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Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools?

Or is it something to keep as far away as possible from the classroom and extracurricular activities?

By Michael Gonchar

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

How does your school view social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok ? Does it have its own social media accounts? Do teachers and staff use any of these popular apps to engage with students in the classroom or in after-school clubs?

Do you think social media provides opportunities for learning and growth? Or are these apps at best just entertainment and distractions from school, and at worst, places for gossip, bullying and misinformation?

In “ High Schools to TikTok: We’re Catching Feelings ,” Taylor Lorenz writes about how the app TikTok is getting the stamp of approval in some schools:

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — On the wall of a classroom that is home to the West Orange High School TikTok club , large loopy words are scrawled across a whiteboard: “Wanna be TikTok famous? Join TikTok club.” It’s working. “There’s a lot of TikTok-famous kids at our school,” said Amanda DiCastro, who is 14 and a freshman. “Probably 20 people have gotten famous off random things.” The school is on a quiet palm-tree-lined street in a town just outside Orlando. A hallway by the principal’s office is busy with blue plaques honoring the school’s A.P. Scholars. Its choir director, Jeffery Redding, won the 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award. Amanda was referring to a different kind of stardom: on TikTok, a social media app where users post short funny videos, usually set to music , that is enjoying a surge in popularity among teenagers around the world and has been downloaded 1.4 billion times, according to SensorTower. The embrace of the app at this school is mirrored on scattered campuses across the United States, where students are forming TikTok clubs to dance, sing and perform skits for the app — essentially drama clubs for the digital age, but with the potential to reach huge audiences. And unlike other social media networks, TikTok is winning over some educators, like Michael Callahan, a teacher at West Orange, who had never heard of TikTok before the students told him about it. He is an adviser to the school’s club and said he loves how the app brings students from different friend groups together. “You see a lot more teamwork and camaraderie,” he said, “and less — I don’t want to say bullying — but focus on individuals.” In many of the videos on the app, which are 15 seconds to a minute long, school hallways, classrooms and courtyards serve as a recurrent backdrop. And if kids aren’t filming themselves at school, they’re making jokes about school. One popular meme on the app mocks the class of 2023 (freshmen this year) for being cringey and trying too hard.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

Does your school see social media as a tool for learning? Share how your school and teachers use social media as part of the education process?

Should schools and teachers take better advantage of social media to engage with students? Do you wish your school did? Or should the two worlds remain separate — for everyone’s sake?

Are you familiar with TikTok, the app discussed in the article. What’s your take on it? The reporter states that “teachers at many schools say they view TikTok culture as a net positive.” What do you think?

Do you have any suggestions for how your school could use social media like TikTok to promote student learning and growth? Please share.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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The Opportunities and Challenges of Social Media in Higher Education: A Literature Review

• Review Article
• Published: 14 September 2021
• Volume 2 , article number  455 , ( 2021 )

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• Kam Cheong Li 1 &
• Billy Tak-ming Wong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6584-4392 1  

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This paper presents a review of the use of social media for learning and teaching in higher education, as well as the opportunities and challenges revealed from its use. A total of 77 related case studies published from 2010 to 2019 were collected from Scopus and Google Scholar for analysis. The results showed that social media was usually used as a learning management system and for enhancing learner engagement. The use of social media has brought opportunities for educational practices in terms of its high popularity among students, and its capacity to support two-way communication, easy knowledge sharing, community building, and collaborative learning, which enhance student learning experience. The challenges reported in the case studies cover the blurring of the boundary between the public and private life of students and between the relationships of students and instructors, as well as its doubtful effectiveness for knowledge construction, the inadequacy of instructors’ pedagogical and technological skills, and the lack of integration with instructional design. The results suggest the need for further work on examining suitable ways of using social media which would be viewed positively and accepted by users. There should also be future work on surveying the need for support for instructors for their involvement in teaching with social media, and developing effective pedagogies which cope with the features of social media.

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Li, K.C., Wong, B.Tm. The Opportunities and Challenges of Social Media in Higher Education: A Literature Review. SN COMPUT. SCI. 2 , 455 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-021-00857-5

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Exploring the role of social media in collaborative learning the new domain of learning

• Jamal Abdul Nasir Ansari 1 &
• Nawab Ali Khan 1  

Smart Learning Environments volume  7 , Article number:  9 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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This study is an attempt to examine the application and usefulness of social media and mobile devices in transferring the resources and interaction with academicians in higher education institutions across the boundary wall, a hitherto unexplained area of research. This empirical study is based on the survey of 360 students of a university in eastern India, cognising students’ perception on social media and mobile devices through collaborative learning, interactivity with peers, teachers and its significant impact on students’ academic performance. A latent variance-based structural equation model approach was followed for measurement and instrument validation. The study revealed that online social media used for collaborative learning had a significant impact on interactivity with peers, teachers and online knowledge sharing behaviour.

Additionally, interactivity with teachers, peers, and online knowledge sharing behaviour has seen a significant impact on students’ engagement which consequently has a significant impact on students’ academic performance. Grounded to this finding, it would be valuable to mention that use of online social media for collaborative learning facilitate students to be more creative, dynamic and research-oriented. It is purely a domain of knowledge.

Introduction

The explosion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has led to an increase in the volume and smoothness in transferring course contents, which further stimulates the appeasement of Digital Learning Communities (DLCs). The millennium and naughtiness age bracket were Information Technology (IT) centric on web space where individual and geopolitical disperse learners accomplished their e-learning goals. The Educause Center for Applied Research [ECAR] ( 2012 ) surveyed students in higher education mentioned that students are pouring the acceptance of mobile computing devices (cellphones, smartphones, and tablet) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), roughly 67% surveyed students accepted that mobile devices and social media play a vital role in their academic performance and career enhancement. Mobile devices and social media provide excellent educational e-learning opportunities to the students for academic collaboration, accessing in course contents, and tutors despite the physical boundary (Gikas & Grant, 2013 ). Electronic communication technologies accelerate the pace of their encroachment of every aspect of life, the educational institutions incessantly long decades to struggle in seeing the role of such devices in sharing the contents, usefulness and interactivity style. Adoption and application of mobile devices and social media can provide ample futuristic learning opportunities to the students in accessing course contents as well as interaction with peers and experts (Cavus & Ibrahim, 2008 , 2009 ; Kukulska-Hulme & Shield, 2008 ; Nihalani & Mayrath, 2010 ; Richardson & Lenarcic, 2008 , Shih, 2007 ). Recently Pew Research Center reported that 55% American teenage age bracket of 15–17 years using online social networking sites, i.e. Myspace and Facebook (Reuben, 2008 ). Social media, the fast triggering the mean of virtual communication, internet-based technologies changed the life pattern of young youth.

Use of social media and mobile devices presents both advantages as well as challenges, mostly its benefits seen in terms of accessing course contents, video clip, transfer of the instructional notes etc. Overall students feel that social media and mobile devices are the cheap and convenient tools of obtaining relevant information. Studies in western countries have confronted that online social media use for collaborative learning has a significant contribution to students’ academic performance and satisfaction (Zhu, 2012 ). The purpose of this research project was to explore how learning and teaching activities in higher education institutions were affected by the integration and application of mobile devices in sharing the resource materials, interaction with colleagues and students’ academic performance. The broad goal of this research was to contemporise the in-depth perspectives of students’ perception of mobile devices and social media in learning and teaching activities. However, this research paper paid attention to only students’ experiences, and their understanding of mobile devices and social media fetched changes and its competency in academic performance. The fundamental research question of this research was, what are the opinions of students on social media and mobile devices when it is integrating into higher education for accessing, interacting with peers.

A researcher of the University of Central Florida reported that electronic devices and social media create an opportunity to the students for collaborative learning and also allowed the students in sharing the resource materials to the colleagues (Gikas & Grant, 2013 ). The result of the eight Egyptian universities confirmed that social media have the significant impact on higher education institutions especially in term of learning tools and teaching aids, faculty members’ use of social media seen at a minimum level due to several barriers (internet accessibility, mobile devices etc.).

Social media and mobile devices allow the students to create, edit and share the course contents in textual, video or audio forms. These technological innovations give birth to a new kind of learning cultures, learning based on the principles of collective exploration and interaction (Selwyn, 2012 ). Social media the phenomena originated in 2005 after the Web2.0 existence into the reality, defined more clearly as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundation of web 2.0 and allow creation and exchange of user-generated contents (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010 ). Mobile devices and social media provide opportunities to the students for accessing resources, materials, course contents, interaction with mentor and colleagues (Cavus & Ibrahim, 2008 , 2009 ; Richardson & Lenarcic, 2008 ).

