These days, students are hooked to social media all the time. The digital denizens seem to have found a new playground, and despite facing the wrath of disgruntled parents and annoyed teachers, they refuse to back down. Is social media really helping them in some way? Or is it just a waste of time? Students express their opinion.
Kimberly Rowe, B.A. English Literature, St. Xavier’s College, MumbaiToday’s youth are constantly connected on a number of social networking platforms. The number of likes, comments and shares tend to determine one’s self-worth, happiness and social acceptance by peers. It is a waste of time when a student gets addicted to it and it becomes a distraction, posing challenges to the completion of her/his everyday roles, duties and responsibilities. The way to mitigate the negative aspects of social media is to moderate one’s access to it and striking a positive balance between both the worlds. It is more important to socialise and engage in the real world than a virtual world. Social media is a productive medium if a student’s communication is based on learning and sharing knowledge, views and opinions.
Richu Philip, B.Tech Electronics and Media Technology, Karunya University, CoimbatoreThese days, youngsters spend more than eight hours a day on various social media platforms, according to recent reports. They get so engrossed in building up their virtual social life that their actual life gets disrupted. Social media addiction also has adverse effects on the health and is a cause of obesity. We should keep in mind that it is a merely a medium to keep in touch.
J. Divya, M.A Communication, Women’s Christian College, ChennaiSocial media can be a productive tool if used in a proper manner. These days, students keep track of what’s happening around them by following updates on their Facebook news feed. It is also a good medium to express and share one’s opinions and know about other people’s views as well. Also, it is only because of these tools that many students have started showing interest in following news.
Aditi Kumar, Bachelor of Media Studies, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, PuneTechnology has made us all dependent on social media for many reasons. I think it provides a huge amount of self-validation that we think we need. It also provides the perfect excuse when you don't want to have a face-to-face conversation with someone at parties or boring family functions. At the same time, information about what's happening around the world travels fastest through this medium. And as a student of media studies, I think it's extremely important to stay updated at all times. I believe that social media is a necessary evil.
