Social Media and Research Project Writing: 6 positive effects and 5 negative effects
Introduction
In today’s world, social media plays a major role in the reading and project writing culture amongst Nigerian and other global university students. Since 2005, social media use has increased substantially. According to some estimates, 78% of students now use social media. Some students spend more time on social media to the detriment of their academic pursuits.
Popular social apps among students include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp etc. Social media, especially Facebook, significantly distract students’ academic performance. A rising trend is that some students now spend more time on social media to chat with their friends and even rely on choosing project topics while still relying on their peers on social media for materials and other information that will aid their project writing process.
With the anticipated expansion in student’s use of these tools starting in secondary school, the trend is still projected to increase. This problem has widespread effects, especially in the field of education. Numerous online stores with students from various departments might be located outside our different learning campuses. The student’s addiction to social media is a significant problem that they must overcome to manage and sustain their strong academic performance.
The academic performance of students who try to multitask by accessing social networking sites while studying might deteriorate has research has consistently shown that Students that frequently use social media have shorter attention spans and worse levels of higher-order reasoning abilities like concentration, perseverance, and analytical reasoning.
What is social media?
Social media is a term used to describe a wide range of Internet-based resources that facilitate the production, distribution, and consumption of content by individuals and groups. Social media enables users to interact with one another, form friendships, and join online groups.
Social media platforms have different components and features, including but not limited to messaging systems, news feeds, profiles, and the capacity to share multimedia content such as videos and pictures. Social media network sites, as they are commonly called, transformed communication systems by enabling social interactions and widespread distribution of information in real-time.
Recommended: Overcoming Writers Block: 12 steps to overcoming Writers Block during Project Writing
Positive Effects of Social Media On Project Writing
The advancement of communication technology, made possible by information and communication technologies, is celebrated worldwide. Without a doubt, modern communication technology has created a global community worldwide. Social media, like every other technological advancement, aid student in becoming more knowledgeable, enlightened, and up-to-date with global events.
For quite some time, the improved and advanced use of social media platforms like Facebook has become a global phenomenon. These social media sites are particularly well-known among students who use them to connect with classmates and share information, including their projects. The positive effects can be summarized in the following points:
- Collaboration and teamwork
The development of social media has made networking with students, and other subject experts possible. Engaging with these people always results in collaborations, talks, and chances to exchange ideas and information that improves the depth and scope of the students’ project writing.
- Wider audience reach
Social media helps students interact with their target audience and gain input when their project has a public-facing component, such as a presentation, report, or website. Use social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to share your work, start conversations, and get insightful feedback from various people.
- Social insights
A student writing Projects in sociology and other social sciences can benefit from the window into contemporary cultural and social conversations that social media affords. A student can learn about the attitudes, opinions, and actions of the general public by examining online trends and conversations.
- Access to quality information
Access to a wealth of information, including news, academic papers, articles, and opinions, is quick and simple thanks to social media platforms. This wealth of data is always useful when students conduct research and amass data for their project. However, it’s crucial to assess the sources cautiously and ensure the data utilized is reliable and accurate.
- Data Collection
Social media provides a viable source of information collection for scholars. It makes it easier to reach out to the right audience in a cost-effective manner. Scholars can reach out to potential study participants on social media platforms. They can also examine user-generated content on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook to gather information about trends, patterns of behaviour, or public opinions. Such information can be useful for both quantitative and qualitative research.
- Real-Time Feedback
Researchers can get immediate feedback from various people on their work via social media. They can discuss their findings with other professionals by posting them on social media sites like Twitter or Reddit. Such immediate responses allow for improving research questions, methods, and interpretations.
Also Read: Sections Of A Research Project; 3 Main Sections Of A Research Project, Thesis And Dissertation
Negative effects of social media on project writing
- Distraction
Addiction to and time spent on social media are real problems. It is not uncommon for researchers to procrastinate writing their assignments because they are too distracted by their social media feeds or irrelevant online conversations.
- Information overload
Although social media makes available a wealth of data, it also increases the likelihood of experiencing data overload. Researchers may have trouble sorting through all the available information, which can lead to confusion and a lack of confidence in the sources they use.
- Quality control
The quality of information shared is sometimes diminished due to the casual nature of social media. Students should carefully assess their credibility and reliability before including material from outside sources in their research papers.
- Issues with academic integrity
People can more easily plagiarize work on social media sites because of the lack of required authorship information. Plagiarism issues can occur if researchers are not careful and fail to follow proper standards of academic integrity.
- Privacy concerns
Privacy concerns may arise due to the necessity of sharing personal information on social media platforms. Researchers should exercise caution when posting online, especially when discussing potentially embarrassing topics or posting unpublished research.
Conclusion
In summary, social media is like a double-edged sword both in the project writing context and otherwise, hence researchers have to be very careful when utilizing it in for academic research purposes.