Social media platform in academic institutions allows students to interact with their mentors, access their course contents, customisation and build students communities (Greenhow, 2011a , 2011b ). 90% school going students currently utilise the internet consistently, with more than 75% teenagers using online networking sites for e-learning (DeBell & Chapman, 2006 ; Lenhart, Arafeh, & Smith, 2008 ; Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005 ). The result of the focus group interview of the students in 3 different universities in the United States confirmed that use of social media created opportunities to the learners for collaborative learning, creating and engaging the students in various extra curriculum activities (Gikas & Grant, 2013 ).

Research background and hypotheses

The technological innovation and increased use of the internet for e-learning by the students in higher education institutions has brought revolutionary changes in communication pattern. A report on 3000 college students in the United States revealed that 90% using Facebook while 37% using Twitter to share the resource materials as cited in (Elkaseh, Wong, & Fung, 2016 ). A study highlighted that the usage of social networking sites in educational institutions has a practical outcome on students’ learning outcomes (Jackson, 2011 ). The empirical investigation over 252 undergraduate students of business and management showed that time spent on twitter and involvement in managing social lives and sharing information, course-related influences their performance (Evans, 2014 ).

Social media for collaborative learning, interactivity with teachers, interactivity with peers

Many kinds of research confronted on the applicability of social media and mobile devices in higher education for interaction with colleagues.90% of faculty members use some social media in courses they were usually teaching or professional purposes out of the campus life. Facebook and YouTube are the most visited sites for the professional outcomes, around 2/3rd of the all-faculty use some medium fora class session, and 30% posted contents for students engagement in reading, view materials (Moran, Seaman, & Tinti-Kane, 2011 ). Use of social media and mobile devices in higher education is relatively new phenomena, completely hitherto area of research. Research on the students of faculty of Economics at University of Mortar, Bosnia, and Herzegovina reported that social media is already used for the sharing the materials and exchanges of information and students are ready for active use of social networking site (slide share etc.) for educational purposes mainly e-learning and communication (Mirela Mabić, 2014 ).

The report published by the U.S. higher education department stated that the majority of the faculty members engaged in different form of the social media for professional purposes, use of social media for teaching international business, sharing contents with the far way students, the use of social media and mobile devices for sharing and the interactive nature of online and mobile technologies build a better learning environment at international level. Responses on 308 graduate and postgraduate students in Saudi Arabia University exhibited that positive correlation between chatting, online discussion and file sharing and knowledge sharing, and entertainment and enjoyment with students learning (Eid & Al-Jabri, 2016 ). The quantitative study on 168 faculty members using partial least square (PLS-SEM) at Carnegie classified Doctoral Research University in the USA confirmed that perceived usefulness, external pressure and compatibility of task-technology have positive effect on social media use, the higher the degree of the perceived risk of social media, the less likely to use the technological tools for classroom instruction, the study further revealed that use of social media for collaborative learning has a positive effect on students learning outcome and satisfaction (Cao, Ajjan, & Hong, 2013 ). Therefore, the authors have hypothesized:

H1: Use of social media for collaborative learning is positively associated with interactivity with teachers.

Additionally, Madden and Zickuhr ( 2011 ) concluded that 83% of internet user within the age bracket of 18–29 years adopting social media for interaction with colleagues. Kabilan, Ahmad, and Abidin ( 2010 ) made an empirical investigation on 300 students at University Sains Malaysia and concluded that 74% students found to be the same view that social media infuses constructive attitude towards learning English (Fig. 1 ).

Research Model

Reuben ( 2008 ) concluded in his study on social media usage among professional institutions revealed that Facebook and YouTube used over half of 148 higher education institutions. Nevertheless, a recent survey of 456 accredited United States institutions highlighted 100% using some form of social media, notably Facebook 98% and Twitter 84% for e-learning purposes, interaction with mentors (Barnes & Lescault, 2011 ).

Information and communication technology (ICT), such as web-based application and social networking sites enhances the collaboration and construction of knowledge byway of instruction with outside experts (Zhu, 2012 ). A positive statistically significant relationship was found between student’s use of a variety of social media tools and the colleague’s fellow as well as the overall quality of experiences (Rutherford, 2010 ). The potential use of social media leads to collaborative learning environments which allow students to share education-related materials and contents (Fisher & Baird, 2006 ). The report of 233 students in the United States higher educations confirmed that more recluse students interact through social media, which assist them in collaborative learning and boosting their self-confidence (Voorn & Kommers, 2013 ). Thus hypotheses as

H2: Use of social media for collaborative learning is positively associated with interactivity with peers.

Social media for collaborative learning, interactivity with peers, online knowledge sharing behaviour and students’ engagement

Students’ engagement in social media and its types represent their physical and mental involvement and time spent boost to the enhancement of educational Excellency, time spent on interaction with peers, teachers for collaborative learning (Kuh, 2007 ). Students’ engagement enhanced when interacting with peers and teacher was in the same direction, shares of ideas (Chickering & Gamson, 1987 ). Engagement is an active state that is influenced by interaction or lack thereof (Leece, 2011 ). With the advancement in information technology, the virtual world becomes the storehouse of the information. Liccardi et al. ( 2007 ) concluded that 30% students were noted to be active on social media for interaction with their colleagues, tutors, and friends while more than 52% used some social media forms for video sharing, blogs, chatting, and wiki during their class time. E-learning becomes now sharp and powerful tools in information technology and makes a substantial impact on the student’s academic performance. Sharing your knowledge will make you better. Social network ties were shown to be the best predictors of online knowledge sharing intention, which in turn associated with knowledge sharing behaviour (Chen, Chen, & Kinshuk, 2009 ). Social media provides the robust personalised, interactive learning environment and enhances in self-motivation as cited in (Al-Mukhaini, Al-Qayoudhi, & Al-Badi, 2014 ). Therefore, it was hypothesised that:

H3: Use of social media for collaborative learning is positively associated with online knowledge sharing behaviour.

Broadly Speaking social media/sites allow the students to interact, share the contents with colleagues, also assisting in building connections with others (Cain, 2008 ). In the present era, the majority of the college-going students are seen to be frequent users of these sophisticated devices to keep them informed and updated about the external affair. Facebook reported per day 1,00,000 new members join; Facebook is the most preferred social networking sites among the students of the United States as cited in (Cain, 2008 ). The researcher of the school of engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Switzerland, designed and developed Grasp, a social media platform for their students’ collaborative learning, sharing contents (Bogdanov et al., 2012 ). The utility and its usefulness could be seen in the University of Geneva and Tongji University at both two educational places students were satisfied and accept ‘ Grasp’ to collect, organised and share the contents. Students use of social media will interact ubiquity, heterogeneous and engaged in large groups (Wankel, 2009 ). So we hypotheses

H4: More interaction with teachers leads to higher students’ engagement.

However, a similar report published on 233 students revealed that social media assisted in their collaborative learning and self-confidence as they prefer communication technology than face to face communication. Although, the students have the willingness to communicate via social media platform than face to face (Voorn & Kommers, 2013 ). The potential use of social media tools facilitates in achieving higher-level learning through collaboration with colleagues and other renewed experts in their field (Junco, Heiberger, & Loken, 2011 ; Meyer, 2010 ; Novak, Razzouk, & Johnson, 2012 ; Redecker, Ala-Mutka, & Punie, 2010 ). Academic self-efficacy and optimism were found to be strongly related to performance, adjustment and consequently both directly impacted on student’s academic performance (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001 ). Data of 723 Malaysian researchers confirmed that both male and female students were satisfied with the use of social media for collaborative learning and engagement was found positively affected with learning performance (Al-Rahmi, Alias, Othman, Marin, & Tur, 2018 ). Social media were seen as a powerful driver for learning activities in terms of frankness, interactivity, and friendliness.

Junco et al. ( 2011 ) conducted research on the specific purpose of the social media; how Twitter impacted students’ engagement, found that it was extent discussion out of class, their participation in panel group (Rodriguez, 2011 ). A comparative study conducted by (Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, & Witty, 2010 ) revealed that students were more techno-oriented than faculty members and more likely using Facebook and such similar communication technology to support their class-related task. Additionally, faculty members were more likely to use traditional techniques, i.e. email. Thus hypotheses framed is that:

H5: More interaction with peers ultimately leads to better students’ engagement.

