essay on impact of facebook on students

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Using facebook as an educational resource in the classroom.

• Carolyn M. Shaw Carolyn M. Shaw Strategic Enrollment Management, Wichita State University
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.114
• Published in print: 01 December 2015
• Published online: 20 November 2017
• This version: 20 November 2017
• Previous version

Facebook is a social networking site created in 2004 which has since obtained over a billion users, and it has the potential to facilitate learning in the classroom. With the widespread use of Facebook in society, it simply makes sense to look into ways it might be used in higher education. In fact, a number of studies have been done by scholars in different disciplines regarding the use of Facebook (in general and in academia). These include studies by scholars in library science, education, media and communication, psychology, management information systems, business, political science, marketing, instructional technology, and commerce and accounting. Students come to school wired and are willing and eager to use technology, but higher education has a well-established trend toward non-adoption of new technologies. A variety of studies on the use of Facebook, however, indicate that there are a wide number of potential benefits to using Facebook as an educational tool. There are four inter-related potential benefits: creating a sense of community and promoting collaboration, enhancing communication between instructors and students, developing computer literacy and language skills, and incorporating current student culture into the learning environment. In addition, Facebook is particularly well suited for sharing and discussion of current events in the news.

• social media
• higher education
• educational tools
• learning environment
• educational resources

Introduction

As instructors in higher education seek new ways to connect with their students in order to facilitate learning, they are increasingly experimenting with a variety of new technologies in the classroom. One technology that has been incorporated to only a limited extent, but that has potential, is the use of the social networking site Facebook. Facebook was created in 2004 specifically for use among students at Harvard University but quickly became available to universities across the United States, and eventually to the general public around the world in 2006 . Use of Facebook has since skyrocketed from 100 million users in 2008 to 1.3 billion users in 2014 (Facebook Statistics, 2014 ). There are many other similar technologies, such as Google+, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter, but only Twitter approaches the high number of users that Facebook has. In March 2014 , 82% of Internet users worldwide had Facebook accounts. Because of its wide usage, Facebook provides a readily accessible platform that can be adapted for educational purposes, given thoughtful planning and curricular design. There are many other online applications that can enhance learning, such as blogs, wikis, and discussion boards, but the focus here is specifically on the use of social media in the classroom. For a good discussion of blogging and wikis, see Lawrence and Dion ( 2010 ) as well as the track summaries of Teaching with Technology from the annual APSA Teaching and Learning Conference.

The potential benefits and possible drawbacks to using Facebook in an educational context will be explored. Facebook is briefly described in terms of its functionality and common terminology. Previous studies about the uses of Facebook, broadly as well as in an academic setting, are reviewed. Specific examples of different options for incorporating Facebook as a pedagogical tool are presented.

Description of Facebook Functionality and Terminology

Components of Facebook for those who are not familiar with the platform are described, but note that Facebook functionality changes frequently and some of these descriptions may not remain entirely accurate in the future. New functionality might not be included in this description. In order to use Facebook, all users must create their own account and profile. Profiles contain basic information about the user including name, birthday, relationship status, contact information, group associations, and a photo, as well as background information about “favorites” such as books, movies, music, etc. Users can choose to provide very minimal profile information, or can be quite detailed. Users can choose to post status updates regularly, which might include a simple text statement (e.g., I am really busy today!) or a photo with or without text (e.g., picture of my cat lying on my laundry). Users can also share links to other web pages or to postings that other users have made. All of these posts can be viewed in a user’s news feed .

In order to create a network of people to interact with on Facebook, a user can search for other users by name and send a friend request to them. When this request is approved, the user can view postings by them and vice versa. There are a number of privacy controls that allow users to select how much of their information is shared with different friends. Communication between friends can take a variety of forms including messaging (similar to sending an email), chatting (instant messaging), posting comments on a user’s wall (publicly viewed space for each user), liking a post made by someone else (signaling that you have viewed and like their post), or commenting on a post (making a response to a statement, photo, or link).

In addition to personal profiles, Facebook also provides for the creation of pages and groups . Facebook page s are often associated with businesses, organizations, or institutions. In this context, a common Facebook page might be affiliated with a university or an academic department. Pages are public and visible to all users on Facebook. Users can choose to like the page and will receive status updates that are posted by that organization. Pages are often used to communicate upcoming events and other news to large numbers of people who have an interest in the organization or institution. Groups are designed to create communities of people who share a common connection, allowing them to organize, discuss issues, post photos, and share related content. Group settings might be open , allowing anyone to join, or closed , requiring an invitation from the group administrator. Settings also allow the administrator to determine whether postings to the group page are private, to be seen only by group members, or public. Groups have slightly more functionality in terms of sharing information. Members can create and share files and pose survey questions to the group. All posts made on the group page appear in the members’ newsfeed. More discussion about how to use these different Facebook tools is found in the section “Using Facebook in the Classroom (and Beyond).”

Brief Overview of Scholarly Literature

A number of studies have been done by scholars in different disciplines regarding the use of Facebook (in general and in academia). Sources include studies by scholars in library science, education, media and communication, psychology, management information systems, business, political science, marketing, instructional technology, and commerce and accounting. One unexpected discovery was that a large number of librarians seem to be exploring the possibilities of Facebook and other social network sites. Many studies are based on surveys of students and faculty regarding their usage of and attitudes toward Facebook. One of the most comprehensive reviews of these recent studies is by Hew ( 2011 ), who looks at 36 separate empirical studies that include surveys as well as content analyses. Drawing on all of these sources, he divides his findings into two categories: (1) a Student Facebook Usage Profile, which includes motivations for usage, usage patterns, and privacy settings, and (2) the Effects of Using Facebook, which includes self-disclosure effects, online discussions, academic performance, and student attitudes. Based on data from these 36 studies, the results reveal that students mostly use Facebook for social interaction to maintain existing offline relationships (77% reported none of their Facebook friends originated online). Very little content is related to education (4% of total postings). A large majority (91%) reported that they had never contacted academic staff using Facebook. On average, students spend about 40 minutes per day on Facebook and have between 150 and 350 friends in their network. Disclosure and privacy settings varied, with students more willingly sharing their birthdays, hometowns, and email addresses than their phone numbers and physical addresses.

One of the challenges in drawing on the insights of Hew and other studies is that statistical survey data rapidly becomes outdated when discussing technologies such as social networking sites (SNS). There has been a rapid evolution in societal perceptions and uses of the Internet since the early 2000s (Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, & Witty, 2010 ). In addition, many of the experiments that have been conducted have had a fairly narrow scope and thus cannot answer all of the questions raised about usage of social networking sites. For example, one study tested student attitudes about an instructor’s Facebook profile with the instructor being a female under 40. It seems likely that were this repeated with a male faculty member over 40 the results might vary notably (Mazer, Murphy, & Simonds, 2009 ). There is thus room for many more studies in order to gain a more complete understanding, as well as to follow the most recent trends in usage and social attitudes. It is also important to look at the data results specifically, not just the author’s interpretations, because some draw negative conclusions from data that others view as positive. For example, one study indicates that over 60% of students are willing to “friend” teachers (Sturgeon & Walker, 2009 ). This could be characterized as “a majority” of students are willing to friend their instructors, or could be framed as “barely half” are willing to do so. People must draw their own conclusions about whether a glass is “half empty” or “half full” based on the data available.

Overall, the numerous studies that have been conducted provide useful insights to instructors for moving forward and considering the potentials for incorporating Facebook into the classroom.

Potential Benefits to Using Facebook as an Educational Tool

With the widespread use of Facebook in society, it simply makes sense to look into ways it might be used in the classroom. Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, and Witty argue students come to school wired and are willing and eager to use technology, but “higher education has a well-established trend toward non-adoption of new technologies” ( 2010 , p. 134). A variety of studies on the use of Facebook, however, indicates that there are a wide number of potential benefits to using Facebook as an educational tool. Four inter-related potential benefits: (1) creating a sense of community and promoting collaboration, (2) enhancing communication between instructors and students, (3) developing computer literacy and language skills, and (4) incorporating current student culture into the learning environment are explored. Facebook is particularly well suited for sharing and discussion of current events in the news. Note that these benefits do not imply that Facebook should be used primarily to deliver content, but it could be used supplementally to promote student reflection on content delivered through other teaching methods.

Creating Community/Promoting Collaboration

Some of the most obvious potential benefits to incorporating the use of Facebook into the classroom stem from the basis that Facebook is designed as a social networking site (SNS). For instructors who see teaching as establishing a relationship with students, Facebook may be an effective way to connect (Roblyer et al., 2010 ). There are many challenges to building relationships with students, including constraints that limit students’ discretionary time on campus due to part-time work, children, or long commutes, as well as online courses that limit face-to-face time (Schwartz, 2009 ). With decreased time on campus, Facebook has the potential to be a “new commons . . . a place where the diverse parts of a community . . . come together and hold a conversation with a shared sense of participation and responsibility” (Dales et al. as cited in Schwartz, 2009 ).

The most common reason Facebook users state for using the site is to connect with friends (Hew, 2011 ). Although users interact most frequently with those whom they already know, Facebook can be used to extend their network to people in their classes whom they have not met previously. Schwartz ( 2009 ) also writes about the potential for Facebook to create space for mentoring between instructors and students. She cites a model developed by Jean Baker Miller that describes “mentoring episodes,” brief interactions that build relationships. Five factors that strengthen mentoring relationships are episodes that increase energy and well-being, increase potential to take action, increase knowledge of self and others, give a boost to self esteem, and promote an interest in more connection. Not all Facebook interactions meet these criteria, but sometimes they can.

Facebook can create a sense of community among users, which can lead to greater collaboration and sharing of ideas that promote learning. Muñoz and Towner ( 2011 ) refer to social constructivist learning theory, noting that learning is actively constructed by comparing material to what individuals already know. Thus the more opportunity for dialogue and sharing of ideas, the more learning can take place. This can be done through formal learning with clear curricular structure, or through informal learning with fewer or no guidelines.

Similarly, Ractham and Firpo discuss learning within “communities of practice.” These are “a method for helping create the authentic situations, activities, and contexts for generating and sharing tacit knowledge. Communities of practice are groups of people who share a common concern or passion and seek to learn it better through interaction with others within the group. Communities of practice help foster a culture of learning in which learners share their prior experience and learn from the experience of others” ( 2011 , p. 2).

Creating a learning community is particularly challenging and important for hybrid or online courses where students don’t have the opportunity to meet face-to-face often or at all. The online format can also benefit socially shy students who find it difficult to engage in person, but who are willing to make contributions in an online venue. (This has been recognized through the use of discussion boards in course management tools such as Blackboard.) Developing technologies (Web 2.0) allow students who might be less involved, introverted, or simply unable to show up to class, to be engaged. If only 20% of students in a given classroom are willing to participate, technologies can be used to break down the participation barriers for the other 80% (Ractham & Firpo, 2011 ). This is described as the “long tail” phenomenon, with the head being the 20% of active students and the tail being the 80% of inactive students.

None of this is meant to suggest, however, that students will voluntarily engage in such social interactions without being required to do so for a grade. Although a few might take full advantage of such opportunities to interact, most will require a further incentive to engage in dialogue and an exchange of ideas with their peers.

Enhancing Communication

A similar potential benefit to that of creating community is using Facebook to enhance communication. Any resource that helps instructors and students communicate more clearly or more frequently is likely to be beneficial to the educational experience. To the extent that Facebook can increase the quantity or quality of communications between instructors and students and between students and their peers, it should be considered as a possible teaching tool. A survey by Roblyer et al. ( 2010 ) indicates that students communicate as frequently with Facebook as they do with email, whereas instructors are far more likely to rely exclusively on email for communication. Libraries recognize that they need to connect to their patrons before they can offer services to them. Students often prefer to ask their reference questions online by email or Facebook (if offered) than face-to-face (Roblyer et al., 2010 ). In a survey by Mazer, Murphy, and Simonds ( 2007 ), students specifically suggested that instructors use Facebook as a way of communicating with their students. Similarly, Sturgeon and Walker ( 2009 ) note that students appear more willing to communicate with instructors if they already know them through Facebook. More students agreed that they communicate more often with instructors if they have a Facebook account, and that they have an additional connectedness in the classroom as a result of Facebook connections (Sturgeon & Walker, 2009 ). Facebook also has a high convenience factor, as a student at one institution noted “I usually use my mobile phone to answer the question in the discussion forum . . . I can do it on the go” (Ractham & Firpo, 2011 , p. 9). With email usage by students falling in recent years and use of social networking sites (SNS) and text messaging increasing, the potential for increased communication through Facebook seems high. Facebook can be used by instructors to enhance their accessibility to students by placing themselves in the space where students are: online with SNS.

Some studies show that instructors can even enhance their own credibility and connection with students through their use of Facebook. Muñoz and Towner ( 2011 ) note that Facebook profiles can increase a user’s social presence and facilitate more personalized interactions, making instructors more accessible and relatable. Mazer et al. ( 2007 ) further reveal that Facebook profiles that are high in self-disclosure have the potential to increase students’ motivation and affective learning, based on a survey of students who viewed instructor profiles that were more or less revealing. A follow-up study revealed that students tended to perceive instructors with high disclosure profiles as more caring and trustworthy (Mazer, Murphy, & Simonds, 2009 ).

