderating variables along with their education level and gender.

Research Gap

Past research by Choney ( 2010), Karpinski and Duberstein ( 2009), Khan ( 2009) and Kubey et al. ( 2001) was done mostly in developed countries to analyse the impact of social media on the students' academic performance, effect of social media on adolescence, and addictiveness of social media in students. There are no published research studies where the impact of social media was studied on students' academic performance by taking their personality traits, education level and gender all three together into consideration. So, in the present study, the impact of social media will be evaluated on students' academic performance by taking their personality traits (extraversion and introversion), education level (undergraduate and postgraduate) and gender (male and female) as moderating variables.

Objectives of the Study

Based on the literature review and research gap, the following research objectives have been defined:

1. To identify the elements of social media impacting student's academic performance and to develop a suitable scale

2. To test the validity and reliability of the scale

3. To analyse the impact of social media on students' academic performance using extraversion and introversion personality trait, education level and gender as moderating variables

Research Methodology

Sampling Technique

Convenience sampling was used for data collection. An online google form was floated to collect the responses from 408 male and female university students of undergraduation and postgraduation streams.

Measure

Objective 1 To identify the elements of social media impacting student's academic performance and to develop a suitable scale.

A structured questionnaire was employed to collect the responses from 408 students of undergraduate and postgraduate streams. The questionnaire was segregated into three sections. In section one, demographic details such as gender, age and education stream were defined. Section two contained the author's self-developed 16-item scale related to the impact of social media on the academic performance of students. The third section had a standardized scale developed by John and Srivastava ( 1999) of the Big Five personality model.

Demographics

There were 408 respondents (students) of different education levels consisting of 202 males (49.5%) and 206 females (50.5%). Most of the respondents (87%) were from the age group of 17-25 years. 234 respondents (57.4) were enrolled on postgraduation courses, whereas 174 respondents (42.6) were registered in the undergraduate programme. The result further elaborates that WhatsApp with 88.6% and YouTube with 82.9% are the top two commonly used platforms followed by Instagram with 76.7% and Facebook with 62.3% of students. 65% of students stated that Google doc is a quite useful and important application in academics for document creation and information dissemination.

Validity and Reliability of ﻿Scale

Objective 2 Scale validity and reliability.

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha test were used to investigate construct validity and reliability, respectively.

The author's self-designed scale of 'social media impacting students' academic performance' consisting of 16 items was validated using exploratory factor analysis. The principle component method with varimax rotation was applied to decrease the multicollinearity within the items. The initial eigenvalue was set to be greater than 1.0 (Field, 2005). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) with 0.795 and Bartlett's test of sphericity having significant values of 0.000 demonstrated the appropriateness of using exploratory factor analysis.

The result of exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha is shown in Table . According to Sharma and Behl ( 2020), "High loading on the same factor and no substantial cross-loading confirms convergent and discriminant validity respectively".

Table 1

Factors

Items retained in factor analysis

Factor loading

Accelerating impact

Eigenvalue: 3.275; Percentage of Variance: 20.472

Cronbach's alpha: 0.819

Deteriorating impact

Eigenvalue: 3.967; Percentage of Variance: 24.795

Cronbach's alpha: 0.876

Social media prospects

Eigenvalue: 1.416; Percentage of Variance: 8.851

Cronbach's alpha: 0.711

Social media challenges

Eigenvalue: 1.303; Percentage of Variance: 8.143

Cronbach's alpha: 0.701

Total variance: 62.260

The self-developed scale was segregated into four factors, namely "Accelerating Impact", "Deteriorating Impact", "Social Media Prospects" and "Social Media Challenges".

The first factor, i.e. "Accelerating Impact", contains items related to positive impact of social media on students' academic performance. Items in this construct determine the social media contribution in the grade improvement, communication and knowledge sharing. The second factor "Deteriorating Impact" describes the items which have a negative influence of social media on students' academic performance. Items such as addiction to social media and distraction from studies are an integral part of this factor. "Social Media Prospects" talk about the opportunities created by social media for students' communities. The last factor "Social Media Challenges" deals with security and privacy issues created by social media sites and the threat of cyberbullying which is rampant in academics.

The personality trait of an individual always influences the social media usage pattern. Therefore, the impact of social media on the academic performance of students may also change with their personality traits. To measure the personality traits, the Big Five personality model was used. This model consists of five personality traits, i.e. "openness vs. cautious"; "extraversion vs. introversion"; "agreeableness vs. rational"; "conscientiousness vs. careless"; and "neuroticism vs. resilient". To remain focussed on the scope of the study, only a single personality trait, i.e. "extraversion vs. introversion" with 6 items was considered for analysis. A reliability test of this existing scale using Cronbach's alpha was conducted. Prior to the reliability test, reverse scoring applicable to the associated items was also calculated. Table shows the reliability score, i.e. 0.829.