Social networking sites and social media are closely similar, which provide a platform where students can interact, communicate, and share emotional intelligence and looking for people with other attitudes (Gikas & Grant, 2013 ). Facebook and YouTube channel use also increased in the skills/ability and knowledge and outcomes (Daniel, Isaac, & Janet, 2017 ). It was highlighted that 90% of faculty members were using some sort of social media in their courses/ teaching. Facebook was the most visited social media sites as per study, 40% of faculty members requested students to read and views content posted on social media; majority reports that videos, wiki, etc. the primary source of acquiring knowledge, social networking sites valuable tool/source of collaborative learning (Moran et al., 2011 ). However, more interestingly, in a study which was carried out on 658 faculty members in the eight different state university of Turkey, concluded that nearly half of the faculty member has some social media accounts.

Further reported that adopting social media for educational purposes, the primary motivational factor which stimulates them to use was effective and quick means of communication technology (Akçayır, 2017 ). Thus hypotheses formulated is:

H6: Online knowledge sharing behaviour is positively associated with the students’ engagement.

Using multiple treatment research design, following act-react to increase students’ academic performance and productivity, it was observed when self–monitoring record sheet was placed before students and seen that students engagement and educational productivity was increased (Rock & Thead, 2007 ). Student engagement in extra curriculum activities promotes academic achievement (Skinner & Belmont, 1993 ), increases grade rate (Connell, Spencer, & Aber, 1994 ), triggering student performance and positive expectations about academic abilities (Skinner & Belmont, 1993 ). They are spending time on online social networking sites linked to students engagement, which works as the motivator of academic performance (Fan & Williams, 2010 ). Moreover, it was noted in a survey of over 236 Malaysian students that weak association found between the online game and student’s academic performance (Eow, Ali, Mahmud, & Baki, 2009 ). In a survey of 671 students in Jordan, it was revealed that student’s engagement directly influences academic performance, also seen the indirect effect of parental involvement over academic performance (Al-Alwan, 2014 ). Engaged students are perceptive and highly active in classroom activities, ready to participate in different classroom extra activities and expose motivation to learn, which finally leads in academic achievement (Reyes, Brackett, Rivers, White, & Salovey, 2012 ). A mediated role of students engagement seen in 1399 students’ classroom emotional climate and grades (Reyes et al., 2012 ). A statistically significant relation was noticed between online lecture and exam performance.

Nonetheless, intelligence quotient, personality factors, students must be engaged in learning activities as cited in (Bertheussen & Myrland, 2016 ). The report of the 1906 students at 7 universities in Colombia confirmed that the weak correlation between collaborative learning, students faculty interaction with academic performance (Pineda-Báez et al., 2014 ) Thus, the hypothesis

H7: Student's Engagement is positively associated with the student's academic performance.

Methodology

To check the students’ perception on social media for collaborative learning in higher education institutions, Data were gathered both offline and online survey administered to students from one public university in Eastern India (BBAU, Lucknow). For the sake of this study, indicators of interactivity with peers and teachers, the items of students engagement, the statement of social media for collaborative learning, and the elements of students’ academic performance were adopted from (AL-Rahmi & Othman, 2013 ). The statement of online knowledge sharing behaviour was taken from (Ma & Yuen, 2011 ).

The indicators of all variables which were mentioned above are measured on the standardised seven-point Likert scale with the anchor (1-Strongly Disagree, to 7-Strongly Agree). Interactivity with peers was measured using four indicators; the sample items using social media in class facilitates interaction with peers ; interactivity with teachers was measured using four symbols, the sample item is using social media in class allows me to discuss with the teacher. ; engagement was measured using three indicators by using social media I felt that my opinions had been taken into account in this class ; social media for collaborative learning was measured using four indicators collaborative learning experience in social media environment is better than in a face-to-face learning environment ; students’ academic performance was measured using five signs using social media to build a student-lecturer relationship with my lecturers, and this improves my academic performance ; online knowledge sharing behaviour was assessed using five symbols the counsel was received from other colleague using social media has increased our experience .

Procedure and measurement

A sample of 360 undergraduate students was collected by convenience sampling method of a public university in Eastern India. The proposed model of study was measured and evaluated using variance based structured equation model (SEM)-a latent multi variance technique which provides the concurrent estimation of structural and measurement model that does not meet parametric assumption (Coelho & Duarte, 2016 ; Haryono & Wardoyo, 2012 ; Lee, 2007 ; Moqbel, Nevo, & Kock, 2013 ; Raykov & Marcoulides, 2000 ; Williams, Rana, & Dwivedi, 2015 ). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to ensure whether the widely accepted criterion of discriminate and convergent validity met or not. The loading of all the indicators should be 0.50 or more (Field, 2011 ; Hair, Anderson, Tatham, & Black, 1992 ). And it should be statistically significant at least at the 0.05.

Demographic analysis (Table 1 )

The majority of the students in this study were females (50.8%) while male students were only 49.2% with age 15–20 years (71.7%). It could be pointed out at this juncture that the majority of the students (53.9%) in BBAU were joined at least 1–5 academic pages for their getting information, awareness and knowledge. 46.1% of students spent 1–5 h per week on social networking sites for collaborative learning, interaction with teachers at an international level. The different academic pages followed for accessing material, communication with the faculty members stood at 44.4%, there would be various forms of the social networking sites (LinkedIn, Slide Share, YouTube Channel, Researchgate) which provide the facility of online collaborative learning, a platform at which both faculty members and students engaged in learning activities.

As per report (Nasir, Khatoon, & Bharadwaj, 2018 ), most of the social media user in India are college-going students, 33% girls followed by 27% boys students, and this reports also forecasted that India is going to become the highest 370.77 million internet users in 2022. Additionally, the majority of the faculty members use smartphone 44% to connect with the students for sharing material content. Technological advantages were the pivotal motivational force which stimulates faculty members and students to exploits the opportunities of resource materials (Nasir & Khan, 2018 ) (Fig. 2 ).

Reasons for Using Social Media

When the students were asked for what reason did they use social media, it was seen that rarely using for self-promotion, very frequently using for self-education, often used for passing the time with friends, and so many fruitful information the image mentioned above depicting.

Instrument validation

The structural model was applied to scrutinize the potency and statistically significant relationship among unobserved variables. The present measurement model was evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and allied procedures to examine the relationship among hypothetical latent variables has acceptable reliability and validity. This study used both SPSS 20.0 and AMOS to check measurement and structural model (Field, 2013 ; Hair, Anderson, et al., 1992 ; Mooi & Sarstedt, 2011 ; Norusis, 2011 ).

The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to ensure whether the widely accepted criterion of discriminant and convergent validity met or not. The loading of all the indicators should be 0.70 or more it should be statistically significant at least at the 0.05 (Field, 2011 ; Hair, Anderson, et al., 1992 ).

CR or CA-based tests measured the reliability of the proposed measurement model. The CA provides an estimate of the indicators intercorrelation (Henseler & Sarstedt, 2013 . The benchmark limits of the CA is 0.7 or more (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994 ). As per Table 2 , all latent variables in this study above the recommended threshold limit. Although, Average Variance Extracted (AVE) has also been demonstrated which exceed the benchmark limit 0.5. Thus all the above-specified values revealed that our instrument is valid and effective. (See Table 2 for the additional information) (Table 3 ).

In a nutshell, the measurement model clear numerous stringent tests of convergent validity, discriminant validity, reliability, and absence of multi-collinearity. The finding demonstrated that our model meets widely accepted data validation criteria. (Schumacker & Lomax, 2010 ).

The model fit was evaluated through the Chi-Square/degree of freedom (CMIN/DF), Root Mean Residual (RMR), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Goodness of fit index (GFI) and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI). The benchmark limit of the CFI, TLI, and GFI 0.90or more (Hair et al., 2016 ; Kock, 2011 ). The model study demonstrated in the table, as mentioned above 4 that the minimum threshold limit was achieved (See Table 4 for additional diagnosis).

Path coefficient of several hypotheses has been demonstrated in Fig.  3 , which is a variable par relationship. β (beta) Coefficients, standardised partial regression coefficients signify the powers of the multivariate relationship among latent variables in the model. Remarkably, it was observed that seven out of the seven proposed hypotheses were accepted and 78% of the explained variance in students’ academic performance, 60% explained variance in interactivity with teachers, 48% variance in interactivity with peers, 43% variance in online knowledge sharing behaviour and 79% variance in students’ engagement. Social media collaborative learning has a significant association with teacher interactivity(β = .693, P  < 0.001), demonstrating that there is a direct effect on interaction with the teacher by social media when other variables are controlled. On the other hand, use of social media for collaborative learning has noticed statistically significant positive relationship with peers interactivity (β = .704, p  < 0.001) meaning thereby, collaborative learning on social media by university students, leads to the high degree of interaction with peers, colleagues. Implied 10% rise in social media use for learning purposes, expected 7.04% increase in interaction with peers.