Facebook can also be used by students to communicate with their classmates about their courses. Lampe, Wohn, Vitak, Ellison, and Wash ( 2011 ) note the potential for students to collaborate on Facebook in order to “reduce ambiguity” in a class, in other words, to seek clarification on assignments and class expectations. Facebook and similar technologies can also be used by students working in groups to engage in “collaborative sense making,” using technology to build on each other’s knowledge and search for additional information (Lampe et al., 2011 ). Beyond simply clarifying assignments, collaboration might also include arranging to meet for a group project, to study for an exam, or to get help on an assignment. Lampe et al. ( 2011 ) conducted two studies examining which factors influenced student propensity to use Facebook for classroom collaboration. They discovered that intensity of personal usage and the willingness to contact an instructor through Facebook were both positively correlated with the likelihood of using Facebook for collaboration in a class. Some studies indicate that students prefer Facebook to other course management software (Chu & Meulemans, 2008 ). Schroeder and Greenbowe ( 2009 ) have discovered that students posted four times the number of posts in a Facebook discussion forum than they did in a WebCT site. A study by Karlin reports that 60% of students using social network sites talk about education online, and 50% talk about specific school work ( 2007 , p. 7). Students indicate that Facebook would be “convenient” for classwork (Roblyer et al., 2010 , p. 136). All of these studies suggest that Facebook is an effective medium for communication in the university setting.

Developing Skills

Another potential benefit to employing Facebook in the classroom is to promote computer literacy skills. Muñoz and Towner ( 2011 ) note that literacy practices are “moving well beyond the printed medium to embrace the digital realm,” with new terms emerging such as “new media literacy,” “digital literacy,” and “ twenty first century literacy.” They also note the need for students to learn “e-professionalism,” distinguishing between their personal and professional identities. When Facebook is incorporated into the educational setting, all of these skill areas can be developed.

In addition to teaching computer literacy skills, Facebook can also be used to help students develop their writing and communication skills. A study by Greenhow and Robelia ( 2009 ) indicates that students using social networking sites are creative in their self expression and consciously differentiate their communication choices based on audience, thus using many of the same editing and proofreading skills emphasized in the classroom. There is also considerable potential with regard to developing language skills for non-native English speakers. Kabilan, Ahmad, and Abidin ( 2010 ) conducted a survey of 300 undergraduate students at a university in Malaysia in 2008 inquiring about the suitability of Facebook as a tool for improving students’ English-language skills. Reflecting on their personal use of Facebook for socializing, over 70% of students agreed that Facebook enhanced their confidence in reading and writing in English. It also increased their motivation to learn English (pp. 183–184). Open-ended questions revealed that student interactions on Facebook were effective at building new vocabulary. When students saw new words, they would look them up and often use them later themselves. Kabilan et al. emphasize that Facebook allows for incidental learning, learning that occurs as an unplanned result of engaging in other activities (academic or non-academic). They note that learning can take place in informal settings as long as there are meaningful interactions between learners that lead to knowledge construction (p. 181). Facebook allows for authentic communication, where users are focused on meaningful communication, not the formal mechanics of language learning. The casual writing in Facebook allows creativity and expression without as much pressure for perfection sometimes demanded in the classroom. Kabilan et al.’s study notes the potential, but does not actually examine how Facebook might be deliberately incorporated into an educational setting.

Incorporating Culture

A final potential benefit of using Facebook is the opportunity to incorporate contemporary student culture into the classroom. By being online with Facebook, teachers become more aware of the current pop culture references to which their students are exposed. This awareness can be used to incorporate current events and culture as examples to help students connect with the course materials (Sturgeon & Walker, 2009 ). Placing abstract concepts in a real-life context can deepen students’ understanding of difficult course material. Teachers may also enhance their credibility with students by showing how they understand current cultural contexts.

Challenges and Limitations to the Use of Facebook

Despite the many potential benefits of using Facebook, there are also some challenges and limitations to be considered. Many of these concerns are manageable if one is aware of the limits and seeks to proactively address them.

Professionalism

One of the concerns raised most frequently by both instructors and students when considering the use of Facebook in an educational setting is the potential erosion of professional boundaries (Mazer, Murphy, & Simonds, 2007 ; Muñoz & Towner, 2011 ). It is important that instructors understand how to interact with students in a way that promotes a positive perception of the teacher and classroom environment while not engaging in behaviors that might be perceived as harmful. The term “creepy tree house” has been used to describe an environment where students feel insecure because instructors are encroaching on their online space (Muñoz & Towner, 2011 ). Several scholars have conducted surveys asking student opinions about the appropriateness of instructors using Facebook. The results are ambiguous, varying from survey to survey. Mazer et al. find that 33% of students report that teacher use of Facebook is somewhat inappropriate , 35% report somewhat appropriate , 4% agree that it is very inappropriate , and 6% report very appropriate ( 2007 , p. 10). Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, and Witty found that 26% would “welcome the opportunity to connect with teachers on Facebook” and 22% felt that “Facebook is personal/social—not for education” ( 2010 , p. 138).

In an effort to identify which types of interactive behaviors are considered most appropriate, Teclehaimanot and Hickman ( 2011 ) conducted a survey of 52 undergraduate and graduate education students at the University of Toledo. They categorized interactions as passive (reading profile information, viewing photos, watching videos that someone else has posted) or as active (sending a message, commenting on photos, sending a “poke” to engage another user). Surprisingly, Teclehaimanot and Hickman ( 2011 ) do not include the action of “liking” another user’s post in their category of behaviors to analyze. “Liking” a post is obviously an active behavior, but is perhaps not as intrusive as posting a comment. “Liking” also seems to be the most common response to many posts, so it would be useful to understand how this action is perceived by students and instructors. Teclehaimanot and Hickman also categorized interactions as student-initiated or teacher-initiated. The most accepted behaviors were student/passive behaviors, followed by teacher/passive, student/active, and teacher/active engagements. Students tend to want to be in control of online interactions with instructors. For example, instructors are not as welcome to “friend” students as students are to “friend” their instructors. There are boundaries to be drawn between being a professor and being a student’s friend. Analysis also indicated a gendered result, with more men agreeing that student-teacher interaction on Facebook was appropriate than women. Teclehaimanot and Hickman ( 2011 ) conclude that engaging in passive Facebook usage may be the safest practice, allowing students and instructors to get to know each other better, but to let that translate into more positive learning outcomes in the classroom rather than in an online environment.

Students have also offered advice to instructors with regard to their Facebook content, suggesting that teachers be cautious about what others say on their wall, and recommending that they avoid putting anything about politics on their pages. This recommendation with regard to politics might be more challenging in some disciplines than others. Students even recommended that instructors avoid posting content that students might make fun of them about (Mazer et al., 2007 , p. 12).

Privacy/Security

A similar concern to the issue of professionalism is addressing concerns about privacy and security. This is true on the part of both instructors and students. There are both instructors and students who refuse to create a Facebook account because they simply don’t want to expose themselves to the risks of having an online profile. For those instructors who do have Facebook accounts, they often do not want to share too much of their personal lives with students; and similarly, students do not want teachers to spy on them, or lecture them about what they find on the students’ Facebook pages (Mazer et al., 2007 , p. 12). Although popular media sometimes portray that young people do not care about privacy and are not careful about what they post, some studies have shown that students are well aware of the need to limit what they post to avoid negative impacts on future employment. Facebook does have specific privacy settings that allow users to distinguish between different groups of “friends” in terms of what content is shared. Younger users, in fact, make more adjustments to their privacy settings than do older users. However, not all users are familiar or comfortable with the privacy settings in Facebook. Those who are less confident are less likely to impose privacy restrictions on their account (boyd & Hargittai, 2010 ). One way to address privacy issues for the most cautious students is to allow them to create special accounts for class usage only that contain minimal information. A recommendation similar to this is suggested for instructors: that they create a simple professional profile that is used academically but not as their personal Facebook page. The one drawback to this minimalist solution is that self-disclosure is lower, which may affect some of the other potential benefits previously noted.

As with any online environment, users need to be aware of the potential for meanness, bullying and harassment. Students do not tend to encounter this type of behavior often, however, reporting instead that negative experiences most frequently include information that is misinterpreted, people trying to communicate with others who are not interested in doing so, and inappropriate pictures or messages posted on walls. Twenty percent of students reported that they were stalked (constantly messaged by an individual) once or twice a year, and that sexually provocative messages or references to partying were rare (Hew, 2011 , p. 667).

Facebook as a Distraction

Anecdotally, instructors believe that Facebook is a serious distraction to their students and can harm their academic performance. Hew’s ( 2011 ) review of the literature is inconclusive on this concern. If students’ average daily time online is between 10 and 60 minutes, then this suggests that students should still have plenty of time for their academic studies. A study by Kirschner and Karpinski ( 2010 ), however, shows a correlation between lower GPAs and high Facebook usage. Facebook users report spending fewer hours studying per week (1–5 hours) than non-users (11–15 hours). This study does not show causation but does indicate a need to be aware of potential problems.

Access and Navigation Skills

The use of technology in education is constantly evolving, and instructors need to be aware of the level of access students have to it, as well as their skill levels in using technology. One of the reasons that Facebook is a relatively easy technology to adopt is because a majority of students already use it. It can place students at a disadvantage, however, if they have limited Internet access, or have not previously established a Facebook account. (This is true for other online tools as well, such as Blackboard or Moodle.) In some developing countries, such as Brazil, the government has spearheaded a progressive push to extend Internet access across the country, putting nearly 100 million Brazilians online, even in the remote rainforests (Holmes, 2013 ). If individuals do not have Internet access at home, it is important that the university provide computers for student use so that using this technology in the classroom does not widen the digital divide.

Students who do not have a high sense of self-efficacy with regard to technological skills may not collaborate as frequently using Facebook for communication. In particular, students who are not confident about managing their privacy settings on Facebook are less likely to collaborate in this setting (Lampe, Wohn, Vitak, Ellison, & Wash, 2011 , p. 342).

Another challenge related to access is that Facebook is not integrated with other educational platforms such as Blackboard or Moodle. This means that students and instructors must log in to at least two different platforms in order to access course content and communication software. This is less of a challenge for students than faculty because they are on Facebook more frequently (Roblyer et al., 2010 ).

Assessing Student Performance in Facebook

Assigning grades based on student use of Facebook for course work can also be difficult. Because Facebook does not provide a word count function, or any kind of automated grading system, instructors must consider how to assess work done in the Facebook environment in a way that will not take excessive time. One simple way is to provide points based on participation. Facebook groups can be searched by name and will list all of the postings by one person together for a simple tally. If an instructor wants to grade based on quality of content, this would take more time to read all of the posts, but this is true for discussion board postings within university course software as well.

University Culture/Administrative Restrictions

One last challenge worth noting is the possibility of restrictive university administration policies regarding the use of Facebook. Before incorporating any aspect of Facebook into the classroom, instructors should be aware of what policies are in place at their institution regarding the use of social networking sites.

It is also important to recognize the culture of the university where an instructor is teaching. Some institutions place a much higher value on connectedness, availability, and openness to students than others do (Sturgeon & Walker, 2009 ). If such values are not part of the institutional culture, an instructor might be stepping beyond the norms of university community by incorporating Facebook into the classroom and should do so cautiously.

Using Facebook in the Classroom (and Beyond)

Given the variety of potential benefits as well as possible challenges to using Facebook in the higher education setting, instructors should give careful consideration as to why they want to use Facebook as an educational tool and how they will incorporate it into the structure of a class. Very basic ideas for use of Facebook are presented, as well as some more extensive possibilities, depending on the identified goals of the instructor.

Creating a Professional Facebook Profile

If one of the instructor’s goals is to connect effectively with students beyond the classroom, the most basic strategy is for the instructor to create a Facebook profile that his or her students can view at their own discretion. Studies show that students respond positively to instructors who provide some degree of self-disclosure (either in the classroom or online) (Mazer, Murphy, & Simonds, 2007 ). This is a passive strategy that may make a small positive difference in the way that instructors are perceived by their students.

A further step that can be taken that still places students fully in control of the interaction is for instructors to hold online office hours on Facebook, letting students know that they will be available. Students can either message or chat with a professor synchronously rather than relying on asynchronous emailing. In addition, students can initiate these communications without taking the step of becoming a Facebook friend with the instructor. Schwartz ( 2009 ) notes that “students appreciate my accessibility and without question, respect my boundaries . . . even this surface level contact is important, helping us maintain and strengthen our connection until the next big question arises.”

Creating a Facebook Page for Classroom Management

Facebook pages are often used by institutions to communicate campus events and activities to students and to try to promote campus engagement, but they can also be used in individual classes as a classroom management tool. Students use Facebook more consistently than they access course management software such as Blackboard, so it makes sense to provide online content in a location that students access frequently (Loving & Ochoa, 2011 ). Instructors can create a class Facebook page and invite students to “like” the page so that they receive announcements, current events news, and updates on class projects, etc. Students can engage with the instructor or with their peers through posting comments and replies on the page. Librarians have experimented with this option to a greater extent than many instructors, seeking to push out helpful library resource information to students (Loving & Ochoa, 2011 ). It should be noted that pages are publicly viewable, so while the content may be class specific, others can still view it. This can pose a problem if the goal is to encourage students to participate candidly in an online discussion.

Creating a Facebook Group

For greater functionality, an instructor can create a Facebook group for the class, allowing students to share documents and engage in discussions in a less public setting. This option could be particularly beneficial for fully online or hybrid classes (part online/part face to face). Trying to get students to feel connected to each other when in an online environment can be a challenge, but increased engagement does help with learning. For online or face-to-face classes, students could be encouraged to simply use Facebook as a discussion board on a regular basis, commenting on assigned topics or current events through the group page, or engaging in live chat sessions. A Facebook group might include all members of a class, or it might consist of subgroups within the class who are perhaps assigned to work together on a course project. The document sharing function for groups is helpful in organizing a group project. One drawback is that Facebook groups do not have the grading or online testing features that course management software does.

