Negative Effects of Social Networking Sites for Students

Ever had the feeling that you were in a car thundering down the highway but in the wrong direction? Well more and more students, a study says that as many as 85% of them, log in several times per day to check their social networking status. And the worst thing about this situation is that, according to their own testimonials, they know that this affects their lives in a negative way but they can’t seem to be able to stop themselves. So here are 4 of the most negative effects of social networking sites for students. 

They have less time for homework as they find themselves pulled away from their desk by an irresistible urge to check their latest updates. And once they have turned on the computer they find that hours speed unnoticed and, by the time they remember to stop, the whole day has passed by and they have not managed to get any work done. And no matter the promises made every day begins and ends very much the same way and their teachers confirm that their students’ grades are slipping ever lower.

The students’ attention span is dramatically lessened of later years according to their teachers who consider this to be the worst side effect of social networking. Getting every mention in haiku form but without the deeper meaning has gotten students accustomed to not being able to focus on any given message for anything less than 30 seconds after which they feel that they need to move on. And when it comes to the classroom the movie generation forced teachers to bring in a tone of visual support in order to keep the student’s focus on the class but now, the social media, has changed the way we perceive information so dramatically that it has become almost impossible for the teachers to adapt.

The ability to communicate eloquently has also been affected in the later generations, according to a study on today’s top employers. From their perspective the worst effect of the social networking sites is that young people have gotten used to delivering their messages in the shortest form possible and many times disregarding any grammatical rules. Even more dangerous is the fact that, in order to get recognition from their friends, they need to come up with the most outrageous, shocking news about themselves making it impossible for them to interact in a face to face communication in a simple, engaging and yet not aggressive manner. 

And the last and most powerful effect of social networking is that what is being said on social networking does not stay on social networking and shocking attitudes and pictures shared today will influence the decision of an employer tomorrow. And it is very difficult for most adults who are seeking attention to keep a clear mind about the possible implications of their attitudes. The problem is even deeper for young people just coming out of teens and who are just now struggling with adulthood. So when they decide to publish something on social media these young people do not take into account the fact that they need to be careful with their privacy settings or that it is very tempting for any employer to penetrate those settings to get to know everything about a person even before conducting the first interview.

This article is contributed by Joye Allen and she is a freelance writer who has been working in Educational sector for two years and has specialization on translate english to russian, she is based in Santa Monica, California.

Categories: College Life   Tags: negative effects of social networking sites