Path Diagram

Use of social media for collaborating learning has a significant positive association with online knowledge sharing behaviour (β = .583, p  < 0.001), meaning thereby that the more intense use of social media for collaborative learning by university students, the more knowledge sharing between peers and colleagues. Also, interaction with the teacher seen the significant statistical positive association with students engagement (β = .450, p  < 0.001), telling that the more conversation with teachers, leads to a high level of students engagement. Similarly, the practical interpretation of this result is that there is an expected 4.5% increase in student’s participation for every 10% increase in interaction with teachers. Interaction with peers has a significant positive association with students engagement (β = .210, p  < 0.001). Practically, the finding revealed that 10% upturn in student’s involvement, there is a 2.1% increase in peer’s interaction. There is a significant positive association between online knowledge sharing behaviour and students engagement (β = 0.247, p  < 0.001), and finally students engagement has been a statistically significant positive relationship with students’ academic performance (β = .972, p  < 0.001), this is the clear indication that more engaged students in collaborative learning via social media leads to better students’ academic performance.

Discussion and implication

There is a continuing discussion in the academic literature that use of such social media and social networking sites would facilitate collaborative learning. It is human psychology generally that such communication media technology seems only for entertainment, but it should be noted here carefully that if such communication technology would be followed with due attention prove productive. It is essential to acknowledge that most university students nowadays adopting social media communication to interact with colleagues, teachers and also making the group be in touch with old friends and even a convenient source of transferring the resources. In the present era, the majority of the university students having diversified social media community groups like Whatsapp, Facebook pages following different academic web pages to upgrade their knowledge.

Practically for every 10% rise in students’ engagement, expected to be 2.1% increase in peer interaction. As the study suggested that students engage in different sites, they start discussing with colleagues. More engaged students in collaborative learning through social media lead better students’ academic performance. The present study revealed that for every 10% increase in student’s engagement, there would be an expected increase in student academic performance at a rate of 9.72. This extensive research finding revealed that the application of online social media would facilitate the students to become more creative, dynamics and connect to the worldwide instructor for collaborative learning.

Accordingly, the use of online social media for collaborative learning, interaction with mentors and colleagues leadbetter student’s engagement which consequently affects student’s academic performance. The higher education authority should provide such a platform which can nurture the student’s intellectual talents. Based on the empirical investigation, it would be said that students’ engagement, social media communication devices facilitate students to retrieve information and interact with others in real-time regarding sharing teaching materials contents. Additionally, such sophisticated communication devices would prove to be more useful to those students who feel too shy in front of peers; teachers may open up on the web for the collaborative learning and teaching in the global scenario and also beneficial for physically challenged students. It would also make sense that intensive use of such sophisticated technology in teaching pedagogical in higher education further facilitates the teachers and students to interact digitally, web-based learning, creating discussion group, etc. The result of this investigation confirmed that use of social media for collaborative learning purposes, interaction with peers, and teacher affect their academic performance positively, meaning at this moment that implementation of such sophisticated communication technology would bring revolutionary, drastic changes in higher education for international collaborative learning (Table 5 ).

Limitations and future direction

Like all the studies, this study is also not exempted from the pitfalls, lacunas, and drawbacks. The first and foremost research limitation is it ignores the addiction of social media; excess use may lead to destruction, deviation from the focal point. The study only confined to only one academic institution. Hence, the finding of the project cannot be generalised as a whole. The significant positive results were found in this study due to the fact that the social media and mobile devices are frequently used by the university going students not only as a means of gratification but also for educational purposes.

Secondly, this study was conducted on university students, ignoring the faculty members, it might be possible that the faculty members would not have been interested in interacting with the students. Thus, future research could be possible towards faculty members in different higher education institutions. To the authors’ best reliance, this is the first and prime study to check the usefulness and applicability of social media in the higher education system in the Indian context.

Concluding observations

Based on the empirical investigation, it could be noted that application and usefulness of the social media in transferring the resource materials, collaborative learning and interaction with the colleagues as well as teachers would facilitate students to be more enthusiastic and dynamic. This study provides guidelines to the corporate world in formulating strategies regarding the use of social media for collaborative learning.

Availability of data and materials

The corresponding author declared here all types of data used in this study available for any clarification. The author of this manuscript ready for any justification regarding the data set. To make publically available of the data used in this study, the seeker must mail to the mentioned email address. The profile of the respondents was completely confidential.

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Ansari, J.A.N., Khan, N.A. Exploring the role of social media in collaborative learning the new domain of learning. Smart Learn. Environ. 7 , 9 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-020-00118-7

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Social Media in Education: 13 Ideas for the Classroom

Since gaining widespread popularity in the early 2010s, social media has been a controversial topic when it comes to using it for education. However, many educators are now embracing social media as a teaching tool with a wide array of benefits for learning.

From parent-teacher communications to organizing group projects to developing digital literacy, social media has the potential to enhance the curriculum at any grade level — provided it is used responsibly. Here, we’ll explore eight platforms and five possible uses for social media in the classroom, plus some best practices for keeping it a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

How Social Media is Reshaping Education

Pros & cons of social media for students, 8 ways teachers can use social media in the classroom, 5 social media lesson ideas to try, faqs about social media in education.

As around 60% of the world’s population knows, social media can be an effective way to share news, find communities, build social networks and disseminate information instantly to a broad audience. According to Pew Research, 95% of American teens use at least one social media platform — so it makes sense that educators would seek to engage their students using technology they already interact with daily.

Teachers can use social media to organize group projects, communicate with students outside of class, share resources, and much more. Social media also has the potential to connect schools to the wider community for purposes including:

• Sharing school news
• Promoting school events
• Holding virtual town hall meetings
• Advertising fundraising initiatives
• Sending out emergency alerts

Since 90% of U.S. adults are also on social media (and many likely access it on their phones ), it is an incredibly useful medium for sending real-time communications to parents and guardians of school-aged children.

Of course, a tool as powerful as social media requires its users to exercise great responsibility to maintain a respectful, safe online environment. Teachers and students should be clear on both the benefits and risks before using these tools for educational purposes.

Benefits of social media in the classroom:

• Real-time communications can increase student engagement, collaboration, communication and overall participation.
• Many students may find it easier to participate in online discussions than in the classroom.
• Students can easily ask each other or their teacher questions about assignments outside of class.
• Students and teachers can quickly share helpful resources at any time.
• Teachers can easily share announcements with the entire class.
• Social media can provide a contingency plan for last-minute remote learning scenarios .
• Students can organize school events with each other or with the help of a teacher.
• Teachers can augment an online-only class by establishing a social media page or account strictly for building community.
• Students can practice using social platforms responsibly, including maintaining a respectful online discourse.
• Parents can stay informed of school news via a convenient, easily accessible platform.
• Teachers can communicate directly with parents as needed, especially if parents cannot attend an in-person meeting.
• Educators can build and enhance their own tech literacy skills to add to their portfolios.
• Most, if not all, social media platforms are free.

Downsides of using social media in the classroom:

• Social media can be a major distraction in class, especially if students are accessing their personal accounts independently. Private side conversations, off-topic activities and mindless scrolling can all happen when students are granted in-class internet access.
• If students primarily use social platforms to participate in class discussions, they can miss out on practicing face-to-face conversations and respectful in-person discourse.
• Some students may see social media assignments as an opportunity to cyberbully their classmates , so it’s critical that teachers set firm ground rules about responsible social media use.
• There is always a risk of a group member posting inappropriate content or language, since it is difficult to manage how students use social media platforms independently. Teachers must be responsible and attentive administrators to prevent and address inappropriate behavior.

While fewer school-aged young people are using Facebook today (about 32%, Pew finds), it can still be a useful tool for maintaining an online community, posting updates, sharing links and asking questions. Facebook can be used to organize specific projects, communicate with classes, form student clubs, plan events and more. The instant group chat function can facilitate real-time discussions, and Facebook Live enables teachers to lead virtual lessons, stream lectures and hold Q&A sessions. As administrators, teachers can set Facebook groups to private or invite-only to maintain a safe space for students.

Twitter can serve as more of a bite-sized message board where teachers can post short project updates, announcements, links to helpful resources or answer students’ questions. The platform can also serve as the basis for lessons in using concise language , since each post is limited to 280 characters — a valuable skill for both essay writing and future professional communications. Teachers can create dedicated handles or hashtags for each of their classes and invite both students and their guardians to follow along.