One example of how a Facebook group was used is described by Ractham and Firpo ( 2011 ). They sought to form a “community of practice” as a supplement to their university course in 2009 . For their Introduction to Management Information Systems (MIS) class, Ractham and Firpo created a Facebook group of 69 students with two goals in mind: (1) enable instructors to build and maintain strong connections with and among the first-year students and (2) create an informal learning environment where students collaborate and learn from each other. The instructors adopted a pedagogy that invited students to fully participate during class discussions, and then encouraged these discussions to continue online through Facebook. Students were expected to provide content on the group Facebook page through wall posts, by posting videos and photos, and by commenting on each other’s posts of course topic–related news. Students were encouraged to ask questions and to answer the questions that were posed by others. Discussion was mandatory and linked to weekly assignments. The authors’ content analysis, following the conclusion of the class, was based on a total of 2,640 posts in the Facebook group as well as surveys completed by the students. Students posted on average twice a week and were most likely to use comments, followed by discussion postings. Posting photos was also a popular activity. The survey indicated that 78% of students believed that Facebook was useful as a supplemental learning tool for class. They thought the discussion and photo features were most useful for learning, while comments and private messages were more useful for communication. Videos, fun quizzes, and tagging were viewed simply as fun activities (p. 8). One variation to this structure would be to assign a “lead” role to different group members throughout the semester to post relevant content for viewing and discussion.

Groups might even include members beyond a single class, perhaps bringing together multiple course sections on campus for a greater peer to peer exchange, or even connecting with students from other institutions. In one experiment, students from Japan, Canada, the United States, and Brazil were connected via a Facebook group to share postings on their understandings of common terms in international politics (Shaw, 2013 ). The purpose of this collaboration was to expose students to the perspectives of their peers in other countries in order to understand that not all terms are understood in the same way around the world. In this international collaboration, over 100 students were assigned six key concepts, such as “development,” “globalization,” and “peace,” and were instructed to come up with an image that illustrated that concept to them personally. They were told to post the image as well as a brief explanation for why they thought that image was illustrative of the key concept. For example, one student posted a picture of a McDonald’s in Japan to illustrate globalization and explained that globalization meant that multinational corporations sold their products all around the world. On some topics postings were quite similar by students from different countries, but on others there were clear cultural or regional differences. The topic of development, in particular, led to postings that were clearly from the “Global North” or the “Global South” (developed vs. developing countries).

Another international collaborative project used Facebook groups to simulate peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine (Ben-Yehuda, Naveh, & Levin-Banchik, 2014 ). The facilitator recruited teachers from schools around the world to participate in an experimental Facebook simulation. They were each assigned different key actors in the Israeli-Palestinian talks and placed in regional blocks (EU group, U.S. group, Palestinian group, etc.) The regional blocks were instructed to come up with their own priorities and strategies for the talks (this was done asynchronously several weeks in advance by posting on the subgroup’s page). Then, all of the players logged in for two hours for a synchronous negotiation session. The facilitator created several thematic threads for the negotiations (e.g., Status of Jerusalem, settlements, etc.) and participants began posting their positions and trying to work out compromises. The project faced one challenge that is very real with students, not just teachers: not everyone participated at a high level (or at all). This led to some awkward negotiations (Hamas spoke for all Palestinians because Fatah was not present) and was a little bit frustrating. The other challenge that was perhaps unique is that the participants were from many time zones, so the synchronous negotiations required some participants to be up very early and others to be up very late. Overall, Facebook provided a simple, functional platform for this collaborative experiment.

Connecting with Students Abroad and with Alumni

An additional suggestion regarding the use of Facebook for education is to use it to link with students studying abroad as well as alumni (Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, & Witty, 2010 ). Students who are studying abroad gain a wealth of experience through their travels that could be very valuable to share with students at home. By encouraging them to post their experiences on Facebook to share, many others can benefit. This might also have a positive side effect of helping students abroad cope with homesickness by connecting them to their peers through sharing their experiences. By using Facebook to connect with alumni, universities are able to maintain a network of relationships with former students. Many alumni are willing to assist current students or recent graduates with internship opportunities, job hunting, and career development. Institutional Facebook pages or groups can provide a useful platform for these interactions to take place.

Cultural Context

There is clear evidence that Facebook is not a North American phenomenon but has been widely adopted around the world. International usage data from 2013 shows that 75% of Facebook users are outside of the United States, with 250 million in Europe, 254 million in Asia, and 200 million in Central and South America (compared to 184 million in North America) (Internet World Stats). Facebook is now available in 70+ languages. A review of the existing literature regarding Facebook usage in the classroom, however, reveals a clear North American bias. Most of the studies that involve survey data focus almost exclusively on U.S. university settings and students. Hew ( 2011 ) in fact argues that future research should be conducted with students and teachers from different countries in order to better understand whether and how different sociocultural and geographical contexts may influence the use of Facebook compared to the Anglo-American focus of research to date.

Countries with the greatest potential might include Brazil, India, and Russia, where Facebook usage is increasing significantly. Commentators have suggested, in fact, that Brazil, with over 70 million Facebook users, has become the “social media capital of the universe” (Chao, 2013 ). Facebook vice president Alexandre Hohagen suggests that Brazilians are inherently social people, finding usage of social network sites quite attractive (Holmes, 2013 ). He notes that this is not a uniquely Brazilian trait, but that other conditions have come together to make Brazil a particularly dynamic market for social networking sites such as Facebook. Both Horst ( 2011 ) and Holmes ( 2013 ) note that social media has a true democratic quality in Brazil, where there is growing access to mobile phone service. Through digital inclusion efforts such as LAN houses (Internet café–like settings) and digital inclusion points (DIPs), Brazil is managing to bridge the digital divide between the rich and poor with regard to Internet and SNS access. In addition, use of Facebook seems to extend beyond a mere social pastime, to serve as a professional connective network (similar to LinkedIn). This may make the use of Facebook even more beneficial in education, allowing connections between current and former students, and potentially developing mentoring or employment opportunities.

Suggested Practices

Given the wide range of uses for Facebook in an academic setting, and the balance that individuals have to find with regard to professionalism and privacy, there are not many guidelines that fit all situations. However, there are some suggestions that emerge based on the survey data and experiments noted. One recommendation is that instructors provide clear instructions for using Facebook, especially the privacy settings, before incorporating it into the classroom. Instructors should also give clear guidelines regarding boundaries of use (when they will respond, types of postings that are acceptable within a group, etc.). This addresses some concerns about professionalism as well as navigation skills. It is also a good practice to share with the students the reasons for selecting Facebook as a classroom tool and what learning objectives the instructor hopes to accomplish through its use.

Another recommendation that also seeks to address concerns about navigation skills and access, as well as privacy concerns, is that use of Facebook in the classroom should be made optional or supplemental, not mandatory. This is a trade-off, however; if the purpose is to build community, then having some members who don’t participate weakens attainment of that objective. Also, given students’ busy lives, they may choose to opt out of anything that does not have a graded component. One compromise would be to make Facebook engagement one of several graded alternatives, thus letting students self-select into the activity that is most comfortable for them.

Conclusions/a Look to the Future

The literature on Facebook usage in educational settings has been presented, recognizing that there is still research to be done in a non–North American context. This literature points to a number of potential educational benefits, including: creating community and promoting collaboration, enhancing communication, developing computer literacy as well as language skills, and incorporating pop as well as foreign cultures into the classroom. Some of the recognized challenges include privacy concerns, maintaining professionalism, guaranteeing access, preventing distractions to learning, and operating under university restrictions. Depending on the instructor’s specific pedagogical goals, Facebook can provide a setting where students can get to know their instructor better, receive clarification on assignments and engage in discussions with their classmates, and even connect with students beyond the campus (in study abroad and from other institutions). It can even be used as a platform for negotiations in a simulation. Facebook clearly provides room for flexibility and creativity in the classroom.

Given the ever-evolving state of technology, however, it is unlikely that Facebook will remain the predominate social network site forever. Surveys of teens reveal a global decline in usage of Facebook as a “one-stop” site (GlobalWebIndex) and wider usage of multiple apps with more narrow functions (such as Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest). There are also competitive regional apps such as Qzone (in Chinese) (Smith, 2013 ). Despite challenges from these other apps, Facebook is far from obsolete and remains a useful platform for use in the classroom. In addition, many of the benefits and lessons noted here in reference to Facebook can also apply to using other online social apps. Students will likely have the same concerns about privacy and professionalism if Google+ is incorporated into a class as they do with Facebook. This constant shifting usage of social apps presents a real challenge to instructors who tend to be slow to incorporate technologies into the classroom in the first place. Faculty need to continue to be open to experimenting with new things at the margins to see what brings value to the educational experience and what does not.

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Academic study reveals new evidence of Facebook's negative impact on the mental health of college students

MIT Sloan Office of Communications

Sep 27, 2022

Researchers created control group by  comparing colleges that had access to the platform to colleges that did not during the first two years of its existence

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 27, 2022 — A  new study  led by researchers from Tel Aviv University,  MIT Sloan School of Management  and Bocconi University reveals new findings about the negative impact of Facebook on the mental health of American college students. The study focuses on Facebook's first two-and-a-half years (2004-2006), when the new social network was gradually spreading through academic institutions, and it was still possible to detect its impact by comparing colleges that had access to the platform to colleges that did not. The findings found a rise in the number of students who had access to Facebook reporting severe depression and anxiety (7% and 20% respectively).

The study was led by  Dr. Roee Levy  of the School of Economics at Tel Aviv University,  Prof. Alexey Makarin  of MIT Sloan School of Management, and  Prof. Luca Braghieri  of Bocconi University. The paper is forthcoming in the academic journal  American Economic Review.

"Over the last fifteen years, the mental health trends of adolescents and young adults in the United States have worsened considerably," said Prof. Braghieri. "Since such worsening in trends coincided with the rise of social media, it seemed plausible to speculate that the two phenomena might be related."

The study goes back to the advent of Facebook at Harvard University in 2004, when it was the world's first social network. Facebook was initially accessible only to Harvard students who had a Harvard email address. Quickly spreading to other colleges in and outside the US, the network was finally made available to the general public in the US and beyond in September 2006.

The researchers studied Facebook's gradual expansion during those first two-and-a-half years to compare the mental health of students in colleges that had access to Facebook with that of students in colleges that did not have access to the platform at that time. Their methodology also took into account any differences in mental health over time or across colleges that were not related to Facebook. This approach enabled conditions similar to those of a 'natural experiment' - clearly impossible today now that billions of people use many different social networks.

Prof. Makarin said, "Many studies have found a correlation between the use of social media and various symptoms related to mental health. However, so far, it has been challenging to ascertain whether social media was actually the  cause  of poor mental health. In this study, by applying a novel research method, we were able to establish this causality."

The study combined information from two different datasets: the specific dates on which Facebook was introduced at 775 American colleges, and the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), a survey conducted periodically at American colleges.

The researchers built an index based on 15 relevant questions in the NCHA, in which students were asked about their mental health in the past year. They found a statistically significant worsening in mental health symptoms, especially depression and anxiety, after the arrival of Facebook:

• a rise of 7% in the number of students who had suffered, at least once during the preceding year, from depression so severe that it was difficult for them to function;
• a rise of 20% in those who reported anxiety disorders;
• an increase in the percentage of students expected to experience moderate to severe depression - from 25% to 27%;
• a rise in the percentage of students who had experienced impairment to their academic performance due to depression or anxiety - from 13% to 16%.

Moreover, the impact of Facebook on mental health was measured at 25% of the impact of losing a job, and 85% of the gap between the mental states of students with and without financial debt – with loss of employment known of employment and debt known to strongly affect mental health.

Dr. Levy said, "When studying the potential mechanisms, we hypothesized that unfavorable social comparisons could explain the effects we found, and that students more susceptible to such comparisons were more likely to suffer negative effects. To test this interpretation, we looked at more data from the NCHA. We found, for example, a greater negative impact on the mental health of students who lived off-campus and were consequently less involved in social activities, and a greater negative impact on students with credit card debts who saw their supposedly wealthier peers on the network."

"We also found evidence that Facebook had changed students' beliefs about their peers: more students believed that others consumed more alcohol, even though alcohol consumption had not changed significantly. We conclude that even today, despite familiarity with the social networks and their impact, many users continue to envy their online friends and struggle to distinguish between the image on the screen and real life."

About the MIT Sloan School of Management

The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu .

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The Impact of Using Facebook on the Academic Performance of University Students

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• Sajida Karim 17 ,
• Hui He 17 ,
• Ghulam Ali Mallah 18 ,
• Asif Ali Laghari 17 ,
• Hina Madiha 19 &
• Raja Sohail Ahmed Larik 18  

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The Advancement of technology has changed the social and academic lives. It provides a facility for people to communicate anywhere at any time diversely such as electronic mail, instant messages and social networks. A use of social network is common among the students’ and also builds a distraction for students. It is crucial for researchers to get an attention to investigate the role of social network (Facebook) in academic areas where its influences on students’ live with various activities and involves them in a different process of channels. To determine the multitasking inversely affect health and academic performance while using Facebook with different activities i.e. sharing, posting, chatting and playing games with access of internet and use of different devices during class time and study time. This study investigates the impact of using Facebook on the academic performance of university students. We conducted Correlation analysis, and Regression analysis extracted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to examine the correlation between students using Facebook in the higher academic career. The results show Facebook with academic performance has a negative relationship and medium correlation with Multitasking has positive that Facebook is not the only factor to enhance multitasking but also enhance other activities of Facebook that can effect on students which mean there is relationship between multitasking and using Facebook where Health factor has low correlation and negative relationship might get the cause to indirectly affect the students’ academic performance.

