Social Media Influence on Student’s Grades Education Essay

Social Media Usage Leading to Lower Grades among Students

The present time is the time of new technologies, progress, and revolution in all areas of life. The availability of mass media simplifies the lifestyle of students making them more sociable and progressive. Social media is one of the most widespread modern ways of time spending among the young people. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn encourage students to have accounts and check them constantly. It means that young people have no time for reading, learning, and getting new information. Consequently, teachers complain about the low progress and poor performance. This essay intends to prove that social media usage leads to students getting lower grades. It provides the letter of transmittal, reveals the entity of the problem, presents the counterarguments, and justifies the thesis.

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Teaching Staff of Harvard University

The Letter

Dear University Administration,
We submit a report on the social media usage leading to lower grades among students. We are asking to find the solution to this problem in order to enhance the academic performance and productivity and ensure the successful educational process. The students are keen on the social media usage. They are surfing there constantly even during the educational process.
Consequently, this lowers grades among students. Their academic performance could be better. They would rather update their Facebook statuses than learn languages or write essays. The problem also refers to the large number of social media that distract students from studying. Texting and social networking are as crucial for them as eating and sleeping. The correlation between the lower grades and high social media use is evident. Consequently, we are asking you to restrict the access of students to Wi-Fi at the university in the period from 8.30 a.m. till 2.30 a.m. to provide the qualitative educational process. We have attached the report with the most detailed description of the issue. The report reflects the entity of the problem, the solution, and the reverse side of the issue. It was prepared by the teaching staff of the Harvard University.
Best Regards, Teaching Staff of Harvard University

THE CENTRAL PROBLEM

Instant messaging, texting, entertaining and social networking are the crucial activities of any student who tries to combine learning with surfing the social media. Such social media sites as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn are becoming more important than studying. Consequently, low productivity and poor academic performance are the consequences that make teachers and parents alert and looking for the solutions to this issue. The statistics shows that an average female first-year college student uses 11 forms of social media including video games, the Internet, music, movies, and television over the course of the academic year (Boyd and Ellison 15). Moreover, such enormous usage of social media leads to poor academic behaviors and low confidence that affect grades (Rouis, Limayem, and Salehi-Sangari 970).

96% of students use Facebook, 10% use LinkedIn, 84% use YouTube, 12 % of students use 12%, 14% use Twitter and 84% use YouTube (Boyd and Ellison 12). One should mention that there are such students that have accounts on all these social media sites. Consequently, such heavy usage of media deprives them of time and efforts for studying. According to the statistics, Facebook users have general performance achievement between 3.0 and 3.5 due to the constant checking of their accounts, posting information, and texting messages (Boyd and Ellison 16). The students who do not use Facebook have the general performance achievement between 3.5 and 4.0. (Boyd and Ellison 15). Moreover, the users of Facebook devote from 1 to 5 hours per week for studying. Those students who have a good academic performance, study from 11 to 15 hours per week (Junco 2).

The quick rise in popularity of social media among students of colleges and universities has started in 2007. For example, 73% of teenagers have joined to social media in 2009. Moreover, 38% of them used social media daily. As to the present time, students have several accounts in the different social media. As a result, it takes time to check messages and post something. It means that students have no time for studying, going to libraries, and carrying out researches (Junco 2). 35% of students who are users of Facebook update their statuses more than five times per day. It is evident that they have no time for learning. One should also mention the fact that these students also search different information online, play games, and text.

SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

Active social media usage leads to lower grades among students because of the improper time management. The academic year is eaten up even by the few minutes spent in Twitter or Facebook. Students run out of time especially during the exams and final tests. Moreover, they do not admit that they have no time because of social media. Consequently, one recommends the administration of universities and colleges to limit the access to the social media during the classes. It is also obligatory to involve the parents in the process of struggling against the enormous use of social media at home.

Students who are constantly surfing the social media cannot pay enough time to learning. Moreover, they have low academic performance such as a poor academic confidence, low motivation to learning, and irregular class attending. They do not complete homework in time and have a lack of sleep at the same time facing a lot of stresses and depression. It is evident that the widespread acceptance of social media worries professors whose objective is to provide a successful academic process. One cannot refuse from the social media or forbid them. However, one can learn how to use them efficiently and reasonably during studies. The solutions to the problem of the enormous usage of the media can be found with the help of the social media (Boyd and Ellison 12).