Blog posts provide another way for students to practice their essay writing, an increasingly important skill for higher grade levels. Instead of maintaining physical reading journals, students can submit weekly blog posts with their reflections and responses to assigned readings. Teachers can also use blogs to communicate project instructions during remote learning days or vacations and even write up a semester report for parents and guardians to review.

This is an excellent tool for sharing visual resources like infographics, artistic inspiration, tutorials or examples of finished projects. Many teachers use Pinterest to collect and organize their own lesson ideas, so creating a board (or several) where students can pin their own resources encourages collaboration and learning ownership. While students of all ages respond well to visuals, Pinterest may be particularly popular with younger students who are still practicing their reading skills.

Another great visual platform, Instagram can be useful for teachers to share updates, for administrators to post announcements and for students to post project results or follow accounts that are relevant to course content. Teachers can create class-specific accounts where they post assignments, instructions, resources, updates, and more.

This online community provides a space for anyone to unite around any interest imaginable — from fitness to classic film trivia to poetry. Reddit has a bit of an “anything goes” reputation for its lax posting guidelines, but moderators are typically on hand to mitigate any inappropriate or improper use of the platform. There’s a subreddit for every academic subject, so students can peruse threads for project research (while still verifying any information therein) and even post their own questions for the Reddit community to discuss.

Similar to Reddit, YouTube hosts video resources on any topic under the sun. Teachers can easily share educational videos, tutorials and any other type of video content. YouTube is also a great hosting platform for video projects, where students can upload finished videos for their teachers, classmates and guardians to watch on a private class channel.

This professional networking platform is mostly used by people in the post-school workforce, so high school students may not even be aware of it yet. However, whether they decide to attend college or not, learning how to market their skills and build a professional network can help students navigate the job market after graduation. LinkedIn is also a great place to find articles and other resources to help young professionals build their industry knowledge and skills.

The ideas in this section are merely suggestions for unique ways to use social media in the classroom — but the internet is your and your students’ playground! Use these ideas as jumping-off points for your own social media-based lessons.

• Use blogs to chart learning progress. Blogs can be useful tools for language learning, whether that’s practicing how to craft a five-paragraph essay or improving one’s French writing skills. But this long-form writing platform can also be used to track students’ progress in any subject. For example, have chemistry students write biweekly posts summarizing everything they’ve learned in class, and ask them to revisit and write about certain topics once a semester to practice knowledge retrieval. These posts can also serve as test prep and reminders of any concepts students may need to review.
• Use Instagram or TikTok for visual responses. Most social media platforms popular with young people are visual-based, meaning they rely on images and videos to convey information. Writing skills are essential for school, but sometimes it’s easier (and more fun) for students to engage with their learning using formats they’re more comfortable with. Instead of a written response to a textbook chapter, have students react using an appropriate TikTok trend. If students are required to show their work, ask them to create an Instagram carousel or Reel of their process and post it to a class-specific account.
• Use Twitter to illustrate the dangers of misinformation. Learning to find and cite accurate sources is a key skill for students, especially at higher grade levels. Unfortunately, misinformation is easy to encounter on social media, where anyone can make a claim or spread false information without providing a source. Show students an inaccurate tweet or other social post and ask them to verify or debunk its claims. Have them document their research process and cite the sources they used to fact-check the post.
• Use LinkedIn to help older students craft their resumes. Marketing themselves in a professional sense isn’t always a skill young people learn in school, but it’s a skill that proves useful for nearly every adult. Have students use LinkedIn to craft a professional objective, organize and explain their work and educational experiences, ask for recommendations and start making connections with potential mentors and employers.

Best Practices for Social Media in Education

For many young people, social media is a part of their (and their parents’) everyday lives. Chances are, if a teacher chooses to incorporate social media into a lesson, many students will already be familiar with the platform and how to use it. Since students may be accustomed to using social media outside of an educational context, it’s crucial that teachers set ground rules and expectations for the appropriate use of these tools.

The following are some best practices that will keep social media a safe and productive place for students and their teachers:

Set professional boundaries: Many teachers also likely have personal social media accounts, so when using these platforms for lessons, it’s best to create an entirely new account dedicated solely to academics. Keep accounts private and invitation-only so that no one besides students and their parents can access the content. No one, teachers included, should be posting anything about their personal lives or content that is unrelated to the course. Invite students to create new user accounts as well to avoid mixing their personal and academic business.

Prioritize increasing digital literacy: Generations of digital natives (including today’s school-aged children and many of their parents) have likely already been practicing online etiquette, but it never hurts to review both practical and appropriate ways to use social media. Remind students that anything they post online has the potential to exist forever, which becomes especially important as they begin to apply to colleges and search for jobs. Students should conduct themselves online just as they are expected to in school.

Promote student achievements: You and your students put in a lot of work during the school year — share your accomplishments with the community! If your school has a public social media account, provide the account manager with information about your class’s latest project or an upcoming showcase so members of the community can see what students have been up to. Not only does this give students an opportunity to show off their work, but it also serves as promotional information for anyone considering enrolling their own children in the school.

Manage multiple accounts from the same place: If you manage multiple accounts for one or more classes, use a tool like Hootsuite or Facebook Publishing (which integrates Facebook and Instagram) to draft and schedule posts for multiple platforms at once. This is especially helpful when students and parents need the same information, but each group predominantly uses a different platform.

Part of a teacher’s job is to never stop learning, whether it’s about the subject matter they teach, new educational tools or innovative ways to engage students. The University of San Diego offers multiple courses for educators in the Professional and Continuing Education program, including classes covering educational technology , digital literacy , equity in the classroom and more. USD also offers certificate programs that focus on specific aspects of education, so that teachers can build a suite of skills in areas like STEAM education or supporting English language learners .

For a full range of USD courses available through the PCE program, explore all course offerings here .

How can I ensure students’ safety on social media?

To protect students’ privacy, keep all class-related social media accounts private or invitation-only and encourage them to set their own accounts to private or create new class-specific profiles. Review proper online etiquette and behavior with students and establish firm consequences for cyberbullying. As a teacher, it’s critical to maintain professional boundaries online, so avoid discussing or posting anything personal on school social media accounts. You may even want to grant access to students’ parents so they can monitor how their children are using these spaces.

How can I use TikTok in my lessons?

According to Pew Research, 67% of U.S. teens use TikTok , with 16% on the app almost constantly. Since so many students already gather in this digital space, teachers can engage them by creatively incorporating it into lessons. Ask students to film reactions to course content using TikTok trends, conduct research via subject matter experts’ posts, or create response videos in place of traditional project reports.

Which social media platform is best for communicating with parents?

It depends on what kinds of content you want to share and which platforms parents and guardians are comfortable using. At the beginning of each school year, send out a survey asking parents to indicate their preferred social media platform, then use the top two results for parent-facing communications. With so many people on multiple social media platforms, it’s best not to limit school news to just one; fortunately, managing multiple accounts at once is simple with social media management tools like Hootsuite and Facebook Publishing.

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Mindy is a former high school special educator whose passion for inclusive design and Universal Design for Learning are only slightly surpassed by her love of connecting with other educators around these topics using social media. She is one of the co-moderators of #UDLchat on Twitter and coordinates the social media and digital communications for CAST . Find Mindy on Twitter at @min_d_j .

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using social media for personal professional development?

Social media is part of our daily lives, even if we don’t use it daily. It’s part of our culture, for better or worse.. But what if we harnessed the good aspects of social media and used it to our advantage to make connections with educators and education leaders that we’d never have access to otherwise? That’s the power of building a personal/professional learning network (PLN) using social media. It’s using free, ubiquitous social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.) and developing a community around our practice, providing resources, questions, insights, inspiration, and support. When you’re a connected educator using social media for professional learning, you have the power of thousands, if not millions, of other educators and thought leaders behind you and at your fingertips. How exciting is that?

What are the different stages of getting involved in online communities of educators?

Participation looks very different in a digital learning environment than it does in a face-to-face learning environment. I often refer to the digital participation pyramid, otherwise known as the 90-9-1 rule for marketing, communication, and social media , to help others understand the landscape of what participation means in social media. This model states that 90% of the people using social media are lurkers or “quiet participants,” 9% are editors and critics, and 1% are content creators. That means most of us are simply watching what others are posting rather than creating the posts ourselves. There’s really nothing wrong with this type of participation in social media, especially as an entry point. But if we want to start engaging others and becoming part of an online community of educators, we have to show people that we are listening.

To listen actively in the digital world, we can like a post or +1 a post, we can retweet or share a post that resonates with us, or we can follow someone new. All of these actions let the original content creator know that we are listening, and that can be a powerful way to build new connections with our online community.

