Effects of Social Sites on the Mass Communication Scholars

In the second part of her article, Noveena discusses about the effects of social sites on mass communication students, exclusively for Different Truths.

A sense of attachment has been deteriorating among the students. These days, the youth hasn’t had any time to invest in their family and parents because they are too busy on social networking sites. Students spend quite a lot time on their phones, which hampers their study hours. Emergence of problems like insomnia or sleeping disorder has a lot to do with the growing emergence of social media. Social media helps mass communication scholars to build their own identity among the people but on the other hand Social media is precisely addictive because it gives us something which the real-world lacks; it gives us immediacy, direction and a value as an individual[i].

Disadvantages of Social Networking Sites

Social networking communities are here to stay, considering the millions of users that they have. In addition, there are blogs as well as the video blogs.

We all need to realise that social networking communities are here to stay, considering the millions of users that they have. In addition, there are blogs as well as the video blogs. And there are students, who are actively engaged in all these online communities. But we also need to look at the kind of affects that these sites are having on the youth, especially the students.

The Problem Students Face

1. Students today have begun to rely on the accessibility of information that is available on the social media platforms specifically as well as on the internet in general in order to get answers. This means that there is a reduced focus on learning. The mass communication scholars are not spending much time in libraries as they used to spend earlier.

…their ability to concentrate on their task at hand gets significantly reduced due to the distraction they face because of the social networking platforms.

2. Students are attempting to multi-task. They are trying to check various social media sites while they study. This leads to deterioration in their academic performance. Besides, their ability to concentrate on their task at hand gets significantly reduced due to the distraction they face because of the social networking platforms.

3. The other negative effect on students is that they are spending too much time on social sites, and much lesser time on socialising in person. Thus, they cannot be considered as an adequate replacement for any face-to-face communication. Not only this, students who are spending a great deal of time on these social networking sites are not able to communicate in person in an effective manner.

Students are unable to write effectively without the aid of the spell check feature of a computer.

4. These social media sites have become so popular in such a short time because the information gets published in a fast way. This has created a lax attitude for using proper spelling as well as grammar. In fact, the students are unable to write effectively without the aid of the spell check feature of a computer.

The kind of anonymity that is available on the Internet has made many students forget that they need to filter any information that they post.

5. The kind of anonymity that is available on the Internet has made many students forget that they need to filter any information that they post. In fact, many colleges as well as potential employers tend to investigate the social networking profiles of an applicant before they grant any acceptance or an interview. And there are many students who are not constantly evaluating the content which they are publishing online. All this can lead to negative consequences even later in their life.

Students Using Technology

Students who are using technology including the social networking sites on a regular basis tend to have more stomach aches, besides sleeping problems, as well as anxiety and depression. Such students also display more of narcissistic tendencies besides many other psychological disorders, including various antisocial behaviours as well as aggressive tendencies.

Daily overuse of these social networking sites tends to have a negative effect on the health of all students, as it makes them more susceptible to various health problems

Daily overuse of these social networking sites tends to have a negative effect on the health of all students, as it makes them more susceptible to various health problems in the future. This is where peers, teachers and parents need to play a major role by making the students aware of what they are missing out while spending too much time on these sites.

(To be continued)

Photos from the Internet

Noveena Chakravorty

Noveena has diverse experience in the media. Teaching for the last decade, she has made several shot films, ‘Rangrez Banaras’, ‘Paridhan’, etc. She worked with Public Relation Society of India for their project in Eastern U.P. She also worked with STAR News and done a film-appreciation course from FTII, Pune. She is danseuse and has performed with Shiamak Davar International Group. She is Associate Professor in Jagran Institute of Management & Mass Communication, Noida.