With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc., there has been widespread concerns, and complains among students having lost or reduced their focus, not being able to study effectively and constantly being distracted by social media posts. Several toppers of different exams have claimed that they had deleted all their social media accounts during their preparation to cut distraction and focus entirely on studies and other productive activities. This has portrayed a very negative role of social media in the life of students.
However, this trend has also led to increase in the knowledge and connectivity of students in various terms, as accessing social media is very easy and interesting. Nowadays, almost all the great entrepreneurs, influencers, leaders, teachers, coaching institutes, etc. are being followed in millions by a large chunk of students, who gain knowledge ranging from academics and health to finances, and various personality traits.
What, in this case should be the ideal strategy to be followed by students to maximise their benefits of social media while cutting down the distraction elements? Should students even use social media? If yes, then how often and for what purpose? You will get to know in this article.
How is social media important for students?
With the world getting ‘modernised’ and people having less time to physically meet each other, social life of people is observed to be decreasing. Social media platforms provide an opportunity to connect with not only your known ones, but also encourages to interact with a large number of people.
- Much of the study material, tips and consultancies are being provided for free by teachers and coaching institutes on various social media platforms. Telegram has emerged as a leading platform in this regard.
- With short videos, reels, etc., social media is very effective in imparting financial, health and well-being related knowledge among students, which are actually very beneficia for their all-round development. It can teach you anything you want to learn.
- Internship and job opportunities very frequently appear on social media platforms. Perhaps, social media is itself a source of earning for many students.
- It provides you an opportunity to follow recognised personalities in your field and to learn from them about work, ethics and practical happenings from their posts. For example, if you want to get an idea about the life and work of a CA, the easiest way around would be to follow some CA profiles and go through their posts.
- One of the most important aspects of the student life is to explore the different arenas available to him/her which helps in choosing a right career. Social media has made this expose a bit easier.
- In a world full of stress and work, social media also provides you a gateway to relax and freshen up your mood by scrolling memes and motivational content.
How social media proves to be fatal?
Despite of the immense benefits and opportunity that social media provides, its use has in many ways had very negative impacts on students and their productivity. This is essentially because of the incorrect use of the platforms.
- Students end up using social media only for entertainment and not for productivity. Apart from opportunities to evolve, social media also provides the opportunities to get distracted in a far greater degree, which is easy to seize and the students fall prey to it.
- Social media is toxic. With a lot of people out there, students generally post things to impress the people around and get good comments. This eventually forms into a habit of considering the opinion of other people in your life.
- Everything is mixed up. You can’t actually open social media and see only those posts that are worth your time. You will end up scrolling random reels and memes straight for hours.
- Social media creates an urge. To check phone every 5 minutes, to count the number of comments and likes, to check texts, and to feel low if any of these is below your expectations.
- Eventually the students evolve into a social-media-creature. Everywhere they go, whatever they do, is meant for, and posted on social media. They start preferring social media over spending time with people around them. This leads to social media addiction, which is one of the worst forms of addiction.
- Many students have also complained about their bad sleep cycle and blamed social media platforms for it.
Should students use social media?
Yes. It is difficult to stay updated about the world and the things happening around us without social media. However, whether a student should use social media depends on how much controlling factor he/she possesses. Social media beyond a limit is highly toxic and addictive and must be avoided by students at any cost.
Ask these questions to yourself and find out the answers.
- Analyse the kind of content you consume and the number of hours you spend on social media. If you are consuming more productive content than the useless ones, you are in profit. However, if you are consuming unproductive content and that too for a long time, it is the time to consider your approach.
- Are you able to control your social media urge when you need to focus on other things? Can you spend a day without social media without any trouble? Can you easily neglect the notifications while studying and focus entirely on it? Try it out.
- Does social media feel beneficial to you anyway? Does it add something in your life? Are you able to use it for improving yourself in anyway?
- How does using social media makes you feel at the end of the day? Do you feel like you have learned something new, freshened up your mood, or do you feel that it was just time-consuming and made you lazy and procrastinating?
If your answers to these questions are in negative, it is strongly advised that you stay away from social media as much as you can. If it is getting out of your own control, and not adding even a little bit to your life, consider deleting your accounts. As far as these platforms do not interfere in your productive schedule, it is beneficial to use them. But as soon as they start controlling your time, they become distractive and toxic.