Table 2

Personality traits

Cronbach's alpha value

Extraversion vs. introversion

I see myself as someone who is talkative

0.829

I see myself as someone who is reserved and quiet

I see myself as someone who is full of energy and enthusiasm

I see myself as someone who has an assertive personality

I see myself as someone who is sometimes shy, self-conscious

I see myself as someone who is outgoing, sociable

Objective 3 To analyse the impact of social media on students' academic performance using extraversion and introversion personality traits, education level and gender as moderating variables.

The research model shown in Fig. 1 helps in addressing the above objective.

As mentioned in Fig. 1 , four dependent factors (Accelerating Impact, Deteriorating Impact, Social Media Prospects and Social Media Challenges) were derived from EFA and used for analysing the impact of social media on the academic performance of students having extraversion and introversion personality traits at different education levels and gender.

Students having a greater average score (more than three on a scale of five) for all personality items mentioned in Table are considered to be having extraversion personality or else introversion personality. From the valid dataset of 408 students, 226 students (55.4%) had extraversion personality trait and 182 (44.6%) had introversion personality trait. The one-way ANOVA analysis was employed to determine the impact of social media on academic performance for all three moderators, i.e. personality traits (Extraversion vs. Introversion), education levels (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) and gender (Male and Female). If the sig. value for the result is >  = 0.05, we may accept the null hypothesis, i.e. there is no significant difference between extraversion and introversion personality students for the moderators; otherwise, null hypothesis is rejected which means there is a significant difference for the moderators.

Table shows the comparison of the accelerating impact of social media on the academic performance of all students having extraversion and introversion personality traits. It also shows a comparative analysis on education level and gender for these two personality traits of students. In the first comparison of extraversion and introversion students, the sig. value is 0.001, which indicates that there is a significant difference among extraversion and introversion students for the "Accelerating Impact" of social media on academic performance. Here, 3.781 is the mean value for introversion students which is higher than the mean value 3.495 of extraversion students. It clearly specifies that the accelerating impact of social media is more prominent in the students having introversion personality traits. Introversion students experienced social media as the best tool to express thoughts and improve academic grades. The result is also consistent with the previous studies where introvert students are perceived to use social media to improve their academic performance (Amichai-Hamburger et al., 2002; Voorn & Kommers, 2013). Further at the education level, there was a significant difference in postgraduate as well as undergraduate students for the accelerating impact of social media on the academic performance among students with extraversion and introversion, and introverts seem to get better use of social media. The gender-wise significant difference was also analysed between extraversion and introversion personalities. Female introversion students were found to gain more of an accelerating impact of social media on their academic performance.

Like Table , the first section of Table compares the deteriorating impact of social media on the academic performance of all students having extraversion and introversion personality traits. Here, the sig. value 0.383 indicates no significant difference among extraversion and introversion students for the "Deteriorating Impact" of social media on academic performance. The mean values show the moderating deteriorating impact of social media on the academic performance of extraversion and introversion personality students. Unlimited use of social media due to the addiction is causing a distraction in academic performance, but the overall impact is not on the higher side. Further, at the education level, the sig. values 0.423 and 0.682 of postgraduate and undergraduate students, respectively, show no significant difference between extraversion and introversion students with respect to "Deteriorating Impact of Social Media Sites". The mean values again represent the moderate impact. Gender-wise, male students have no difference between the two personality traits, but at the same time, female students have a significant difference in the deteriorating impact, and it is more on extroverted female students.

The significant value, i.e. 0.82, in Table represents no significant difference between extraversion and introversion personality students for the social media prospects. The higher mean value of both personality students indicates that they are utilizing the opportunities of social media in the most appropriate manner. It seems that all the students are using social media for possible employment prospects, gaining knowledge by attending MOOCs courses and transferring knowledge among other classmates. At the education level, postgraduation students have no significant difference between extraversion and introversion for the social media prospects, but at the undergraduate level, there is a significant difference among both the personalities, and by looking at mean values, extroverted students gain more from the social media prospects. Gender-wise comparison of extraversion and introversion personality students found no significant difference in the social media prospects for male as well as female students.

Table shows the comparison of the social media challenges of all students having extraversion and introversion personality traits. It is also doing a comparative analysis on education level and gender for these two personality traits of students. All sig. values in Table represent no significant difference between extraversion and introversion personality students for social media challenges. Even at the education level and gender-wise comparison of the two personalities, no significant difference is derived. The higher mean values indicate that the threat of cyberbullying, security and privacy is the main concern areas for extraversion and introversion personality students. Cyberbullying is seen to be more particularly among female students (Snell & Englander, 2010).