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The work is supported by the National Key Research & Development Plan under grant No. 2017YFB0801801, the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under grant No. 61472108 and 61672186.

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Karim, S., He, H., Mallah, G.A., Laghari, A.A., Madiha, H., Larik, R.S.A. (2019). The Impact of Using Facebook on the Academic Performance of University Students. In: Sun, X., Pan, Z., Bertino, E. (eds) Artificial Intelligence and Security. ICAIS 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11634. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24271-8_37

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Facebook engagement of students: strategies for effective student interaction, share this article.

Whether they learn through in-person, virtual, or blended learning, students need community. They need to meet and discuss with like-minded people who have similar goals to them, in some capacity. Not only does a community foster a sense of belonging among students, but it also relieves learning-related stress as it gives students a chance to express their wants, needs, problems, and other things they want to discuss. This, in turn, brings students together and helps them become support systems for one another. 

There are several ways to build a student community, but one of the least discussed, but effective, ways is through Facebook. 

With nearly 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. What’s more, the highest percentage of Facebook’s audience is aged 25 to 34 — and since many people in this age bracket are opting for online learning, it’s only wise for educators to know how to harness Facebook’s near-global interactivity to build stable communities for their students. 

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Understanding Facebook as an engagement platform for students

Strategies for enhancing facebook engagement among students, case study: successful facebook engagement among students, best practices for managing facebook engagement among students, overcoming challenges and addressing common concerns, harnessing the power of facebook for student engagement.

If you’re thinking of using Facebook to build a community for your students , here’s a quick overview of Facebook’s features and you can use them to do that:

As the digital landscape evolves and communication changes, educators need to use digital platforms to engage with students. Facebook Messenger is a great tool to use. It works similarly to a chatbot , and it allows existing and prospective students to send direct messages to the educator or support team for inquiries. 

Facebook also has a responsive assistant that teachers can use to send notifications or instant replies to students and prospects alike.   

While Facebook allows you to upload pre-recorded videos, your students will likely appreciate Facebook Live videos a lot more. Here’s why: With pre-recorded videos, communication is one-sided and passive. It’s just you talking and students listening; students can ‘like’, comment, and share the video, but that’s not real communication. 

Facebook Live, on the other hand, allows you to interact with your students in real time. You broadcast, and your students receive the notification and tune in. They ask questions as you speak, which you can answer right away. Students who partake in a live broadcast tend to feel more connected to their teacher and fellow students, which promotes trust and convinces prospects to make the decision to become actual students. 

You can use Facebook Live in different ways: to explain certain classes and/or programs, organize contests or events, or get students to talk about their learning experiences. 

Facebook Groups is one of the best engagement tools on Facebook because you can use them to connect students with similar wants, needs, and goals. For example, say you teach three different skills: project management, how to use Microsoft Excel, and the basics of HTML and CSS. Facebook Groups allow you to create three different groups for students in each class. You can also create a separate group for new students, and a different one where you post upcoming activities, projects, and events. 

In these groups, students will be able to communicate with one another, get help with assignments and projects, and organize study groups — among other things. You can make your groups private rather than public, so you can protect your students’ information while encouraging them to engage.

While it may not seem like a solid engagement feature because of the 24-hour lifespan of posts, Facebook Stories is a great way to get out timely announcements and share content from classes and events. It’s efficient because posts are only visible for 24 hours; you won’t have to delete anything from Stories (as opposed to regular posts where you have to delete once the information isn’t viable anymore). 

If you’re organizing a get-together, a conference, or a graduation for your students, you can use Facebook Events to add and market the event to your students. When someone responds to your event or checks in while attending, their activity will show in the news feed. Other people will see that someone’s at the event (or planning to attend), which helps you reach more potential attendees. 

Attendees can also tag their friends or other students in a post about the event, which will make the post appear in the friend’s news feed, expanding your reach even further.

Having these tools available to you doesn’t automatically mean that you know how to use them. To create a positive community for your students, there are some strategies you need to implement to ensure that they become interested and feel safe enough to interact with you and with one another via these tools. Here are some of those strategies: 

Creating Compelling and Relevant Content

People generally won’t engage with social media posts that are not relevant or helpful to them. Students are no different. To get your students to consistently engage with your Facebook posts, you’ll need to figure out their interests, wants, and need. Then create posts that cater to those things. 

For example, if you realize in your Facebook group that many students are having problems with a particular topic in the course curriculum, you can make posts or videos addressing that problem. Students will be inclined to engage with those posts because they’re relevant and helpful. 

Another thing to pay attention to is how compelling and visually appealing your Facebook content is. You want to post content that’ll draw (and keep) your students’ attention, while conveying your message. 

Thankfully, Facebook offers different post formats, such as photos and videos, Facebook Live, Stories, instant articles, recommendations, and 360-degree posts, for sharing updates and engaging with your audience. There are also text, graphics, and editing options you can use to improve your visuals. Experiment with different formats and styles to find out what form of content resonates most with your audience.

Encouraging Active Participation and Interaction

As a teacher, the best way to make students feel accepted, valued, and included is to get them to have conversations and interactions with one another. You can do this by asking thought-provoking questions, sending out surveys, and initiating discussions and debates.

Asking questions help students exhibit their academic strengths, see concepts from different perspectives, and learn new things. Group discussions and debates help students synthesize complex information, think innovatively, and communicate their ideas and points of view effectively. And surveys/polls allow students to express their struggles, wants, needs, interests, likes, and dislikes about their learning process. Surveys and polls also allow students to give you feedback on your teaching style and course curriculum.

Providing Timely Responses and Feedback

Students need to feel assured that their teacher cares about them and the work they put in toward their learning. A great way to do this is to reply to your students’ comments and DMs on time, and provide feedback on their work. 

If possible, regularly monitor what your students post on the groups and on their personal pages about school (or circumstances that affect their learning). When you find a comment, DM, or post you can meaningfully contribute to, send the student a message about it. If they’re doing great with their studies, let them know that you see and appreciate just how hard they’re working. And if they’re not doing very well, let them know where they’re slacking and ask them how best you can help them.

Leveraging Facebook Groups for Community Building

As mentioned earlier, creating a dedicated Facebook group for your students is, hands down, the best way to create a community for them. To keep things organized, set some guidelines and expectations for everyone that’s joining (or has joined) the group. Encourage members to ask you (and other students) questions, share their opinions, collaborate on projects, and support one another.

Organizing Engaging Events and Contests

Occasionally, switch things up and help your students have fun. You can do this by organizing events, team-building webinars, puzzles, challenges, and competitions. Your events don’t have to be anything fancy; they can be a simple get-together — physical or virtual — where students share their learning experiences, play some games, cultivate friendships, and have refreshments. 

Contests are great for instigating healthy competition among students. They give students the opportunity to think creatively, showcase their talent, apply their skills, and learn new things. Competitions also motivate students to work harder, become more competent, and build confidence in their abilities.   

In Jeff C. Clements’ 2015 paper, Using Facebook to Enhance Independent Student Engagement: A Case Study of First-Year Students , he explained a case study carried out to show how effective online communication tools are at boosting student engagement. 

For the case study, both teachers and students shared relevant course material through three communication platforms — Facebook, email, and a learning management system (LMS) — which totaled 26 posts on each platform. Results showed that over 50 percent of the students engaged with at least one post through one or more platforms, and Facebook was the primary platform for student engagement. Students primarily engaged with the Facebook posts by “liking” and sharing them. 

Although there was no significant difference in student engagement between teacher-shared and student-shared posts, the engagement was 29% higher when the teacher liked and/or commented on a post a day after sharing it.

To manage how students engage within your Facebook group or community, here are some best practices you should implement: 

Set guidelines and moderation policies 

A major concern as a teacher (and creator of a Facebook community) is making your community a safe space for students to interact with one another and forge lasting relationships. The first step to doing that is setting community guidelines and moderation policies for group members. These guidelines set the tone for the entire group and let members know how to conduct themselves to create order, prevent conflict, and maintain the positivity of the space. 

Fortunately, Facebook has a ‘Group Rules’ feature, which is a dedicated section where you can create, edit, and organize up to 10 rules for existing and potential group members. Once you’ve outlined your rules, Facebook displays them in the About section of the group. Facebook also displays these rules when someone requests to join your group. 

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Facebook also has a feature that allows you to notify a group member whenever they break a rule and which rule they broke. Not only does this give them a chance to fix their post or comment, but it’s also a great way to remind members of your rules and reduce the chances of similar issues happening in the future.  

Develop a content calendar and posting schedule 

Getting engagement on Facebook depends largely on two things: the quality of content you post and how often you post content. Even when you have high-quality content , it won’t do you any good to publish them haphazardly or without a plan. That’s why you should have a content calendar. 

A content calendar is a document where you can organize future content by detailing what you want to post and when you plan to post it. This helps you: 

• Save time by allowing you to create content in advance. 
• Improve your posting consistency by allowing you to specify the days you want to post each piece of content. This way, you’ll never miss any important posting times again. 
• Create better quality content as it allows you to brainstorm new ideas and sift through them to find gems.

Monitor analytics and gather insights 

Knowing the statistics is a great way to predict how your students will interact with certain post topics and formats. But stats are not set in stone. The only foolproof way to know what resonates with your group members is to monitor your Facebook analytics and gather insights.

For example, statistics show that videos get much better engagement than regular posts, but your analytics may show that the inverse is the case for your own group. Or that your students adore 360-degree videos above all other post formats. 

Monitoring your analytics helps you get in the minds of your students so you’ll know the topics and post formats they prefer, and the times they interact with your content. This information will inform the way you create content in the future. 

If you think that creating a positive community for your students won’t always be a smooth-sailing experience, you’d be right. Along the line, you’ll meet trolls and encounter negativity, and your students may face data privacy issues. Here are some ways to deal with these challenges: 

Dealing with negative or inappropriate content 

Negative comments and inappropriate content can damage your reputation, lower your members’ morale, and discourage people from joining or participating in the group. To deal with these comments (and content), here are some things you can do: 

• Politely reply to the negativity: If the comment or post qualifies as negative feedback about your brand, reply politely and professionally, offering your help and asking what you can do better. Not only can this can calm things down and show that you’re professional, but it also shows that you’re willing to improve as a teacher.
• Hide negative comments: Facebook has a feature that allows you to hide any comment you don’t want your members to see on your posts. The ingenious part of this is that the comment will remain visible to the person who posted it, so they won’t know that others can see it. This can assuage the commenter’s anger, as they’ll feel like they’ve been successful at tarnishing your brand.
• Delete negative comments and posts: If you don’t anyone — including the poster — to see a negative comment or post, you can delete it. The downside to this, though, is that the poster may return and repost the negativity when they realize it’s no longer visible to the group. It’s safer to use the Hide feature. 
• Limit the commentators: If you don’t want anyone to comment negative things on your posts, simply limit the number of people who can comment on your posts. 

Handling online trolls and disruptive behavior 

There are people who are dedicated to spreading negativity and posting disruptive content on Facebook groups. These are trolls, and you may not be able to get them to stop by politely replying to them or deleting their comments. Here’s what you can do: 

• Set clear expectations for behavior in the group: When creating guidelines for the group, avoid using broad or vague language that can be interpreted in many ways. Instead, be clear and specific about the behaviors that will (and will not) be tolerated for posts, comments, and behaviors in online discussions.

Include guidelines for respecting others regardless of their background, nationality, sex/gender, (dis)ability, etc. Establishing a code of conduct will help members understand what they should and shouldn’t do in the group. 

• Encourage positive interactions: As more people join your group, encourage positive interactions within the community. This creates a respectful and supportive environment, which lowers the likelihood of trolls posting negativity. You can facilitate these interactions by sharing uplifting stories about other students, encouraging students to share their own experiences, creating opportunities for members to collaborate on projects, and allowing members to provide constructive feedback on the community.
• Outline the consequences for violating community guidelines: Even after setting guidelines and facilitating positive interactions, some people may still be tempted to post disruptive and negative content. To discourage this behavior and protect respectful members, have a list of consequences for such behavior, which can include issuing a warning, blocking the offender, and banning the offender from the community altogether. 

Managing student privacy and data protection 

There are two major ways you can protect your students’ data and privacy on your Facebook group: make the group private and don’t add strangers to the group. You can lock your group and create a short questionnaire that a prospective member would have to complete before being accepted into the group. If the person’s answers are satisfactory, let them in. If not, reject their application. 

Inside the group, you can make a pinned post teaching members how to protect their information from getting into the hands of scammers and fraudsters on Facebook. Educate them on Facebook’s privacy settings and controls, and how they can comply with privacy regulations. 

Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms that exists, and one of its strong suits is its ability to help teachers create positive online communities for their students. 

As you work on building a student community on Facebook, try to understand your students’ interests and preferences, and create high-quality content that caters to them. At the start, experiment with different kinds of content and post formats to see what resonates with your students; this will increase the likelihood of people joining and participating in your community. 

As you get more students, develop a content calendar to help you organize your ideas and post consistently. Also create a code of conduct that’ll guide the way your students interact within the group, and specify the consequences for violating these guidelines. Finally, teach your students how they can protect their data and privacy, and comply with Facebook’s privacy regulations, to make their experience in the community a pleasant and stress-free one.    

How can I encourage student engagement on Facebook?

To encourage students to engage with you (and with one another) on Facebook, create relevant and visually aesthetic content, ask thought-provoking questions, run polls and surveys, give them feedback, create Facebook groups to build community, and organize engaging events and contests.

How can Facebook groups be used to build a student community?

