The new era of Social media

Social media has become a newfound pastime for students and youths. Every minute, social media platforms are busy with discussions, which range from contemporary issues to trivialities. To engage in the discussion, many students are glued to their mobile phones to socialise with people in different parts of the world.
Nowadays, students spend more  on social media and this has got many wondering if they ever have time to focus on their studies with the same zeal they connect to social media.
Apart from wasting time, what students do on social media should  also be a concern to their guardians. Many engage in discussions that are not beneficial to them. Some use their activities on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter to disturb others in the library and classroom.
Social media, according to Wikipedia, is a social interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks.
Over the years, social media has exposed students continuously to new ideas and offered chance to promote their creativity. Also, the ease and speed with which their pictures and videos can be uploaded has helped the youth to push their skills multimedia further.
Time spent on the new media has helped students develop more familiarity with computers and other electronic gadgets and has helped the young to hone their skills and interact instantly.
In the past, sourcing information on any issues or trending topics came with attendant stress, using the library. But, the advent of social media has made such exercise less stressful and almost instant. Education and other topical issues are discussed every hour on the social media. But in spite of its many positive sides, social media seems to be having negative impacts on education and morality.
In the last four years, results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) released by the regulatory body have been nothing short of a disappointment. According to statistics, 70 per cent of the pupils, who sat for WAEC examinations last year failed. Ditto, Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) results for last year, which had only 49 per cent of the candidates score above 200. Very poor!
It is easy to deduce from this mass failure that many students are no longer interested in academics and scholarship. All they read is update on trivial issues on social media. The trend in our schools today is that, majority of students care more about their activities on social media.
Going by the aforementioned, it is apt to say some of these students, even before graduating from secondary schools, embrace immoral acts, such as smoking, drinking and may engage in all kinds of criminal activities.
Social media’s negative impact on the youth has also been felt in professional institutions such as Nigerian Law School, which recently recorded mass failure. The reason for the woeful performance of the candidates who sat for the Bar examination was said to be their obsession with social media rather than study.
A worrying trend has been added to this phenomenon; some students now use social media to prop up what is called cyber bullying. This involves actions as posting uncomplimentary messages, photos and video online to tarnish the image of particular person. This action is intended to cause distress and or destroy the intended victims’ reputation.
There is also the overall effect on students’ ability to assimilate in classroom as many students rely on the accessibility of information on social media to provide answers to difficult question during examination. This reduces focus on learning and retaining information.
However, whatever might be the success of social media in their lives, young people must understand that they need to be addicted more to their academics than social media and resist the temptation of giving social media total attention. It is very important for students to realise they have to pay more attention to their academic pursuits.
Another good point to note is that, employers investigate applicants’ social networking profiles before granting interviews or acceptance. Anyone who uses social media negatively can be screened out. This is why students must constantly evaluate the content they are publishing online.
Those emulating famous celebrities by posting nude picture or videos on Instagram, a web based photo sharing application, must be aware that it may have serious consequence on them in the future.
Students should try and become conscious that, their use of social media is as important as studying their books. If they must socialise on social media, they must set time limit and put up educative contents that will help their future dreams.

Balikis just finished from Mass Comm., KWARA POLY