Conclusion

The use of social media sites in academics is becoming popular among students and teachers. The improvement or deterioration in academic performance is influenced by the personality traits of an individual. This study has tried to analyse the impact of social media on the academic performance of extraversion and introversion personality students. This study has identified four factors of social media which have an impact on academic performance. These factors are: accelerating impact of social media; deteriorating impact of social media; social media prospects; and social media challenges.

Each of these factors has been used for comparative analysis of students having extraversion and introversion personality traits. Their education level and gender have also been used to understand the detailed impact between these two personality types. In the overall comparison, it has been discovered that both personalities (extraversion and introversion) have a significant difference for only one factor, i.e. "Accelerating Impact of Social Media Sites" where students with introversion benefited the most. At the education level, i.e. postgraduate and undergraduate, there was a significant difference between extraversion and introversion personalities for the first factor which is the accelerating impact of social media. Here, the introversion students were found to benefit in postgraduate as well as undergraduate courses. For the factors of deteriorating impact and social media challenges, there was no significant difference between extraversion and introversion personality type at the different education levels.

Surprisingly, for the first factor, i.e. the accelerating impact of social media, in gender-wise comparison, no significant difference was found between extraversion and introversion male students. Whereas a significant difference was found in female students. The same was the result for the second factor, i.e. deteriorating impact of social media of male and female students. For social media prospects and social media challenges, no significant difference was identified between extraversion and introversion students of any gender.

Findings and Implications

The personality trait of a student plays a vital role in analysing the impact of social media on their academic performance. The present study was designed to find the difference between extraversion and introversion personality types in students for four identified factors of social media and their impact on students' academic performance. The education level and gender were also added to make it more comprehensive. The implications of this study are useful for institutions, students, teachers and policymakers.

This study will help the institutions to identify the right mix of social media based on the personality, education level and gender of the students. For example, technological challenges are faced by all students. It is important for the institutions to identify the challenges such as cyberbullying, security and privacy issues and accordingly frame the training sessions for all undergraduate and postgraduate students. These training sessions will help students with extraversion and introversion to come out from possible technological hassles and will create a healthy ecosystem (Okereke & Oghenetega, 2014).

Students will also benefit from this study as they will be conscious of the possible pros and cons that exist because of social media usage and its association with students' academic performance. This learning may help students to enhance their academic performance with the right use of social media sites. The in-depth knowledge of all social media platforms and their association with academics should be elucidated to the students so that they may explore the social media opportunities in an optimum manner. Social media challenges also need to be made known to the students to improve upon and overcome with time (Boateng & Amankwaa, 2016).

Teachers are required to design the curriculum by understanding the learning style of students with extraversion and introversion personality type. Innovation and customization in teaching style are important for the holistic development of students and to satisfy the urge for academic requirements. Teachers should also guide the students about the adverse impacts of each social media platform, so that these can be minimized. Students should also be guided to reduce the time limit of using social media (Owusu-Acheaw & Larson, 2015).

Policymakers are also required to understand the challenges faced by the students while using social media in academics. All possible threats can be managed by defining and implementing transparent and proactive policies. As social media sites are open in nature, security and privacy are the two major concerns. The Government of India should take a strong stand to control all big social media companies so that they may fulfil the necessary compliances related to students' security and privacy (Kumar & Pradhan, 2018).

The overall result of these comparisons gives a better insight and deep understanding of the significant differences between students with extraversion and introversion personality type towards different social media factors and their impact on students' academic performance. Students' behaviour according to their education level and gender for extraversion and introversion personalities has also been explored.

Limitation and Future Scope of Research

Due to COVID restrictions, a convenient sampling technique was used for data collection which may create some response biases where the students of introversion personality traits may have intentionally described themselves as extroversion personalities and vice versa. This study also creates scope for future research. In the Big Five personality model, there are four other personality traits which are not considered in the present study. There is an opportunity to also use cross-personality comparisons for the different social media parameters. The other demographic variables such as age and place may also be explored in future research.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Dr. SS and Prof. RB. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Dr. SS, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

No funds, grants, or other support was received.

Availability of data and material

Complete data and material is available to support transparency.

Declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent to participate

Verbal informed consent was obtained from the participants.

Consent to publication

Verbal consent is obtained for publication

Footnotes

Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Contributor Information

Sourabh Sharma, Email: ni.ude.hbimi@hbaruos.

Ramesh Behl, Email: ude.imi@lhebr.

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Analysing the Impact of Social Media on Students' Academic Performance: A Comparative Study of Extraversion and Introversion Personality

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