To use Facebook Groups effectively, you’ll need to create a dedicated group for your student, set guidelines and expectations for them to follow, encourage discussions and interactions within the group, and facilitate collaboration and peer-to-peer support.

What are some best practices for managing Facebook engagement among students?

Some best practices for managing Facebook engagement among students include setting guidelines and moderation policies, developing a content calendar and posting schedule, and monitoring analytics to gather insights and improve strategies.

How do I handle negative or inappropriate content on student Facebook groups?

To handle negative or inappropriate content on student Facebook groups, establish clear community guidelines and moderation policies, promptly address or remove inappropriate content, and encourage positive and respectful interactions among group members.

How can I address concerns about student privacy and data protection on Facebook?

To protect your students’ data and privacy on Facebook, be wary of the people you accept to become members of the group, and educate your students on Facebook’s privacy settings and controls and how to comply with the platform’s privacy regulations.

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Althea Storm is a B2B SaaS writer who specializes in creating data-driven content that drives traffic and increases conversions for businesses. She has worked with top companies like AdEspresso, HubSpot, Aura, and Thinkific. When she's not writing web content, she's curled up in a chair reading a crime thriller or solving a Rubik's cube.

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Short Essay On Impact of Facebook On Students

“Short Essay On Impact of Facebook On Students”. Facebook is one of the famous social media of current century. A social media is playing a vital role in every person’s life today. It is becoming so common among teenagers, youngster, and elders. It also becomes an important and essential part of life. Facebook is the most famous social media among all. Almost everyone is now familiar with this term. Facebook is an online social media and social networking service which networks people from all over the world. It was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg.

Everything in this world possesses some positive and negative impacts. Similarly, Facebook has some positive and negative edges. We are going to discuss both these edges in this Short Essay On Impact of Facebook On Students in detail. You can easily examine the positivity and negativity of facebook on the mental, physical and academic performance of an individual.

Facebook is the latest online communication platform. It allows you to connect with your friends, family, and relative far of place. The sole positive impact of Facebook on its user is that it gives us knowledge and information. It is also known as the best and instant source of news. Facebook gives you instant knowledge of news and events happening far of place all over the globe.

The negative impacts on facebook comprise of following points such as; by addictive of facebook you become an idol and stick to your laptops using facebook continually. Continuous use of facebook adversely affects the academic performance of students. They ruin their career by distracting from studies. We can say Facebook is quite addictive. It directly distracts people from the right or positive path towards negative way.

People have very craze on Facebook. You can easily estimate the worth of using Facebook that is there are 500 million active users every month on this site. The majority of the Facebook user is comprised of students and teenagers. The platform of Facebook is continuously growing faster. It is affecting the students very badly. It is estimated that 70% failures of students depend upon the usage of Facebook.

This is one of the alarming situations for students. As you students are the asset of any nation or state. If they ruin their time by using such type of social networking, then the asset of the nation may lead to a great loss. We should try to avoid such kind of social abuses. Try to use Facebook in your free time. Unlimited use of anything results in harmful effects. Hopefully, this Short Essay On Impact of Facebook On Students will surely clear your image regarding Facebook.

Moin akhtar

I am committed to helping Pakistani students craft successful career paths by merging their individual passions with market trends. As a career counselor, we'll explore both well-established fields and modern industries to find the best fit for you. With personalized counseling and strategic planning, we aim to transform your educational journey into a thriving professional future.

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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Facebook — The Impact and Future of Facebook

The Impact and Future of Facebook

• Categories: Facebook Social Media

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Words: 532 |

Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 532 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, history and background of facebook, business model and revenue streams, social and cultural impact of facebook, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

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Essay On Facebook

500 words essay on facebook.

Facebook has become one of the most famous social networking sites. However, it comes with its own sets of pros and cons. While it has helped a lot of individuals and business to create their brand, it is also being used for wrong activities. Through an essay on Facebook, we will go through all this in detail.

Benefits of Facebook

Facebook is experiencing dramatic growth currently where the number of users has reached one billion. It comes with a lot of benefits like video calling with your close ones and uploading your photos and videos without charge.

Most importantly, it allows you to get in touch with people from the other side of the world without spending a penny. It is also a great way to connect with old school friends and college friends.

Further, you can also make new friends through this platform. When you connect with people from all over the world, it opens doors to learning about new cultures, values and traditions from different countries.

It also gives you features for group discussions and chatting. Now, Facebook also allows users to sell their products or services through their site. It is a great way of increasing sales and establishing your business online.

Thus, it gives you new leads and clients. Facebook Ads help you advertise your business and target your audience specifically. Similarly, it also has gaming options for you to enjoy when you are getting bored.

Most importantly, it is also a great source of information and news. It helps in staying updated with the latest happenings in the world and subscribing to popular fan pages to get the latest updates.

Drawbacks of Facebook

While it does offer many advantages, it also gives you many drawbacks. First of all, it compromises your privacy at great lengths. Many cases have been filed regarding the same issue.

Further, you are at risk of theft if you use it for online banking and more. Similarly, it also gives virus attacks. A seemingly harmless link may activate a virus in your computer without you knowing.

Moreover, you also get spam emails because of Facebook which may be frustrating at times. The biggest disadvantage has to be child pornography. It gives access to a lot of pornographic photos and videos.

Similarly, it is also a great place for paedophiles to connect with minors and lure them easily under false pretence. A lot of hackers also use Facebook for hacking into people’s personal information and gaining from it.

Another major drawback is Facebook addiction . It is like an abyss that makes you scroll endlessly. You waste so much time on there without even realizing that it hampers the productivity of your life by taking more away from you than giving.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Facebook

To sum it up, if we use Facebook in the right proportions and with proper care, it can be a powerful tool for anyone. Moreover, it can be great for marketing and networking. Further, any business can also leverage its power to make its business success. But, it is essential to remember to not let it become an addiction.

FAQ of Essay on Facebook

Question 1: What is the purpose of Facebook?

Answer 1: The purpose of Facebook is to allow people to build a community and make the world a smaller place. It helps to connect with friends and family and also discover all the latest happenings in the world.

Question 2: What is the disadvantage of Facebook?

Answer 2: Facebook is potentially addictive and can hamper the productivity of people. Moreover, it also makes you vulnerable to malware and viruses. Moreover, it has also given rise to identity theft.

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The effect of social media on the development of students’ affective variables

1 Science and Technology Department, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China

2 School of Marxism, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

3 Government Enterprise Customer Center, China Mobile Group Jiangsu Co., Ltd., Nanjing, China

The use of social media is incomparably on the rise among students, influenced by the globalized forms of communication and the post-pandemic rush to use multiple social media platforms for education in different fields of study. Though social media has created tremendous chances for sharing ideas and emotions, the kind of social support it provides might fail to meet students’ emotional needs, or the alleged positive effects might be short-lasting. In recent years, several studies have been conducted to explore the potential effects of social media on students’ affective traits, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and so on. The present paper reviews the findings of the exemplary published works of research to shed light on the positive and negative potential effects of the massive use of social media on students’ emotional well-being. This review can be insightful for teachers who tend to take the potential psychological effects of social media for granted. They may want to know more about the actual effects of the over-reliance on and the excessive (and actually obsessive) use of social media on students’ developing certain images of self and certain emotions which are not necessarily positive. There will be implications for pre- and in-service teacher training and professional development programs and all those involved in student affairs.

Introduction

Social media has turned into an essential element of individuals’ lives including students in today’s world of communication. Its use is growing significantly more than ever before especially in the post-pandemic era, marked by a great revolution happening to the educational systems. Recent investigations of using social media show that approximately 3 billion individuals worldwide are now communicating via social media ( Iwamoto and Chun, 2020 ). This growing population of social media users is spending more and more time on social network groupings, as facts and figures show that individuals spend 2 h a day, on average, on a variety of social media applications, exchanging pictures and messages, updating status, tweeting, favoring, and commenting on many updated socially shared information ( Abbott, 2017 ).

Researchers have begun to investigate the psychological effects of using social media on students’ lives. Chukwuere and Chukwuere (2017) maintained that social media platforms can be considered the most important source of changing individuals’ mood, because when someone is passively using a social media platform seemingly with no special purpose, s/he can finally feel that his/her mood has changed as a function of the nature of content overviewed. Therefore, positive and negative moods can easily be transferred among the population using social media networks ( Chukwuere and Chukwuere, 2017 ). This may become increasingly important as students are seen to be using social media platforms more than before and social networking is becoming an integral aspect of their lives. As described by Iwamoto and Chun (2020) , when students are affected by social media posts, especially due to the increasing reliance on social media use in life, they may be encouraged to begin comparing themselves to others or develop great unrealistic expectations of themselves or others, which can have several affective consequences.

Considering the increasing influence of social media on education, the present paper aims to focus on the affective variables such as depression, stress, and anxiety, and how social media can possibly increase or decrease these emotions in student life. The exemplary works of research on this topic in recent years will be reviewed here, hoping to shed light on the positive and negative effects of these ever-growing influential platforms on the psychology of students.

Significance of the study

Though social media, as the name suggests, is expected to keep people connected, probably this social connection is only superficial, and not adequately deep and meaningful to help individuals feel emotionally attached to others. The psychological effects of social media on student life need to be studied in more depth to see whether social media really acts as a social support for students and whether students can use social media to cope with negative emotions and develop positive feelings or not. In other words, knowledge of the potential effects of the growing use of social media on students’ emotional well-being can bridge the gap between the alleged promises of social media and what it actually has to offer to students in terms of self-concept, self-respect, social role, and coping strategies (for stress, anxiety, etc.).

Exemplary general literature on psychological effects of social media

Before getting down to the effects of social media on students’ emotional well-being, some exemplary works of research in recent years on the topic among general populations are reviewed. For one, Aalbers et al. (2018) reported that individuals who spent more time passively working with social media suffered from more intense levels of hopelessness, loneliness, depression, and perceived inferiority. For another, Tang et al. (2013) observed that the procedures of sharing information, commenting, showing likes and dislikes, posting messages, and doing other common activities on social media are correlated with higher stress. Similarly, Ley et al. (2014) described that people who spend 2 h, on average, on social media applications will face many tragic news, posts, and stories which can raise the total intensity of their stress. This stress-provoking effect of social media has been also pinpointed by Weng and Menczer (2015) , who contended that social media becomes a main source of stress because people often share all kinds of posts, comments, and stories ranging from politics and economics, to personal and social affairs. According to Iwamoto and Chun (2020) , anxiety and depression are the negative emotions that an individual may develop when some source of stress is present. In other words, when social media sources become stress-inducing, there are high chances that anxiety and depression also develop.

Charoensukmongkol (2018) reckoned that the mental health and well-being of the global population can be at a great risk through the uncontrolled massive use of social media. These researchers also showed that social media sources can exert negative affective impacts on teenagers, as they can induce more envy and social comparison. According to Fleck and Johnson-Migalski (2015) , though social media, at first, plays the role of a stress-coping strategy, when individuals continue to see stressful conditions (probably experienced and shared by others in media), they begin to develop stress through the passage of time. Chukwuere and Chukwuere (2017) maintained that social media platforms continue to be the major source of changing mood among general populations. For example, someone might be passively using a social media sphere, and s/he may finally find him/herself with a changed mood depending on the nature of the content faced. Then, this good or bad mood is easily shared with others in a flash through the social media. Finally, as Alahmar (2016) described, social media exposes people especially the young generation to new exciting activities and events that may attract them and keep them engaged in different media contexts for hours just passing their time. It usually leads to reduced productivity, reduced academic achievement, and addiction to constant media use ( Alahmar, 2016 ).

The number of studies on the potential psychological effects of social media on people in general is higher than those selectively addressed here. For further insights into this issue, some other suggested works of research include Chang (2012) , Sriwilai and Charoensukmongkol (2016) , and Zareen et al. (2016) . Now, we move to the studies that more specifically explored the effects of social media on students’ affective states.

Review of the affective influences of social media on students

Vygotsky’s mediational theory (see Fernyhough, 2008 ) can be regarded as a main theoretical background for the support of social media on learners’ affective states. Based on this theory, social media can play the role of a mediational means between learners and the real environment. Learners’ understanding of this environment can be mediated by the image shaped via social media. This image can be either close to or different from the reality. In the case of the former, learners can develop their self-image and self-esteem. In the case of the latter, learners might develop unrealistic expectations of themselves by comparing themselves to others. As it will be reviewed below among the affective variables increased or decreased in students under the influence of the massive use of social media are anxiety, stress, depression, distress, rumination, and self-esteem. These effects have been explored more among school students in the age range of 13–18 than university students (above 18), but some studies were investigated among college students as well. Exemplary works of research on these affective variables are reviewed here.

In a cross-sectional study, O’Dea and Campbell (2011) explored the impact of online interactions of social networks on the psychological distress of adolescent students. These researchers found a negative correlation between the time spent on social networking and mental distress. Dumitrache et al. (2012) explored the relations between depression and the identity associated with the use of the popular social media, the Facebook. This study showed significant associations between depression and the number of identity-related information pieces shared on this social network. Neira and Barber (2014) explored the relationship between students’ social media use and depressed mood at teenage. No significant correlation was found between these two variables. In the same year, Tsitsika et al. (2014) explored the associations between excessive use of social media and internalizing emotions. These researchers found a positive correlation between more than 2-h a day use of social media and anxiety and depression.