When we’re ready for a new level of participation, we can amplify others’ ideas. We can add a comment to a post, quote someone’s post, ask a question, or reply to a question. All of these actions amplify the ideas that resonate with us because we’re sharing those ideas with our own followers.

Finally, when we’re ready to make the biggest participation leap of all, we can become creators. We can write posts, make shareable images (with image descriptions , of course), create a quick video (with closed captions , of course), tag others in our posts, use hashtags to connect our ideas with different topics, or engage new people in a conversation.

The important thing to remember when we’re dipping our toes into these online communities is to come with a goal in mind. What do you want to learn? What do you want to contribute? How often do you want to participate? Without a goal, social media can feel like a firehose. But with the right tools and a focused goal, our PLN becomes a powerful social learning community.

How can teachers find online communities?

Start where you feel the most comfortable. Choose a tool you already use, search for educator groups and education hashtags, and follow some other educators, bloggers, schools, or education-focused organizations.  If you don’t use social media tools regularly, test one out that you’ve been wanting to try. Twitter can be a fun place to start, but can also be overwhelming. Pinterest can be an amazing place to collect resources and find other educators to follow. LinkedIn is more professionally-focused and might feel more comfortable if you’re just starting out. It’s about finding an online community that fits with your goals. And don’t try everything at once. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Take your time and find the best fit for you.

If someone is new to Twitter, how can they get involved in something like a Twitter chat?

Twitter is one of my favorite tools for professional learning, because there are so many educators and education-focused learning groups that inspire me and provide me with resources when I need them. The first step is to find a chat that matches your learning goals and topic interests. Jerry Blumengarten (otherwise known as @Cybraryman) has an amazing calendar of education-focused Twitter chats that can help you find what you’re looking for. Participate also has an amazing list of education-focused chats , as well as a great tool that archives each chat and generates a list of resources shared. There are also plenty of articles on getting started with Twitter chats by educators as well as great tools like Twubs and TweetChat for helping keep track of the chat in real time so you don’t get overwhelmed or distracted. And don’t forget the digital participation pyramid. It’s not creepy in social media to lurk on a Twitter chat or check out the past chat transcripts to make sure it’s something you’re looking for. And if you’re missing that face-to-face interaction, meet a friend for coffee and join the chat as you sit together. Sometimes just having that little bit of in-person support can help your participation move from lurker to listener. And don’t forget to follow your new tweeps !

What are some don’ts of using social media for personal professional development?

Without getting into the don’ts of social media in general (you probably already have a sense of those if you pay any attention to the news), one of the biggest don’ts I warn against is ignoring social media for professional learning completely. Even if you don’t care to wade fully into a digital community of practice, not knowing what’s out there means that you are excluding yourself from an important conversation. If social media isn’t your cup of tea, or if you’d rather keep social media as a recreational tool rather than a professional one, find another way to connect. A connected educator is an educator who models connected learning, something we want our students to do as well. It doesn’t have to be social media, but it does have to be social. Find your tribe, listen, and share.

Watch Mindy’s TED-style talk:  #UDLrockstars and the Culture of Sharing  from the 2017 UDL-IRN Summit in Orlando, FL.  Learn more about the UDL-IRN Summit , another great professional learning community.  

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Impact of Social Media in Education

Introduction.

The 21st century brought the advent of social media which has drastically changed people’s lives. Social media is software, networking instruments, and Internet platforms that are used for a variety of uses such as content sharing and creation, communication, and collaboration. According to Fuchs (2017), social media are internet-based applications that are developed on the technological capabilities of creation and sharing of user-generated content, going beyond interpersonal communication with the aid of universally accessible and scalable interconnection techniques.

By the current year of 2020, the concept is significantly widespread due and virtually everyone in developed countries with access to smartphones and computers utilizing one of the major social media platforms. These have grown on the basis of popularity in younger populations in particular, with children as young as 13 years old able to create social media accounts. Naturally, social media tools became utilized in educational environments in order to facilitate teaching and learning processes due to their engagement and popularity amongst high-school and college-aged students. Social media has positively impacted education by enabling learning, sharing, and collaboration, but continues to maintain concerns from a large body of students, parents, and educators as being distracting and ineffective in the instructional process.

Upon researching the general concept of social media, it became evident that the primary user base remains in the teenage and young adult category, which utilizes the largest array of platforms (Perrin & Anderson 2019). The origins of social media platforms, particularly the universally popular Facebook stem from college students which poses a critical question of the impact of social media on education. This research question although rather broad is specific enough to explore the context. A search of the literature on the UNISA library catalog and Google Scholar found an overwhelming amount of literature, including original research, synthesis, and theory that explores the various impacts of social media in education.

In particular, I wanted to focus on two concepts: 1) the effectiveness of social media tools for educational purposes; 2) the perception of social media use by students and instructors. Despite narrowing down the topic with these keywords, this research has grown to be so influential in recent years that both searches drew tens of thousands of results, even with limiting the search year of past 2016. The literature was selected based on the relevance of headlines and research direction in the abstract as well as the reliability and prestige of the journal. Some articles had internal citations to books or other articles which fit the search criteria, these were explored as well. Overall, approximately 25 literature sources were selected and narrowed down as the report was written based on their usability for the general topic.

Indicators of quality

All literature used in this report was published originally post-2015. The information has not been updated as the majority of these are journal publications. The context of the data may have changed slightly due to the online learning element during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sources are targeted at an audience who are interested in or active participating stakeholders in the educational sector. The information extensively covers all potential points of interest regarding the topic allowing for a comprehensive overview of the impact of social media on education.

The research selected was conducted by respectable authors and published in key journals in the industry. The articles are cited numerous times in other literature.

All sources come from peer-reviewed journals or publications which significantly increases their accuracy and validity. The sources were checked for reputation and any questionable sources were not utilized

The purpose of the existence of this research is the soaring popularity of social media platform use, adapting it to educational contexts. The controversial nature of social media as both a tool and a distraction has prompted researchers and stakeholders to consider whether it is warranted for further support and integration.

The widespread popularity and adoption of social media have led to calls of leveraging and integrating it in education through various means. Social media holds a unique opportunity for innovating educational research and scholarly communication as well. Integrating social media has multiple uses in the education sector. Students’ learning can be enhanced through active engagement and digital collaboration on a new level. Both teachers and students can also engage in informal learning which includes exchanging resources and community-building activities (Greenhow et al 2019). Social media has a place in the modern educational paradigm with the potential of bridging and informal learning through participatory digital cultures. Social media becomes inherently a space for learning, which when applied through the lens of social constructivism and connectivism can facilitate the powerful features of instant connectivity and engagement in multimodal learning contexts (Greenhow & Lewin 2015).

A study by Price et al (2018) sought to investigate student perceptions on social media integration within course content. The general perception is positive, with social media use for education growing when officially integrated into the program and learning activities. Students found it to be engaging and informative in identifying important elements within the course. However, a part of the sample remains wary of using social media for professional or educational purposes, indicating that individual factors are critical to consider as well. Orlanda-Ventayen and Magno-Ventayen (2017) found that the instructor’s perspective contributes to social learning and is on par with worlds trends. However, there are disadvantages and individual preferences which suggest that social media should be combined with other free learning management systems.

A number of studies found that platforms have no practical use in instructional and learning contexts. Lahti et al (2017) surveyed students to determine the uses of social media in educational contexts and found that the majority of students do not report utilizing the platforms for studying or academic needs. Manca & Ranieri (2016) similarly found that social media utilization is consistently limited or restricted, with neither teachers nor students readily willing to integrate the social media components into educational practices. Common opposition to social media use in education cites pedagogical challenges, institutional constraints, and the general inappropriateness for the learning context. Most often, students utilize social networks for engagement in non-educational activities such as social communication and entertainment rather than learning or skill enhancement (Talaue et al. 2018). Social media use during class creates opportunities for distraction from the learning process with a negative effect to complete tasks and improving academic performance (Flanigan & Boychuk 2015).

Students also perceive social media as a distraction in many contexts. The social media platforms such as Facebook, create opportunities to shift focus via chatting, uploading photos, and other social activities. McCarthy and McCarthy (2014) conducted a study analyzing the distraction factor of working on Facebook. Students found social media to be largely unhelpful and distracting in the studying process, actually taking more effort to concentrate. Other students in a study by Wise et al (2011) concluded that the negative impact on attention was significant while also being a threat to privacy. In the contexts of blended learning in which social media is commonly utilized, findings by Erdem and Kibar (2014) indicate that platforms such as Facebook may be appropriate for communication and interactive aspects, but not useful in sharing homework or projects or promoting academic achievement.

When considering the impact of social media on education, there are three primary questions that become relevant.

