Influence of Social Network Sites on the Students - Essay Example

? The influence of social network sites in Regents College Grade (29th, Nov. Table of Contents Executive Summary/Abstract Social network sites are essential channels through which people communicate, and engage in posting and viewing pictures, chatting and contacting their family and friends, commenting to their friends’ postings, and updating their statuses. Despite being beneficial in aiding communication and connectivity, social network sites have become distractions to students, affecting their concentration, causing them fail to balance their time, and consequently lowering their grades. This study examines the influence of social network sites in Regents College University students, and gives recommendations on the appropriate measures to counter this influence. The influence of social network sites in Regents College University students Background and Introduction Considering that man is a social being, the desire to remain in contact with others and share thoughts as well as feelings have led to the invention of various social media platforms. The social network sites have made it possible for individuals to keep in touch, just by the click of a button. Thus, people can share files including their photographs, while also chatting in real-time with other people from different parts of the world. Students can discuss ideas and assignments over the social network sites, either with their colleagues or even their instructors. Thus, social network sites have helped advance communication and connectivity for people, students inclusive. Nevertheless, the social network sites and their activities have become so much addictive, that people spend most of their times there, forgetting to attend to other important issues. Social network sites are a major cause of distractions to students, affecting their performance and grades. Therefore, the aim of his study is to carry out an inquiry into the influence of social network sites in Regents College University students, with a focus on how the social network sites have caused distractions to students, making them unable to concentrate on their studies. Literature review Internet has become a very useful tool for people, students inclusive. It has been pivotal in assisting students undertake their research and accomplish their assignments with great ease, compared to when they could be looking for information from the library books (Conley, 2011 n.p.). The advantage of students using the internet for their research is the fact that, it has a wide range of information, dating from the very old archival information, to recently done studies in different fields (Wankel, 2012 p36). In addition, the internet has provided social communication networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, LinkedIn, among many others (Marti?nez & Wartman, 2009 p73). Considering that such social networks are free and open for anyone to join, they have attracted millions of people, mostly the younger generation, who are mostly students. While such communication networks have allowed them to connect and keep in touch with others, they have caused the students a great deal of distraction, making them spend most of their time on those sites, at the expense of concentrating in class work (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012 p94). Methodology Quantitative method of research was applied in the study, where questionnaires were prepared and distributed to students. The questionnaires sought to find the time that each individual student spends on the social network sites, every day. Additionally, the questionnaires were formulated to collect information regarding which particular times students visited the social sites, either during the day or at night. The questionnaire also collected information regarding the nature of activities that students undertake on the social sites, with a view to understand whether the activities were communication or research oriented. A sample of 20 students was selected from each class undertaking various courses and disciplines. The samples included students from both genders and students of different ages. The sample selection technique applied was random sampling, since it is not prone to biases. A questionnaire was selected as the data collection tool, since it allowed convenience for students to respond to the questions and give back the questionnaires at their free time. The data obtained was then analyzed and inferences made to the whole student population. Findings and discussion of findings Data presentation The findings indicated that 96% of all students were subscribed to social sites, with 72% of the students being subscribed to two or more social networking sites. The most popular social networks, where most of the students had joined were Facebook and Twitter, with 89% of all students having signed up in Facebook and 63% being members of twitter. Social network site visitation time and average visitation time Most of the students visit the social network sites at the evening or at night. 60% of the students, mostly the ones without evening classes spend their time on the social network sites, while the rest 40% has no particular time for visiting the sites. 19% of the students are signed in to the social network sites at all times, even chatting and communication with others during class time or when they have any free time. The average time spend by students on the sites is 5 hours in a day. Nature of activities on the sites Most of the students were found to spend most of their time, posting and viewing pictures, chatting and contacting their family and friends, commenting to their friends’ postings, and updating their statuses (Conley, 2011 n.p.). There were others who discussed business and yet few others who discussed educational matters. It was found that 70% of all students spent their time contacting friends and family, while 5% discussed business matters and 12% held educational related discussions, mostly to discuss assignments or exam related issues. Discussion From the data presented above, it is clear that social network sites are considerable causes of distraction to students (Wankel, 2012 p40). It is found that the students spend 5 hours on average to chat and connect with others on the social sites. Additionally, it is observed that only 12% of the students use the social sites to discuss educational related issues, where they can handle exam or assignment related discussions. The bulk of the student population visits the social network basically for leisure, entertainment and communication with others, on issues unrelated to education (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012 p96). Conclusions and recommendations Recommendations It is therefore recommended that strict rules be implemented which will ensure that students do not use their devices to communicate or contact others especially during class or lecture time. The implementation of such strict rules can help in curbing distracted attention from lectures and classes thus help in improving students’ concentration (Marti?nez & Wartman, 2009 p77). Additionally, having personal discipline is recommended for individual students, so that they can manage to balance between their social activities and educational matters. Through proper scheduling, students can allocate ample time for educational matters, while allocating a reasonable time for social networking purposes (Warman, 2011 n.p.). Decision making is yet another important recommendation for students, where they should make decisions to overcome the temptations of visiting social sites during lectures or during class time. Prioritizing is yet another essential recommendation for students, where they should first handle the educational matters, which are the basis of their future, and only result to social network sites during their leisure time. Conclusion Social network sites are popular channels of connecting and communicating with others all over the world. As such, they are popular among the young generations, which mostly comprises of students and working class. While the social networks sites can be used for various other purposes, most people use them for chatting and contacting friends and family, while also discussing business deals and educational matters, though to a small extent. Social network sites are a source of distraction for students, since most students spend 5 hours on average to communicate with others on the social sites. Worse still, other students remain connected to the social sites at all times, communicating and chatting with others during any free time and during class hours. The students use their laptops or mobile phone and other devices to communicate and connect with others, at the expense of concentrating in class activities. No wonder therefore that social networks have started having negative impacts on students’ grades and performances. References Conley, D. (2011, 19 May). Wired for Distraction: Kids and Social Media. Time Magazine U.S . Retrieved on April 5th 2011 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2048363,00.html Fewkes, A. M., & McCabe, M. (2012). Facebook: Learning Tool or Distraction?. Journal Of Digital  Learning In Teacher Education, 28(3), 92-98. Marti?nez A. M., & Wartman, K. L. (2009). Online social networking on campus: understanding what matters in student culture. New York, NY, Routledge. Wankel, L. A. (2012). Misbehavior online in higher education. Bingley, UK, Emerald Group. Warman, M. (2011, 22 September). UK students ‘most distracted by social media’. The Telegraph. Retrieved on April 5th 2012 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8781704/UK- students-most-distracted-by-social-media.html Read More