Hanprathet et al. (2015) reported a statistically significant positive correlation between addiction to Facebook and depression among about a thousand high school students in wealthy populations of Thailand and warned against this psychological threat. Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis (2015) examined the relationship between social media use and psychological distress. These researchers found that the use of social media for more than 2 h a day was correlated with a higher intensity of psychological distress. Banjanin et al. (2015) tested the relationship between too much use of social networking and depression, yet found no statistically significant correlation between these two variables. Frison and Eggermont (2016) examined the relationships between different forms of Facebook use, perceived social support of social media, and male and female students’ depressed mood. These researchers found a positive association between the passive use of the Facebook and depression and also between the active use of the social media and depression. Furthermore, the perceived social support of the social media was found to mediate this association. Besides, gender was found as the other factor to mediate this relationship.

Vernon et al. (2017) explored change in negative investment in social networking in relation to change in depression and externalizing behavior. These researchers found that increased investment in social media predicted higher depression in adolescent students, which was a function of the effect of higher levels of disrupted sleep. Barry et al. (2017) explored the associations between the use of social media by adolescents and their psychosocial adjustment. Social media activity showed to be positively and moderately associated with depression and anxiety. Another investigation was focused on secondary school students in China conducted by Li et al. (2017) . The findings showed a mediating role of insomnia on the significant correlation between depression and addiction to social media. In the same year, Yan et al. (2017) aimed to explore the time spent on social networks and its correlation with anxiety among middle school students. They found a significant positive correlation between more than 2-h use of social networks and the intensity of anxiety.

Also in China, Wang et al. (2018) showed that addiction to social networking sites was correlated positively with depression, and this correlation was mediated by rumination. These researchers also found that this mediating effect was moderated by self-esteem. It means that the effect of addiction on depression was compounded by low self-esteem through rumination. In another work of research, Drouin et al. (2018) showed that though social media is expected to act as a form of social support for the majority of university students, it can adversely affect students’ mental well-being, especially for those who already have high levels of anxiety and depression. In their research, the social media resources were found to be stress-inducing for half of the participants, all university students. The higher education population was also studied by Iwamoto and Chun (2020) . These researchers investigated the emotional effects of social media in higher education and found that the socially supportive role of social media was overshadowed in the long run in university students’ lives and, instead, fed into their perceived depression, anxiety, and stress.

Keles et al. (2020) provided a systematic review of the effect of social media on young and teenage students’ depression, psychological distress, and anxiety. They found that depression acted as the most frequent affective variable measured. The most salient risk factors of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression based on the systematic review were activities such as repeated checking for messages, personal investment, the time spent on social media, and problematic or addictive use. Similarly, Mathewson (2020) investigated the effect of using social media on college students’ mental health. The participants stated the experience of anxiety, depression, and suicidality (thoughts of suicide or attempts to suicide). The findings showed that the types and frequency of using social media and the students’ perceived mental health were significantly correlated with each other.

The body of research on the effect of social media on students’ affective and emotional states has led to mixed results. The existing literature shows that there are some positive and some negative affective impacts. Yet, it seems that the latter is pre-dominant. Mathewson (2020) attributed these divergent positive and negative effects to the different theoretical frameworks adopted in different studies and also the different contexts (different countries with whole different educational systems). According to Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions ( Fredrickson, 2001 ), the mental repertoires of learners can be built and broadened by how they feel. For instance, some external stimuli might provoke negative emotions such as anxiety and depression in learners. Having experienced these negative emotions, students might repeatedly check their messages on social media or get addicted to them. As a result, their cognitive repertoire and mental capacity might become limited and they might lose their concentration during their learning process. On the other hand, it should be noted that by feeling positive, learners might take full advantage of the affordances of the social media and; thus, be able to follow their learning goals strategically. This point should be highlighted that the link between the use of social media and affective states is bi-directional. Therefore, strategic use of social media or its addictive use by students can direct them toward either positive experiences like enjoyment or negative ones such as anxiety and depression. Also, these mixed positive and negative effects are similar to the findings of several other relevant studies on general populations’ psychological and emotional health. A number of studies (with general research populations not necessarily students) showed that social networks have facilitated the way of staying in touch with family and friends living far away as well as an increased social support ( Zhang, 2017 ). Given the positive and negative emotional effects of social media, social media can either scaffold the emotional repertoire of students, which can develop positive emotions in learners, or induce negative provokers in them, based on which learners might feel negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. However, admittedly, social media has also generated a domain that encourages the act of comparing lives, and striving for approval; therefore, it establishes and internalizes unrealistic perceptions ( Virden et al., 2014 ; Radovic et al., 2017 ).

It should be mentioned that the susceptibility of affective variables to social media should be interpreted from a dynamic lens. This means that the ecology of the social media can make changes in the emotional experiences of learners. More specifically, students’ affective variables might self-organize into different states under the influence of social media. As for the positive correlation found in many studies between the use of social media and such negative effects as anxiety, depression, and stress, it can be hypothesized that this correlation is induced by the continuous comparison the individual makes and the perception that others are doing better than him/her influenced by the posts that appear on social media. Using social media can play a major role in university students’ psychological well-being than expected. Though most of these studies were correlational, and correlation is not the same as causation, as the studies show that the number of participants experiencing these negative emotions under the influence of social media is significantly high, more extensive research is highly suggested to explore causal effects ( Mathewson, 2020 ).

As the review of exemplary studies showed, some believed that social media increased comparisons that students made between themselves and others. This finding ratifies the relevance of the Interpretation Comparison Model ( Stapel and Koomen, 2000 ; Stapel, 2007 ) and Festinger’s (1954) Social Comparison Theory. Concerning the negative effects of social media on students’ psychology, it can be argued that individuals may fail to understand that the content presented in social media is usually changed to only represent the attractive aspects of people’s lives, showing an unrealistic image of things. We can add that this argument also supports the relevance of the Social Comparison Theory and the Interpretation Comparison Model ( Stapel and Koomen, 2000 ; Stapel, 2007 ), because social media sets standards that students think they should compare themselves with. A constant observation of how other students or peers are showing their instances of achievement leads to higher self-evaluation ( Stapel and Koomen, 2000 ). It is conjectured that the ubiquitous role of social media in student life establishes unrealistic expectations and promotes continuous comparison as also pinpointed in the Interpretation Comparison Model ( Stapel and Koomen, 2000 ; Stapel, 2007 ).

Implications of the study

The use of social media is ever increasing among students, both at school and university, which is partly because of the promises of technological advances in communication services and partly because of the increased use of social networks for educational purposes in recent years after the pandemic. This consistent use of social media is not expected to leave students’ psychological, affective and emotional states untouched. Thus, it is necessary to know how the growing usage of social networks is associated with students’ affective health on different aspects. Therefore, we found it useful to summarize the research findings in recent years in this respect. If those somehow in charge of student affairs in educational settings are aware of the potential positive or negative effects of social media usage on students, they can better understand the complexities of students’ needs and are better capable of meeting them.

Psychological counseling programs can be initiated at schools or universities to check upon the latest state of students’ mental and emotional health influenced by the pervasive use of social media. The counselors can be made aware of the potential adverse effects of social networking and can adapt the content of their inquiries accordingly. Knowledge of the potential reasons for student anxiety, depression, and stress can help school or university counselors to find individualized coping strategies when they diagnose any symptom of distress in students influenced by an excessive use of social networking.

Admittedly, it is neither possible to discard the use of social media in today’s academic life, nor to keep students’ use of social networks fully controlled. Certainly, the educational space in today’s world cannot do without the social media, which has turned into an integral part of everybody’s life. Yet, probably students need to be instructed on how to take advantage of the media and to be the least affected negatively by its occasional superficial and unrepresentative content. Compensatory programs might be needed at schools or universities to encourage students to avoid making unrealistic and impartial comparisons of themselves and the flamboyant images of others displayed on social media. Students can be taught to develop self-appreciation and self-care while continuing to use the media to their benefit.

The teachers’ role as well as the curriculum developers’ role are becoming more important than ever, as they can significantly help to moderate the adverse effects of the pervasive social media use on students’ mental and emotional health. The kind of groupings formed for instructional purposes, for example, in social media can be done with greater care by teachers to make sure that the members of the groups are homogeneous and the tasks and activities shared in the groups are quite relevant and realistic. The teachers cannot always be in a full control of students’ use of social media, and the other fact is that students do not always and only use social media for educational purposes. They spend more time on social media for communicating with friends or strangers or possibly they just passively receive the content produced out of any educational scope just for entertainment. This uncontrolled and unrealistic content may give them a false image of life events and can threaten their mental and emotional health. Thus, teachers can try to make students aware of the potential hazards of investing too much of their time on following pages or people that publish false and misleading information about their personal or social identities. As students, logically expected, spend more time with their teachers than counselors, they may be better and more receptive to the advice given by the former than the latter.

Teachers may not be in full control of their students’ use of social media, but they have always played an active role in motivating or demotivating students to take particular measures in their academic lives. If teachers are informed of the recent research findings about the potential effects of massively using social media on students, they may find ways to reduce students’ distraction or confusion in class due to the excessive or over-reliant use of these networks. Educators may more often be mesmerized by the promises of technology-, computer- and mobile-assisted learning. They may tend to encourage the use of social media hoping to benefit students’ social and interpersonal skills, self-confidence, stress-managing and the like. Yet, they may be unaware of the potential adverse effects on students’ emotional well-being and, thus, may find the review of the recent relevant research findings insightful. Also, teachers can mediate between learners and social media to manipulate the time learners spend on social media. Research has mainly indicated that students’ emotional experiences are mainly dependent on teachers’ pedagogical approach. They should refrain learners from excessive use of, or overreliance on, social media. Raising learners’ awareness of this fact that individuals should develop their own path of development for learning, and not build their development based on unrealistic comparison of their competences with those of others, can help them consider positive values for their activities on social media and, thus, experience positive emotions.

At higher education, students’ needs are more life-like. For example, their employment-seeking spirits might lead them to create accounts in many social networks, hoping for a better future. However, membership in many of these networks may end in the mere waste of the time that could otherwise be spent on actual on-campus cooperative projects. Universities can provide more on-campus resources both for research and work experience purposes from which the students can benefit more than the cyberspace that can be tricky on many occasions. Two main theories underlying some negative emotions like boredom and anxiety are over-stimulation and under-stimulation. Thus, what learners feel out of their involvement in social media might be directed toward negative emotions due to the stimulating environment of social media. This stimulating environment makes learners rely too much, and spend too much time, on social media or use them obsessively. As a result, they might feel anxious or depressed. Given the ubiquity of social media, these negative emotions can be replaced with positive emotions if learners become aware of the psychological effects of social media. Regarding the affordances of social media for learners, they can take advantage of the potential affordances of these media such as improving their literacy, broadening their communication skills, or enhancing their distance learning opportunities.

A review of the research findings on the relationship between social media and students’ affective traits revealed both positive and negative findings. Yet, the instances of the latter were more salient and the negative psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress have been far from negligible. These findings were discussed in relation to some more relevant theories such as the social comparison theory, which predicted that most of the potential issues with the young generation’s excessive use of social media were induced by the unfair comparisons they made between their own lives and the unrealistic portrayal of others’ on social media. Teachers, education policymakers, curriculum developers, and all those in charge of the student affairs at schools and universities should be made aware of the psychological effects of the pervasive use of social media on students, and the potential threats.

It should be reminded that the alleged socially supportive and communicative promises of the prevalent use of social networking in student life might not be fully realized in practice. Students may lose self-appreciation and gratitude when they compare their current state of life with the snapshots of others’ or peers’. A depressed or stressed-out mood can follow. Students at schools or universities need to learn self-worth to resist the adverse effects of the superficial support they receive from social media. Along this way, they should be assisted by the family and those in charge at schools or universities, most importantly the teachers. As already suggested, counseling programs might help with raising students’ awareness of the potential psychological threats of social media to their health. Considering the ubiquity of social media in everybody’ life including student life worldwide, it seems that more coping and compensatory strategies should be contrived to moderate the adverse psychological effects of the pervasive use of social media on students. Also, the affective influences of social media should not be generalized but they need to be interpreted from an ecological or contextual perspective. This means that learners might have different emotions at different times or different contexts while being involved in social media. More specifically, given the stative approach to learners’ emotions, what learners emotionally experience in their application of social media can be bound to their intra-personal and interpersonal experiences. This means that the same learner at different time points might go through different emotions Also, learners’ emotional states as a result of their engagement in social media cannot be necessarily generalized to all learners in a class.

As the majority of studies on the psychological effects of social media on student life have been conducted on school students than in higher education, it seems it is too soon to make any conclusive remark on this population exclusively. Probably, in future, further studies of the psychological complexities of students at higher education and a better knowledge of their needs can pave the way for making more insightful conclusions about the effects of social media on their affective states.

Suggestions for further research

The majority of studies on the potential effects of social media usage on students’ psychological well-being are either quantitative or qualitative in type, each with many limitations. Presumably, mixed approaches in near future can better provide a comprehensive assessment of these potential associations. Moreover, most studies on this topic have been cross-sectional in type. There is a significant dearth of longitudinal investigation on the effect of social media on developing positive or negative emotions in students. This seems to be essential as different affective factors such as anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and the like have a developmental nature. Traditional research methods with single-shot designs for data collection fail to capture the nuances of changes in these affective variables. It can be expected that more longitudinal studies in future can show how the continuous use of social media can affect the fluctuations of any of these affective variables during the different academic courses students pass at school or university.

As already raised in some works of research reviewed, the different patterns of impacts of social media on student life depend largely on the educational context. Thus, the same research designs with the same academic grade students and even the same age groups can lead to different findings concerning the effects of social media on student psychology in different countries. In other words, the potential positive and negative effects of popular social media like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc., on students’ affective conditions can differ across different educational settings in different host countries. Thus, significantly more research is needed in different contexts and cultures to compare the results.