To improve the vocabulary and grammatical proficiency of students, one recommends implementing such programs that will ban the application of the bad words, abbreviation and misspelled words while texting in the social media. Without a doubt, it is not an easy task as it demands the interest from the side of the Facebook or Twitter administration. It is a must for the social media to limit the use of vocabulary that has a wrong punctuation and spelling, as well as unethical language, rude words and phrases. Such innovation will help the young generations to be more proficient in language learning.

Another solution to this problem is the development of time-management skills that promote learning and discipline. One suggests the implementation of time management as a subject at universities and schools. Using time efficiently in the syllabuses of academic institutions can result in the decline of the usage of social media. Students can start appreciating time adequately and completing their academic tasks in time without cheating and rewriting final tests.

COUNTERARGUMENTS

Without a doubt, many researchers insist that social media usage leads to the higher academic achievements. Online communities benefit education. First of all, the students can utilize them for academic support and assistance. It is the easiest way to contact other students and university teachers. Social media have the ability to make the connections more accessible. Moreover, they provide the virtual space benefiting students’ interests and problem-solving. Secondly, social media strengthen knowledge and online communication. “Students who may be reluctant to speak up in class are participating in book discussion blogs and writing for real audiences. There are new Web tools emerging all the time that are enhancing learning,” writes Brydolf (5).

It is evident that social media increase the quality and rate of the collaboration between the students. They can save time for sharing information quickly and are able to communicate meeting times. It is a way to increase productivity and learn how to work in groups. Moreover, social networking teaches the skills necessary for surviving in the business world. Students become more able to create and maintain the relations with other people in many areas. Moreover, social media is a good opportunity to build a business or develop a career.

Social media allow spending more time working and practicing new technologies. Moreover, students become more familiar with many innovative programs and electronic devices. Besides, education and business focus on the latest technologies. It means that it is a must for any person to be knowledgeable in the innovative technologies as they help to build skills necessary in life.
One should say that social media make students more conscious of the basics of layout and design. Schools and universities do not teach these aspects. Moreover, a student can easily design personal websites and write resumes with the help of social media. Students can upload stories, videos, and pictures easily with the help of social media. It is a good way of the development of creativity and receiving a feedback from family and friends. One should say that it is a great opportunity for the development of the artistic abilities and confidence in hobbies and interests (Stollak et al. 26).

THESIS SUPPORT AND JUSTIFICATION

Multi-Tasking

The main idea of this essay is that social media usage leads to lower grades among students. One can say that this statement is justified due to the incompleteness of counterarguments. First of all, the increasing quality of modern technologies and establishment of collaboration with other students is not the basement of the high grades and excellent academic achievements. Moreover, the information presented in the social media cannot be regarded as reliable. Teachers and professors recommend spending more time in libraries and reading paper books to become more educated, creative, and smarter. Social media provide the aspect of quickness but they do not provide the quality in the full measure.

Multi-tasking is a good ability. However, it does not provide the efficiency. Checking messages and news on the social media sites while studying can lead to the low and poor academic performance. To be successful, efficient, and productive, the students should concentrate on the task as distractions on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube make them forget about learning. Moreover, the connection to many people distracts them from self-education and self-development. Spending more time in social sites shortens the time for socialization in person. Moreover, the lack of non-verbal language like body movements, inflection, and tone proves that social media cannot replace face-to-face communication. Consequently, the students lose the ability to communicate effectively in person.

The constant task-switching from social media to learning is not the basement for the efficacy and avoiding mistakes. One can say that mistakes are inevitable as the person cannot do several tasks simultaneously. Some scientists believe that multi-tasking allows the students to better adapt to the educational system. However, multi-tasking involving social media is a powerful distraction from learning. Picture 1 demonstrates that multi-tasking is typical for the second-year students. Students studying at the first course use Facebook more regularly.

Social media provide multitasking that develops the ability of students to do several activities simultaneously. However, multitasking leads to the incapability of students to learn effectively, spending more time on doing several academic tasks, and distraction. Moreover, teachers complain that those students who are constantly surfing social media tend to cheating. Consequently, one recommends separating study from social networking. The thought of the researchers that students can use social media for the academic purpose is false as students use social media for enjoyment and entertainment. Moreover, performance of several tasks at the same time cannot be provided by human information processing.

Grammar Failure

First of all, students have lower grades in grammar and linguistic studies. One deals with the problem of a lax attitude towards grammar and proper spelling. Without a doubt, the popularity of social media is beneficial, but it does not mean that one should become ignorant because of the innovative technologies. Students address too often to a computer spell check feature. Consequently, it means that they lose their ability to write effectively.