Does social media have a role and fit into the modern educational paradigm?

According to Greenhow et al (2019) social media serves as a bridge between formal and informal learning. It presents vital opportunities for active learning, engagement, collaboration, and community connection enhancement. In the modern paradigm, social media creates a digital space that can thrive and envelop the complexities of multimodal or digital setting learning. However, scholars suggest that students inherently adopt the role of consumers rather than full participants (Greenhow & Lewin 2015).

Does social media present a benefit to students and instructors who utilize it for education?

Social media generally benefits students greatly in the development of their learning, thinking, and social skills. There are other benefits such as ease of sharing and dispersing information. Social networking tools are vital to connecting learning groups and improving learning methods. Social and academic integration sees greater success among students with social media utilization (Price et al 2018).

What are the perceptions from stakeholders regarding social media use in education?

There are varying and mixed perspectives from students and instructors regarding the integration of social media use in education. Some see it as a modern method of supplemental learning and highly enjoy the connectivity, especially if social media tools are officially integrated into a course (Orlanda-Ventayen & Magno-Ventayen 2017). However, there are a number of negative perceptions, viewing social media as a cause for distraction in the learning context due to other non-education social features. A significant portion dislikes the concept due to personal preferences or aspects such as limited availability, tools, and forced implementation which does not enhance the learning process in any significant manner (Flanigan & Boychuk 2015; Manca & Ranieri 2016; Lahti et al 2017).

It is evident that social media use in education maintains a controversial nature. However, with widespread adoption, it has garnered positive responses due to the general engagement of students with technology systems and the various interactive features such as customization and sharing of content. It also maintains the added benefit of teaching students safe and responsible use of information technology. Networking is the essential foundation to professional lives, and many views the positive reinforcements and use of it in education can be relevant to the 21st-century education paradigm.

Recommendations

Based on the research it is evident that social media has permeated the educational sector. However, the mixed results indicate that it is not a universally beneficial tool. There are listed benefits of information sharing, direct access to communication, and general support, which should be promoted (Greenhow & Lewin 2015; Greenhow et al 2019). However, there is a range of negative effects of social media in education including distraction, poor integration, and negative effects on academic performance (Flanigan & Boychuk 2015; Manca & Ranieri 2016; Lahti et al 2017; Talaue et al 2018).

Based on this research, the following recommendations are made:

• Social media should not be outright rejected by educational institutions but promoted as a supplemental tool to enhance the learning process for those who may benefit from it.
• Social media should NOT be commonly utilized during direct instructional and classroom time due to the possibilities of distraction.
• Social media SHOULD be integrated as a method of communication and empowerment for students, teachers, parents, and school communication. The technical possibilities of social media platforms can be an effective manner of building an online community for the institution.
• Social media is a highly viable tool for communication and exchange of information alongside traditional methods. This is particularly viable to reach students or share urgent information that may not be viewed via traditional communication such as email.

Social media has become a dominant force in society, permeating the lives of young people especially. There has been a significant inquiry into the impact of social media in education and its general place in the learning context. Results found that social media is able to be integrated into the educational paradigm as a bridge between formal and informal learning. The critical piece of information uncovered indicates that social media has been greatly integrated into a variety of educational contexts with positive results, but there are some mixed perceptions. The implications of the data presented in this report suggest that educators can implement pathways to the integration of social media in mixed-method modalities to the benefit of students. However, it should not be relied upon as a major or even mandatory tool, but rather as supplemental due to the potential for distraction and negative perceptions/individual preferences of students who may not benefit from it.

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Using social media for assessment purposes: Practices and future directions

Dennis alonzo.

1 School of Education, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia

Cherry Zin Oo

2 Department of Educational Pyschology, Yangon University of Education (YUOE), Yangon, Myanmar

Wendi Wijarwadi

3 Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Teaching and Educational Science, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, South Tangerang, Indonesia

Caitlin Hannigan

The use of social media across the world is rapidly increasing, and schools are advancing its use for learning, teaching, and assessment activities. Despite growing evidence for their accessibility and affordances for educational purposes, very little attention has been paid to their use in assessment. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), this paper is an initial step to explore how social media have been used and reported in the literature, and describe some key challenges. A total of 167 articles were initially accessed from three databases, but only 17 were relevant after applying the exclusion criteria. Results show that the most dominant social media used in assessment are Facebook and Twitter. Also, the assessment practices are limited to sending and discussing assessment tasks, following up on progress, giving feedback, and engaging in self and peer assessment. Key issues include the trustworthiness of the assessment process and outputs, limited features of social media platforms, technical support, time commitment between teachers and students, and intersections of social and academic engagements. We discuss the implications of these findings with the critical gaps in the theorisation of using social media for assessment purposes.

1. Introduction

Social media are used for various purposes, including communicating, sharing information, creating content, dating, and many others ( Alalwan, 2022 ). Statista (2021) predicts that social media users will rise to 4.41 billion people worldwide by 2025. In educational contexts, schools are also advancing their use for learning, teaching, and assessment activities. Social media have become highly interactive platforms where students can share and discuss their ideas and information ( Ashraf et al., 2021 ; Mahmud et al., 2022 ). Using social media in learning and teaching, including facilitating interactions between teachers and students and among students, is not geographically limited or time-bound ( Akgül and Uymaz, 2022 ). Thus, providing a mechanism for continuous transfer and co-construction of knowledge together. In addition, social media use facilitates synchronous and asynchronous interactions with many additional features, including links and resource sharing, and voice messaging ( Ashraf et al., 2021 ). Moreover, the learning platform in social media facilitates parents to monitor their children’s progress as they can access their work. Hence, it creates a more significant interaction for students, teachers, and parents/careers. In addition, by engaging in social media learning, students also create an opportunity to interact with people worldwide ( Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ). Other people become resources that can provide critical insights to their learning. As such, social media have become the most favored alternative platforms for educational systems that cannot subscribe to learning management systems ( Al-Rahmi et al., 2022 ).

While this evidence highlights the use of social media for learning and teaching, there are only a few reports on how social media are used for assessment purposes. It has been shown that social media can facilitate the provision of immediate feedback (e.g., Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ; Nuray, 2019 ). Teachers could respond as soon as students uploaded their work ( Liu and Ko, 2020 ). Through this immediate feedback, students could monitor their learning progress and how they are meeting the learning outcomes ( Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ). In addition, the use of social media can facilitate peer assessment. Students can comment on each other’s posts, identifying their strengths and providing suggestions to further improve their peer’s work. This process increases students’ motivation and confidence in learning ( Vikneswaran and Krish, 2016 ; Lai et al., 2020 ). There is also evidence that social media have been used to administer pre- and post-tests to measure students’ learning gains (e.g., Huang et al., 2014 ; Yuk and Yunus, 2021 ). Collectively, these few research articles provide evidence for social media use as alternative platforms for implementing assessment. However, it is quite limited with only few assessment strategies used. It is also unclear from the literature the intersections between assessment and social media use. Given that assessment plays a central role in improving learning and teaching ( Assessment Reform Group, 2002 ; Black and Wiliam, 2018 ), and social media are gaining prominence as alternative platforms in learning and teaching, it is worthwhile exploring the use of social media for assessment purposes. Thus, we provide an initial step to scope how social media have been used in assessing students and the issues associated with their use in primary and secondary school contexts. We aim to identify critical gaps in the literature and provide future research directions. The following research questions guide this paper:

• What are the main characteristics (e.g., study location, school level, and research design) of included studies reporting social media used in assessment?
• What and how have social media been used for assessment?
• What are the issues with using social media in assessment?

2. Literature review

We provide a brief review of the literature to provide evidence of using social media in learning, teaching and assessment activities.

2.1. Assessment in education

Assessment plays a central role in ensuring effectiveness of learning and teaching ( Black and Wiliam, 2018 ). Theoretical and empirical evidence support the claim that assessment is collectively the most important intervention in the classroom with the highest effect size on increasing student outcomes ( Hattie, 2009 ). However, despite this widely shared view, assessment processes and practices have long been debated in educational research ( Bloom et al., 1971 ; Ramaprasad, 1983 ; Baird et al., 2017 ), with dichotomies emerging between summative (SA) and formative assessments (FA). The common understanding is that FA is routinely carried out to gather data to inform pedagogy ( Bennett, 2011 ) and SA is used to evaluate whether learning has occurred ( Lau, 2016 ). To address this issue, the Assessment Reform Group (2002) proposed the concept of Assessment for Learning (A f L) and defined it as “a process of seeking and interpreting evidence to identify where learners are, where they need to go, and how best to go there” ( Assessment Reform Group, 2002 , p. 2). This definition encompasses all assessment strategies used in the classrooms, including FA and SA, which the results are used to inform learning and teaching activities. Building on this definition, Davison (2007) offered a continuum of assessment practices from in-class contingent FA, planned formative assessment, mock SA, to the most formal SA, including high stake testing and international examinations whose results are used to support individual students. More recently, Black and Wiliam (2018) explicitly argued that that the dichotomy between FA and SA becomes irrelevant when assessments are conceptualized within a broader pedagogical model.