There is also a need for further research on the higher education students and how their affective conditions are positively and negatively affected by the prevalent use of social media. University students’ psychological needs might be different from other academic grades and, thus, the patterns of changes that the overall use of social networking can create in their emotions can be also different. Their main reasons for using social media might be different from school students as well, which need to be investigated more thoroughly. The sorts of interventions needed to moderate the potential negative effects of social networking on them can be different too, all requiring a new line of research in education domain.

Finally, there are hopes that considering the ever-increasing popularity of social networking in education, the potential psychological effects of social media on teachers be explored as well. Though teacher psychology has only recently been considered for research, the literature has provided profound insights into teachers developing stress, motivation, self-esteem, and many other emotions. In today’s world driven by global communications in the cyberspace, teachers like everyone else are affecting and being affected by social networking. The comparison theory can hold true for teachers too. Thus, similar threats (of social media) to self-esteem and self-worth can be there for teachers too besides students, which are worth investigating qualitatively and quantitatively.

Probably a new line of research can be initiated to explore the co-development of teacher and learner psychological traits under the influence of social media use in longitudinal studies. These will certainly entail sophisticated research methods to be capable of unraveling the nuances of variation in these traits and their mutual effects, for example, stress, motivation, and self-esteem. If these are incorporated within mixed-approach works of research, more comprehensive and better insightful findings can be expected to emerge. Correlational studies need to be followed by causal studies in educational settings. As many conditions of the educational settings do not allow for having control groups or randomization, probably, experimental studies do not help with this. Innovative research methods, case studies or else, can be used to further explore the causal relations among the different features of social media use and the development of different affective variables in teachers or learners. Examples of such innovative research methods can be process tracing, qualitative comparative analysis, and longitudinal latent factor modeling (for a more comprehensive view, see Hiver and Al-Hoorie, 2019 ).

Author contributions

Both authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.

This study was sponsored by Wuxi Philosophy and Social Sciences bidding project—“Special Project for Safeguarding the Rights and Interests of Workers in the New Form of Employment” (Grant No. WXSK22-GH-13). This study was sponsored by the Key Project of Party Building and Ideological and Political Education Research of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications—“Research on the Guidance and Countermeasures of Network Public Opinion in Colleges and Universities in the Modern Times” (Grant No. XC 2021002).

Conflict of interest

Author XX was employed by China Mobile Group Jiangsu Co., Ltd. The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Chicago students honored for powerful essays on violence impact

'do the write thing' finalists announced in chicago.

There were 100 students honored Tuesday night for writing essays about how violence affects them.

CHICAGO - One hundred students were recognized on Monday for their essays reflecting on the impact of violence in their lives and communities.

The event, known as "Do the Write Thing," is part of a nationwide initiative aimed at curbing violence. The celebratory ceremony unfolded at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where the young participants were joined by their families, teachers and school principals.

Out of a total of 800 submissions from middle school students across the city, the top ten finalists emerged. From this talented pool, two exceptional individuals were unveiled as the winners.

Rylie Thompson, representing Arthur Dixon Elementary, and Beautiful Pearson, from Parker Community Academy, clinched the coveted titles. 

Alongside their well-deserved trophies, Thompson and Pearson secured an all-expenses-paid journey to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

During their visit, the students will have the opportunity to explore the esteemed Library of Congress and, potentially, engage with policymakers. Furthermore, their compelling essays have been immortalized in a book, slated for preservation within the Library of Congress's archives.

Beautiful Pearson's essay can be found HERE or below.

Rylie Thompson's essay can be found HERE or below.

The Impact of Professional Scholarship Essay Writing Services on Academic Success

I t’s hard to overestimate the usefulness of writing services for someone who needs a good essay for a scholarship application. At the same time, there are some concerns about the probable negative impact of writing services on academic success. Let’s consider both the potential negative and positive impact of a scholarship essay writing service to decide what’s stronger.

One of the most widespread concerns about the impact of essay writing services is the ethical side of use. Evidently, it is improper if people will provide someone’s work as their own. Even though such concern cannot be called groundless, it’s a matter of choice. Writing service is a tool, and it’s only the customer's choice how to use it. A person can buy a knife to cut fruits and vegetables or to take someone's life. This is not about the tool but about the ethics and decisions of the particular person who uses the tool.  

Another concern is related to the dependency. When people overuse writing services and outsource their own tasks to other experts, it rather decreases their own skills that ought to be developed with the assignments. It’s once again about human conscience and ethics. In this context, it can be useful to compare writing services with coffee. Sometimes, this drink can be very useful to help you wake up or not fall asleep for longer. However, with excessive use, it can be harmful to health and be addictive. And, if you are regularly using coffee to wake yourself up or to stay awake, you probably have to reconsider your time management.

One more concern is about the money. Writing services obviously don’t provide their help for free. Hence, the frequent use of it can cause a financial burden for people who use such services. Thinking this way, one can assume that any type of purchase can cause a financial burden. Most writing services insist on price transparency and the absence of any hidden additional increase in the price. One can see the price before placing an order and deciding whether this money will harm the budget.

As you can see, although the concerns about writing services aren’t baseless, they’re more about the weakness of human nature than about the negative impact of writing services themselves. People who can act unethically will find their way with or without writing services. And if a person has trouble managing money it will be evident from the different aspects of life, not only the use of writing services. You can be careful using writing services, but not more careful than with anything else in life. 

Except for the concerns considered above, writing services can also positively impact academic success when used properly. A person who needs to write a scholarship essay often faces the problem of procrastination and blank page syndrome. In such a case, help from a writing service can be incredibly useful to overcome the problems. A person can use the paper from the writing service as an example to follow or, in contrast, decide that everything must be written differently. Most importantly, one will start working on the scholarship essay instead of waiting for inspiration or being lost in anxiety. 

• The positive impact on mental health comes from the previous advantage. Applying for the scholarship is a stressful process. A person is concerned about all the papers that must be gathered and forms to be filled out in the proper way, about the future if the scholarship will be obtained, and about the development of the events if not. Writing services that provide personalized examples of scholarship essays can help reduce stress and anxiety and, hence, have at least a small positive impact on mental health. 
• Expert guidance can be crucial for a person who needs a scholarship. Yes, you can find free examples of scholarship essays on the web, but you might not be sure which is most suitable for your particular case. Writing services have professionals who often write scholarship essays and know their specifics. In addition, a personalized example is the most useful one to understand what and how you can write to succeed. 
• Time management is the last but not the least point in this list. Writing services have short deadlines of just a few hours, which allows a person to get a ready example on the same day it was ordered. This saves time that a person might spend reading and understanding the nuances of the scholarship essay. Instead of that, one can take this time for other no less essential papers or activities related to getting a scholarship.

Final words

As one can see, scholarship essay writing services can potentially negatively and positively impact academic success. Such services can be a powerful tool to save time, avoid stress, and get a well-written personalized example of a scholarship essay. However, as well as in the case of any tool, it must be used wisely and ethically. 

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Winning Student Entries Selected from Environmental Conference 

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 Hosts of the 2024 Kent State East Liverpool Earth Day Environmental Justice Conference welcomed nearly 50 guests to the annual event, featuring student research and discussions related to the theme: “The Impact of World Conflicts and Wars on the Environment.” 

Dr. Qunxing Ding, associate professor of biology, was the keynote speaker, sharing his findings from research on monitoring water quality of the Ohio River. 

Elyssa Kirk earned first place honors for her essay, “Praying for Gaza.” Second place went to Emily Humphreys for “War in Sudan;” and third place was awarded to Samantha Dickey for “How the Education System Became Disrupted by the Ukrainian-Russian War.”

Kaela Skubic earned first place honors in the poster competition for “Sinaloa Cartel and the Environment.” Second place went to Jena Graham for “Worldwide Food Crisis;” and Meg Harmon earned third place honors with “Iraq’s Environmental Crisis.”

Cutline A: Participants at the 2024 Environmental Justice Conference at Kent State East Liverpool

Cutline B: Presenters included (from left): Madison Haus, Chloe O’Rourke, Dylan Fletcher, Emily Campbell, Emily Humphreys, Abbey Wilson

Cutline C: Dr. Qunxing Ding sharing his research on water quality with attendees

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Nevada Today

Outstanding faculty, students and staff honored at ‘honor the best’, the university celebrated the accomplishments, achievements and careers of faculty, staff and students during the annual “honor the best” ceremony on may 14 in the ballrooms of the joe crowley student union.

Photo by Brin Reynolds.

President Brian Sandoval praised the effort of the University community throughout the year and pointed out that their work is part of a larger 150-year legacy of the University. In October, the University will mark its sesquicentennial.

“Our faculty, staff and students have always believed in the transformational promise of this incredible University,” Sandoval said. “We are a great University because we have great people. It’s that simple. We bring out the best in each other. And today, he we are – honoring our best.

“As I look out at all of you, I see what our University, 150 years later, is still all about – people that care.”

Honor the Best award winners included:

Emeriti faculty:

• Donna Axton
• Michael P. Branch
• David Branby
• Kenneth Coll

Shannon Ellis

• Kevin C. Facemyer
• Stephen S. Foster
• Jennifer Hagen
• Dean Hitchcock
• Michelle Hritz
• Jeffrey C. LaCombe
• Katherine Schleef
• Raj Siddharthan
• Terri Smith
• Bradley J. Taylor
• Billy W. Thornton
• Salli J. Vannucci
• Robert J. Watters
• Thomas L. Watterson
• Daniel J. Weigel
• Chris Westin
• Jeffrey Wolff
• Mike Wolterbeek
• Ilia Zaliapin
• Kirsten A. Lorenzen
• William J. Macauley Jr.
• Shelly Madalinski
• Joel Mangoba
• Stephanie McAfee
• Sergey Morozunov
• John L. Muntean
• Stanley Omaye
• Melissa Piasecki
• Laurel Saito
• Ali Sakallioglu
• Stephanie Sant' Ambrogio
• Michelle Saunders

Foundation Professors:

• Sudeep Chandra
• Normand Leblanc
• Karla Wagner

Foundation Established Innovator Award:

Jennifer Carson

Foundation Innovative Impact Award:

Christopher Kratt

Foundation Outstanding Leadership & Supervisor Award:

Nancy Roget

Foundation Outstanding Letter of Appointment Instructional Faculty Award:

• Jocelyn Mata
• Robert “Bobby” del Carlo

Foundation Outstanding Committee Service Award:

Foundation early career innovator award:.

Alireza Tavakkoli

Foundation Classified Employee Award:

Rebecca Rumbaugh

Foundation Administrative Faculty of the Year Award:

Chai Glenn-Cook

Excellence in Laboratory Safety Award:

Dorothy Hudig

Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher Award:

• Nate Hodges
• Kelly Keselica

Distinguished Outreach & Engagement Faculty Award:

Inclusion, equity and diversity leadership award:.

Karla Hernández

Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award:

Heather Burkin 

Postdoctoral Award for Exceptional Mentoring:

Angie Lenard

University Academic Advisor Award, Undergraduate:

University academic advisor award, graduate:, cavanaugh community volunteer award:.

Lauren Frick

Henry Albert Senior Public Service Award:

• Ariana Boorboor
• Diana Landazuri
• Sarah Peterson
• Erick Regalado

Student Employee of the Year:

Madison Comella

Phi Kappa Phi Award:

• Brandon Ramirez
• Hailey Snook

Outstanding Senior Award:

• Muhammad Shamim

ASUN Service-Learning Faculty Award:

Kathleen Leonard

Outstanding Graduating Graduate Student Researcher:

Claire Williams

Outstanding Graduate Student Award:

Rachel Knecht

R.O.T.C. Governor’s Award:

R.o.t.c. president’s award:.

Katie Felton

Thornton Peace Prize:

Jennifer Lanterman

Regents’ Academic Advisor Award:

Regents’ award for creative activities:, regents’ rising researcher award:.

• Hamed Ebrahimian
• Elizabeth Villalobos

Regents’ Teaching Award:

Ann-Marie Vollstedt

Sam Lieberman Regents’ Award for Student Scholarship, Graduate:

Alessandro Ralls

Sam Lieberman Regents’ Award for Student Scholarship, Undergraduate:

Micah Woodruff

Outstanding Researcher of the Year:

• Eric Rasmussen, SACS
• Krishna Pagilla, STEM

Regents’ Outstanding Classified Staff Award:

Sunny Remneff

Ozmen Global Engagement Award:

Philipp Ruprecht

Paul and Judy Bible University Teaching Excellence Award:

Pamela Sandstrom

Distinguished Classified Employee Award:

Joy Grate-Thomas

Distinguished Faculty Award:

Thomas Kozel

Distinguished Service Award:

Campus life & athletics.

