BBSs, social media, and digital platforms that enable instant communication and information sharing on a global scale have replaced traditional platforms like newspapers and television in post-modern society, making media even more advanced. The goal of this essay is to examine how social media affects students’ academic performance and time management. Media exists in different forms, and it is the best medium for global information transfer, with implications for time management and dissemination of information in academic institutions (Ahmad 23). This study is thus conducted to understand how various social media apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Classroom, WhatsApp, and more, affect students’ academic lives.
The media for education used to follow the old way, which included conventional digital communication channels. The utilization of information technology and the variety of applications such as YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and search engines play a significant role in the work of students and teachers in academic institutions (Ahmad 24). The current tendencies in global education emphasize the formative role of media use that, in this way, pinpoints the contribution to improving teachers’ and students’ instruction results. One of the most notable pros of social media platforms is that they allow information to be shared at high speeds, thus enabling teachers and students to communicate quickly. The university’s websites and social media platforms like email, Facebook, and WhatsApp offer people access to information about the institution outside the physical boundaries (Ahmad 23). Today, the media’s usefulness in teaching is even more acknowledged, as it is an extra instrument that may be involved in updating and enriching some syllabus elements and, hence, necessary for the modern educational system.
The Internet has revolutionized the journey of globalization by obliterating the boundary of space, rendering the world a “borderless town” that is open to information and freedom in communication (Ahmad 24). Media plays a dual role; on the one hand, it is a ‘two-edged sword’ that can cut in either direction—right or wrong. Living in the present-day multi-media environment in which new technological strategies are being developed continuously, media becomes more ready and flexible for the general public, who are exposed to Internet and mobile innovation, the main actors that affect society (Ahmad 23). Though it can be neutral, it is both an educator and a means of entertainment. Even so, it does need continuous balancing between its advantages and disadvantages.
Through the combination of technology and social media, there are new places where people live in society. The phenomenal liberation of mobile phones and smartphones is a recent trend in our modern world. Instructional periods such as lectures, reading assignments, and discussion groups in educational settings have become more effective due to the electronic gadgets that make these activities possible. In a technological age with the permeation of information everywhere, students and teachers can engage in a never-ending flow of knowledge sharing and dissemination (Ahmad 23). Here, it is evident that there is a favorable change in technology in education as it creates a learning-friendly environment.
Media power, specifically social media, is superior, particularly in the present world, especially in education. According to Ahmad, the use of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Google Classroom, and WhatsApp, among others, has a significant impact on tertiary-level students’ academic behavior. Students prefer social media platforms most for their rapid access to teaching materials and their communication with the lecturers, according to our questionnaire survey. Besides, these centers are helpful and offer time management because of their significant influence on the flow of information (Ahmad 22). Likewise, Chukwu et al. assert that media nowadays is a significant component primarily for young children presently living in the 21st century as it is used as a source of entertainment, information, communication, and a sharing platform (Chukwu et al., 1074). School systems instantly disseminate information via teachers, who use social media channels. While waiting for official feedback from their instructors, students can enjoy the speed and accuracy of a system informing them about their academic progress at any time.
According to research by Chukwu et al. at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, time management is one factor that contributes to successful academic performance. The research is intended for social science education students, but this is only partly the case because there is no doubt that time management is important for commitment, participation in school activities, and academic improvement. Time management focuses on how to better coordinate tasks and activities according to which the person can use his efforts on a multiplying basis. Chukwu and the rest of the study authors contend that one of the critical factors in ensuring that students attain good grades is utilizing time in the best way possible (Chukwu et al., 1076). The advantages of efficient time management for social science education students are versatile, and they include timeliness, enhanced academic performance, reduction of stress levels, self-discipline, virtue promotion, the realization of life goals, and task prioritization. The study justifies the magic of time management and the necessity of its application throughout the whole school year, during quizzes, tests, and exams. According to Chukwu et al.’s research, there is a connection between social media use and time management, which affects academic success in tertiary institutions.
Although the fact that social media can positively impact education and time management has been admitted, the issues and abuses are very evident. Putting this in perspective, Ahmed’s research indicated that social media platforms, which are expected, can make students less attentive, no longer focused during lectures, and not able to perform essential tasks. That is, social media abuse causes a decline in schoolwork, thereby leading to the fact that social media has both positive and negative effects (Ahmad 23). Chukwu et al. also recognize that misuse of social media could be the main drawback for students, as they need to manage their time better and produce low-quality work, resulting in stress, low grades, and missed deadlines. The paper adds more impetus to planning and effective time management for students to handle these problems and achieve their best in school (Chukwu et al. 1091).
Ahmad and Chukwu et al. presented the impact of social media on students’ academic performance and time management. In social media appropriacy, learning materials are easily accessible with enhanced class communication and timely management of time. Additionally, human behavior of overusing social media too often leads to its misuse and, therefore, causes distraction and setbacks in academic performance. Students must determine the ideal spectrum between media use and its negative influence. Instead, they possess the correct understanding to access the positive impact while escaping from the opposing side. They indicate that educational institutions should furnish students with ways of using social media responsibly and understand that social media will positively affect academic success.
Ahmad, Sadiqeen. “Does Social Media Help Students with Time Management in the Academic Activities of the University in Wah Cantt?” Journal of Business & Tourism, vol. 8, no. 1, Jan. 2023, pp. 22–33, https://doi.org/10.34260/jbt.v8i1.261. Accessed 10 Apr. 2023.
Chukwu, Chinyere, et al. Influence of Social Media Usage on Time Management of Social Science Education Students in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. no. 3, 2022, www.webology.org/data-cms/articles/20220522010510pmwebology%2019%20(3)%20-%2076%20pdf.pdf.