Social media cannot provide the privacy and confidentiality of the private information of the students that is available online. Moreover, students can post not very positive information damaging their reputation for potential employers, and many colleges investigate social media profiles before interviewing. The content published online can bring the negative consequences.
Students who are studying the humanities and social studies use social media more rarely than those who are studying business, math, engineering, technology, and science. Moreover, social media kill the motivation to learning offering the variety of entertainment and depriving one of the ability to think logically. Spending leisure time online instead of reading or doing sports leads to laziness and passiveness to the academic progress.

Moreover, social media affect academic vocabulary negatively. Students communicate with each other using slang, avoiding capitalization and punctuation. Language teachers are worried as there is a crucial decline in the writing abilities and grammatical skills due to the constant messaging and texting in such social media as Facebook or Twitter. Correct spelling and writing are constantly violated by students due to the lack of time and desire to think.

Academic Failure

It is evident that one cannot refuse social media, and one cannot be so categorical about them as every medal has a reverse side. As to the students and their academic performance, parents and teachers should be involved in the process of mitigating the negative aspect of the usage of social media and improvements of grades. Moderating the access of students to social media is considered to be one of the best solutions to the emerged problem. Moreover, the students should also become more conscious and reduce the time spent on social media. Face-to-face interactions with other people will help to lmit the access to Twitter and Facebook. Family leisure time is recommended as the way of avoiding the excessive use of social media.
It is important for students to pay more attention to their academic progress and try to use social media for the academic purpose. It is crucial to keep abreast of time, but everything should be reasonable. Moreover, one should mention that the use of social media is unavoidable. Consequently, breaking the attachment between the screen and teen will become impossible. It means that one should make this connection looser. The graduate students are the most typical victims of social media as they face the choice of their future, and social media can obstruct them to do this efficiently.

Procrastination

Procrastination is another issue provoked by the extensive usage of social media. It is an inability to complete the task by the determined time. This phenomenon is the most typical for the students who have several accounts in social media and are too dedicated to non-academic activities. The relationship of procrastination to social media is evident and depends on students’ behavior.

The extensive usage of social media can be avoided with the help of Wi-Fi restriction at the colleges and universities. Teacher and parental monitoring will help to overcome the problem of low performance among students. Teachers as well as parents should be the examples for following in the private and professional life. Teachers are not against multitasking, but they are against the ineffective usage of time and efforts.

One should pay attention to the fact that not all information is accessible via social media. Consequently, the students can deal with the problem of the reduced focus on retaining information and learning. Social media make students waste time and violate the educational process. Moreover, physical and mental abilities of students are also affected by the enormous usage of Twitter and Facebook. Teachers complain about the unethical and immoral attitudes of students to them. It means that the academic performance is low and accompanied by the rude behavior. Consequently, time wasting is a crucial factor that leads to low grades and ignorance of students, especially graduates. Another reason of poor academic performance because of social media is reduced learning and research capabilities. It means that surfing the social media, students lose their interest to education. They prefer watching movies and pictures rather than developing their skills and knowledge. The researchers prove that checking Facebook or another social site account takes a study time of 15 minutes (Junco 10).

Another reason of low grades because of social media is a poor physical and mental health that does not allow studying effectively. Excessive usage of social media leads to depression, anxiety, bad sleeping, and stomach aches. These health problems also suppress the desire to learn something. Consequently, negative effects of using social media on students’ grades are the following: waste of time, overuse of social media, low communication skills, and more reliance on social media. One should also mention that the problem is not in the social media like Facebook and Twitter; the problem is in the students who are the users of social media. They could be just prone to procrastination or distraction.

In conclusion, one should say that social media usage leads to lower grades among students.

• First of all, social media do not provide qualitative and reliable information necessary for studying.
• Secondly, the degree of the academic performance is decreasing due to the unreasonable use of time.
• Thirdly, students use social media for enjoyment and entertainment.

Moreover, the frequent surfing in teh Internet leads to the loss of motivation to learning and problems related to the academic achievements. Despite the fact that social media can provide the additional learning and training, students do not use them for learning. Teachers recommend spending less time in social media to create a positive attitude toward the academic tasks.

The extensive usage of social networking leads to poor academic behaviors. Low attendance of classes, poor academic confidence, ineffective completing of homework and problems affecting their education such stresses, bad sleeping, depression and other health problems are the most frequent issues related to the low academic behavior. Obviously, one cannot refuse from the social media or forbid them. However, one can learn how to use them efficiently and reasonably during learning and how utilize them for the academic purpose. The idea of multitasking of social media can be efficient only if the students combine it with learning and improving their grades. The advantages of social media depend on the personality of the students. There are such students that manage to use them reasonably.