Father and son set to receive doctoral degrees May 17

College of Engineering will graduate Jay and Nathan Thom with Ph.Ds in Computer Science & Engineering

‘The Jewish heart of campus’

Rabbi Dani Libersohn and his wife Rochel are dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming environment for Jewish students at the University of Nevada, Reno through Chabad

University of Nevada, Reno to confer more than 3,000 degrees during May 2024 commencement

Five in-person ceremonies held Thursday through Saturday, May 16-18, on the University Quad

Mechanical Engineering doctoral graduate receives Sam Lieberman Scholarship Award

Alessandro Ralls hopes to continue his career in the mechanical engineering field

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Strong advisory board supports new Supply Chain and Transportation Management program in College of Business

Sagebrushers season 3 ep. 4: Associate Professor Thomas White

Geoffrey Blewitt elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Bible Teaching Excellence Award winner Pamela Sandstrom: 'The best part of my job is helping students'

Department of Biology students and faculty support Sandstrom in receiving this monumental achievement

2024 F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher Award: Kelly Keselica

'It’s always helpful to know someone is rooting for you, and I think it makes students more eager to learn and succeed'

Nevada Field Day & Ag Expo provides hands-on activities and demonstrations

Farm stand, wine tasting, wool products, plant sale and University research highlights of event

Nate Hodges receives the 2024 F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher Award

Colleagues and students cheer on their professor in a surprise classroom visit

2024 Research & Innovation Awards

Honoring faculty through awards and fellowships

NEH names University Associate Professor Justin Gifford as new Fellow

Taking a step back from teaching to focus on writing a biography

Ur Next Route: Revolutionizing campus safety with innovation and inclusivity

Students combine innovative technology and collaborative efforts to create a safety app at the University of Nevada, Reno

New Director of Latinx/Hispanic Community Relations Osvaldo Jimenez-Estupinan

How he plans to increase Latinx/Hispanic engagement at the University

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IMPACT OF FACEBOOK ON STUDENTS´ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE Analysis through the social capital

Related Papers

mericas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) - Association of Infomation Systems

Vishal Shah

Prior research has focused on the benefits of usage of social media such as Facebook in terms of the social capital gains they bring. Other research has studied the adverse impact of such usage on academic performance. In this study, we try to understand both the beneficial and adverse aspects of Facebook usage in the case of U.S. undergraduate students. Basing on social capital theory and system usage in the hedonic context, we tested the dual effect of the usage of Facebook on social capital and academic performance of the students. Preliminary results show that a rich use of Facebook enhances the academic performance and extensive presence on Facebook develops the student’s social capital in terms of number and quality of connections, relationships and interactions. Implications of the early research findings and directions for future research are drawn.

Nazmul Alam Jony

Facebook is only an electronic communication between human but unfortunately it has become an addiction for all. This paper examines the usage of Facebook among university students and its influence in their academic performance. The impact of Facebook can either be good or bad on university students and in their academic activities. Even though a closer look on the real impact of Facebook reveals that it leads to several problems in university students’ academic performances. Today Facebook is somehow destroying the future and academic carrier of university students. At the same time also intended to find the significance of use of Facebook by University students in their academic success with the help of a survey conducted to collect the data among more than 40 students of PSTU University

Journal of Baltic Science Education

Costin Pribeanu , Vincentas Lamanauskas , Alexandru Balog , Violeta Slekiene

The rapid expansion of social networking websites (SNW) is raising several issues regarding the influence it has on the modern school. As many authors mentioned, the proliferation of social networks among university people is changing the educational processes. In order to find out how Facebook could support education, a social learning perspective is needed. In turn, this requires to measure the social capital and to analyze its educational potential. The aim of this research is to elaborate a theoretically grounded and empirically validated multi-dimensional model, measuring the social capital that is embedded in the Facebook networks of Lithuanian university students. This is a pilot research carried out between September and December, 2014. In this respect, the research limitation reveals itself; therefore, a wider theoretical and empirical research is necessary, analyzing the usage of Facebook in the university student population. The research is significant, because it is prepared and validated a multidimensional model of the bridging social capital as perceived by university students that are using Facebook.

Rifat Islam

With the increasing popularity of Facebook, students are joining and using it in their social and academic lives. Huge popularity of Facebook among the students has brought the researchers attention to investigate the phenomenon. Most research regarding online social networks, particularly Facebook use has explored at these networks in terms of profile management, identity creation and friending behavior. This study investigates the impact of Facebook on students' academic performance. This research has been conducted on the students from the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and quantitative methods techniques have been applied for data analysis ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Syed Ali Raza

This study analyzes the influence of Facebook usage on building social capital among university students in Karachi by using a modified framework of technology acceptance model. Important information was gathered utilizing organized questionnaire containing items of Facebook intensity, social self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived playfulness (independent variables), intention to continue use (mediating variables), bridging social capital, and bonding social capital (dependent variables), while the specimen size includes 560 university students. Furthermore, the procedures utilized as a part of the study are reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, partial least square-structural equation modeling to check the impact of these factors on the building of social capital. Findings show that Facebook intensity, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived playfulness, and social self-efficacy have a positive and significant impact on intention to continue use, while intention to continue use has a positive and significant impact on both dependent variables bridging social capital and bonding social capital concluding that social networking sites (Facebook) are helpful in building and maintaining social capital by creating intention to continue using them. This study provides useful insights about the youth experience of using Facebook and sharing information.

International Journal of Research in Commerce, IT and Management

Sarfaraz Karim

Mazenismaeel Ghareb

The point of this paper is to look at the of Facebook use among college understudies and take some example in college of Human Development, and its effect on their scholastic execution and social life. Likewise, this paper delineates climate Facebook utilization have a positive or negative impact on their scholarly execution and social life. A study was intended for gathering information from few sample 110 college understudies in college on Human Development as straightforward dataset however we concentrate on a few social network report software for our outcomes. The aftereffect of overview demonstrates that the understudies that have less time spending on Facebook will lead expanded their evaluations. One of the fundamental discoveries is that there was a huge relationship between social life issues and Facebook utilization. Additionally, the review uncovered how long the understudy will spend on Facebook every day and tries to support the negative relationship between time spent on Facebook and the execution of college understudies. At last, this paper tries to give some recommendation to these understudies for tackling the scholastic execution and social life issues. According to our outcomes, Social Influence is the most essential component in foreseeing the selection of Facebook; understudies are affected to embrace it to set up or keep up contact with other individuals with whom they share intrigues. With respect to purposes of Facebook utilization, Social Relations is seen as the most imperative element among the greater part of the reasons gathered. Our discoveries likewise uncovered that the instructive utilization of Facebook is clarified straightforwardly by its reasons of use and by implication by its reception.

Publisher ijmra.us UGC Approved

The use of social Networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Likendin, Orkut etc are growing day by day in India. Facebook is one of the popular social networking sites among young adults and college students. Further, very few researches have focused on influence of Facebook on students' Academic performance in India. Through this research, we have tried to throw a light on the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social Networking site students' academic performance. The study will be undertaken to know the frequency of usage of face book. Also, the study will try to find out the relation between time spent for use of facebook and time for study. The study will focus to know the most preferred social networking site among students and also to know the impact by the ownership of Smart phones and use of Facebook. For this research, descriptive research design will be used. The sample size will be 500 Students of Shimoga District. Structure questionnaire developed to measure impact of Facebook on college students' academic performance with respect to Shimoga District.

Kayode David

This study was carried out to validate the measures for community factors, face book intensity, individual differences, social capital and academic performance of university students. A factor analysis was carried out with reliability test to determine whether the measurements had construct validity and reliability. In this regard, the instrument were administered to 100 undergraduate students in Sirte University. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted for all items measuring the constructs which include Community factor (interacting with peers, interacting with lecturer and engaging with students), face book intensity (emotional connection, face book friends, time use on facebook); Individual differences; academic performance and social capital. The principal component analysis (PCA) was used to perform exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to find uncorrelated linear combinations of observed variables. The result of the analysis confirmed that Community factor has three dimension: interacting with peers, interacting with lecturer and engaging with students; face book intensity also has three dimension; emotional connection, face book friends, time use on face book. The loadings of all the retained items are above the threshold value and the Cronbach alpha of all the constructs are also above .8 which shows that the instrument is valid and reliable and thus, can be adopted by future researcher.

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Big Game Coverage

6 brackenridge high school student-athletes sign letters of intent to make impact at college level, countless student-athletes from greater san antonio area are making their mark at college level.

Mary Rominger , KSAT Sports Anchor/Reporter

SAN ANTONIO – Countless student-athletes from the Greater San Antonio area are making their mark at the college level, and the list continues to grow at Brackenridge High School. On Thursday, the Eagles saw six of their standout student-athletes sign letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level.

Jesse Valdillez signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Our Lady of the Lake University.

Gavin Perez committed to joining the Schreiner University baseball program.

Wrestler Dominic Gamez will also take his talents to Schreiner University. Gamez, who has signature blue hair, said his aggressive wrestling style is what helped him get noticed by colleges.

“Outside of the mat, I’m kind of a quiet and shy person, but on the mat, if I’m quiet and shy, they will hurt me,” Gamez said. “So I flip a switch and get into an aggressive mode. I believe that’s why I got the call.”

Brackenridge girls’ basketball stars Fatima Gloria and Alasia Brown had the opportunity to play college basketball together at Kansas Northwest Technical College. The dynamic duo is thrilled to continue their careers in the same program.

“I’m very excited,” Gloria said. “She has been my basketball buddy since middle school. We followed each other all the way through high school, and it’s a great opportunity to get to play with her at the college level.”

“As soon as I found out I was going to be able to play with (Fatima), I was like, ‘Sign me up, I’m ready,’” Brown said. “I’m very excited.”

Star distance runner Jayden Gonzalez will stay close to home to compete in the UTSA women’s cross country and track and field programs.

“It was an emotional day,” Gonzalez said. “A year ago, I didn’t think I’d be here right now. I put in a lot of work my senior year and I’m super grateful that I get to experience this and get the opportunity to run in college.”

Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page .

Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

About the Author

Mary rominger.

Mary Rominger is KSAT 12 Sports' first full-time female sports anchor and reporter. She came to San Antonio from Mankato, Minn., where she worked as a weekend sports anchor at KEYC News Now. She has a journalism degree from Iowa State University and grew up in Southern California. Mary enjoys golfing, sports and finding new spots around town.

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I was accepted to Yale. Here's everything I included in my successful Ivy League application.

• I got into Yale University after submitting a successful college application.
• I included my SAT score and high GPA in the application, along with an essay about my culture.
• Ultimately, I tried to highlight all the ways I would be a benefit to the Yale community.

I recently reviewed my Yale admissions file after being a student there for three years. It was strange but enlightening to read what the admissions officers really thought of my application.

Since then, many people have respectfully requested to hear about my stats, extracurriculars , and essays.

I believe that everyone's college application journey is unique and that mine is just one sample, but I equally understand the urge to hear about other people's experiences. I devoured hundreds of college decision reactions on YouTube just three years ago, hoping to find that secret formula.

So, I'm now sharing a deeper look into my college application. But I want to first emphasize that as complicated and stressful as the process of applying to college may be, the best application you can ever show others will be the one you enjoy writing the most. I know I enjoyed every second of writing mine.

My GPA and standardized test scores were important factors in my application

With colleges such as Yale and Dartmouth reinstating standardized testing requirements , the reality is that academics will always be the first line of assessment for admission.

The GPA I submitted to Yale was 98.23/100. An admissions officer commended my GPA in the context of my financially underprivileged upbringing.

I also tried to take the most rigorous workload possible while also prioritizing my mental health , ultimately sending in six AP test scores. My SAT score was 1590.

I credit a lot of my academic achievements to the fact that I surrounded myself with peers who were very serious about their education.

My pre-calculus teacher's recommendation — the one that the admissions team rated higher — emphasized that I held the second highest grade in her class over her 20-year teaching career.

I tried to highlight my passions in my extracurriculars

My activities were a confusing mosaic of interests and impulses, but one that perfectly captured this 17-year-old boy who was still very unsure about who he was and what he wanted.

I researched human visual perception at a local community college , I performed spoken word poetry, and I hit about 80% of the notes in the choir (on a good day).

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My primary extracurricular, however, was the one I connected with most. At the start of the pandemic, I founded a language-learning program for children called "Spanish Meets You." I used the proceeds I made from the program, which featured tutoring and pen-palling services, to host community giveaways of essential health supplies — such as masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer.

"Spanish Meets You" evolved from my experience growing up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which was predominantly Hispanic and Asian. I loved going to cookouts and finding a diligent spread of both spicy tamales and fried rice. Despite our cultural differences , the two groups were united in our challenges and our respect for each other.

When I submitted my application, I worried that I didn't have a coherent theme for my extracurriculars, nor enough leadership — but based on the admissions team's comments, my genuine passion for one or two activities mattered in the end.

I wanted to capture who I truly am in my college essay

When I started drafting my essay, I knew I wanted to capture what was unextractable from my résumé: my curiosity, thick skin, and mistakes.

I decided to make the topic of my college essay about Chinese New Year, a holiday I celebrated with my 14 floormates in this tiny Brooklyn apartment building that we all called home for two decades. Every year, I would wait for my father by the door with mandarins, only to be disappointed by his absence.

Ultimately, however, I learned to enjoy this holiday — even if my celebration was unorthodox. My 14 floormates and I are unrelated by blood, but I remember we would gather over food every holiday, tell stories, and play a game of JENGA. Their laughter still ricochets in my ears hundreds of miles away as I now sit in my college dorm room , wrapping up my junior year.

I tried not to overthink the other essay questions

I would jot down whatever came to mind in the first 30 seconds, asking myself: "How would 7-year-old Brian answer this?"

Whenever I took too long to craft a response, it was a sign that I was probably sacrificing genuineness to make a false good impression.

One of the essays asked about my favorite intellectual concept. Instead of showing off by detailing some obscure scientific theory, I moved forward with writing about the diversity of motherhood in the animal kingdom, tying it back to my close relationship with my own mother.

My application was focused on proving how I would fit into the Yale community

Colleges are searching for those who will enrich the lives of their peers in different ways.

Therefore, in my application, I tried to highlight all the parts of me that would prove to Yale I would benefit their campus and their students. In doing so, I was accepted and met students doing just that.

One of my friends, for instance, is studying law. She also loves to rap and surprise her friends with midnight ice cream. Another is a science journalist who gives the best dating advice .

I would say Yale wouldn't be home even if one of them were missing. Everyone is here; everyone ends up where they are.

For students applying to Ivy League schools , I implore you to tell your dynamic, unique story — to think about how your rhythm will fold into a community's song.

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