To optimize the impact of assessment on student learning, regardless of types, they should be an integral part of learning and teaching, and the results are used to identify learning needs of, and support needed by individual students. The design, implementation, and participation of students in the assessment process are critical for its effectiveness. There is a growing consensus in education that teaching, learning and assessing should aim to foster and develop students to actively engage, participate, contribute to, reflect on and evaluate their learning approaches and outcomes ( Hannigan et al., 2022 ). Moreover, the social interactions and the dialogic nature of assessment ( Ruiz-Primo, 2011 ), particularly eliciting and giving feedback, as conceptualized from a Vygotskian perspective, calls for student agency in the learning space and the necessity of knowledge exchange, regardless of the type of assessment in use. As such, exploring how social media can be used as alternative platforms for assessment purposes, in an ever changing and increasingly dynamic educational landscape is important as educators seek to engage students in increasingly innovative and responsive ways, and create opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning.

2.2. Online assessment

The number of online resources available for learning and teaching has increased because of the advancement of information and communication technology ( Özden et al., 2004 ). Subsequently, the use of online learning has increased dramatically, creating additional opportunities for interaction among students, students and teachers, and teachers themselves ( Singh and Thurman, 2019 ). In comparison to traditional classroom settings, learning practices have changed as a result of the growth of online learning, allowing higher interactions among students and opportunities for students to adopt a more flexible approach ( Robles and Braathen, 2002 ).

Moving classes from a traditional classroom setting to an online setting means that learning practices has fundamentally been shifted, including assessment techniques ( Robles and Braathen, 2002 ). For example, the development of e-learning influences the broader opportunities for innovation in assessment beyond the limitation of the traditional paper-based test ( Scalise and Gifford, 2006 ). In addition, within an online course, learning activities and assessment are very closely connected since teachers needs to carefully articulate the desired learning objectives and how those objectives are measured through an online assessment approach ( Sewell et al., 2010 ). Moreover, the practice of online assessment depends greatly on teachers’ competencies since it requires technical skills in scoring and providing real-time feedback for students ( Olufisoye and Ola, 2013 ). The practice of online assessment is fundamentally dominated by summative assessment, measuring the overall learning achievement of students ( Guangul et al., 2020 ). Herein, most online assessment platforms are built for one-way interaction where students are presented with assessment tasks and respond to it accordingly ( Schultz and Callahan, 2022 ). These platforms do not allow for more meaningful assessment practices that mimic the classroom environment where teachers can implement assessment as an integral part of learning and teaching processes ( Black and Wiliam, 2018 ).

Thus, social media can be viewed as an alternative platform for administering educational assessment. It has some distinctive features when compared with online assessment platforms. Social media also offers the opportunity for students to receive timely feedback from fellow classmates ( Kio, 2015 ). Social media is primarily formative in nature and offers a more dialogic and interactive feedback as well as prompt responses from teachers, whereas online assessments are primarily delivering a one-way approach (teacher to student). In addition, the barriers of delayed responses from the assessment are diminished in social media platforms since student can ask questions any time, and the teacher can provide an immediate response to students’ question.

2.3. Social media in education

Social media have become an integral platform for learning and teaching that helps students share ideas, bridge communication gaps, and browse information ( Mahmud et al., 2022 ). Giroux and Moreau (2022) demonstrate teachers’ use of social media to engage students both in structured and unstructured learning. In structured learning, they include watching YouTube videos in the classroom and using the content for further discussion. Unstructured learning activities using social media include finding relevant learning content as informal learning. Herein, evidence indicates that students use social media to communicate and fulfill their educational needs ( Salih and Elsaid, 2018 ). For example, students use social media to improve their writing skills by posting their draft and receiving feedback from their peers and teacher ( Haidari et al., 2020 ).

Different types of social media have been used in teaching, including Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat ( Alenezi and Brinthaupt, 2022 ; Noori et al., 2022 ). Research indicates that students have specific preference for the type of social media they use to support their learning ( Ma et al., 2021 ). Facebook, including Messenger, is the widely preferred communication tool among students ( Maulina Geelan et al., 2021 ), and students use it to communicate, share ideas, and discuss their assignments ( Donlan, 2014 ). On the other hand, even though Instagram has not received much attention for learning and teaching, some teachers use it to engage students in learning activities ( Handayani, 2015 ). In the study of Mahmud et al. (2022) , classroom teachers asked students to post Instagram stories about their reading activities, including photos of their favorite books and a short book review. Their study reveals that this activity increased student motivation to read and learn. WhatsApp has also been used as a collaborative tool for sharing learning materials with students ( Mangundu, 2022 ), and interacting with students beyond the classroom setting ( Maulina Geelan et al., 2021 ).

The collaboration and engagement among students and teachers via social media have enhanced opportunities to share ideas and discuss them ( Pujiati et al., 2019 ; Ansari and Khan, 2020 ; Alenezi and Brinthaupt, 2022 ). Teachers use social media to assign group posts in the course ( Lai et al., 2021 ), where students then create groups on social media sites to engage in discussion, regardless of their physical presence. Students in the study of Donlan (2014) reported on the benefits of said social media usage in that they “can constantly communicate with each other like send links out, send photos, all the research we find. So, we all get it and all share it rather than texting someone or trying to email so we are all included in the same thing (p. 583).”

2.4. The use of social media for assessment purposes

Previous research highlighted using social media for assessment purposes to support students’ learning. The use of social media in assessment can cultivate increasingly creative and enjoyable learning opportunities for students. Teachers use social media as a platform for students to discuss and submit their outputs ( Mahmud et al., 2022 ). In addition, teachers use social media sites to assess student outcomes ( Alabdulkareem, 2015 ), particularly by providing timely feedback ( Giroux and Moreau, 2022 ). The interactivity of social media serves as a platform for students to clarify feedback ( Alfahadi, 2017 ). Students can interact with their teachers to seek clarifications on the content of feedback and ask for suggestions on how to act on them. Lai et al. (2021) used social media to assign various tasks in the course and utilize various opportunities for students to engage in classroom activities. They have found out that the use of social media for learning and assessment purposes provide students greater sense of participation and ownership.

Specific social media have been used in assessment. For example, Facebook is used to enhance students’ vocabulary. The interactivity, provision of immediate feedback, and availability of online resources facilitate students’ learning and use of new words ( Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ). In addition, Facebook is used to improve students’ reflective writing ( Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ). Students engage in peer assessment providing feedback to their peers. Twitter is used to develop students’ writing skills by learning sophisticated vocabulary, expressions, idioms, and grammar structures ( Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ). Edmodo is used to develop the writing competence of primary school students at the pre-writing and drafting stage of writing ( Yuk and Yunus, 2021 ).

While there is evidence for the use of social media for assessment purposes, there are reported issues related to its uptake and teachers’ and students’ beliefs and actual use. For example, in the study of Donlan (2014) , Facebook was used for communication and assessment. However, the uptake is relatively low due to the perceived use of Facebook for personal space, and not for assessment purposes. There was a mismatch between the potential use of Facebook and students’ attitude. This is corroborated by the study of Alabdulkareem (2015) that found that teachers and students are willing to use social media in assessment, but the actual practice is relatively low. Teachers and students still hold a strong belief that social media is for socialization platform only.

2.5. Impacts of using social media in learning and teaching

Using social media in learning and teaching has demonstrated several advantages. First, using social media creates stronger relationships between students and teachers, which students can benefit from through collaboration ( Ashraf et al., 2021 ; Akgül and Uymaz, 2022 ). By participating collaboratively on social media, students can create highly interactive environments where they can create and exchange ideas and interact with their teachers ( Ashraf et al., 2021 ). In the study of Akgül and Uymaz (2022) , research postulates that collaboration is one of the most significant variables impacting the educational use of Facebook. Second, students have higher trust in collaboration with their peers toward enhancing involvement and participation ( Alalwan, 2022 ) because they can communicate freely and easily ( Mahmud et al., 2022 ). Higher trust in collaboration results in ‘increased involvement, participation, the reason for using social media, usefulness, and accessibility of the use’ ( Alalwan, 2022 , p. 9786). Last, embedding social media use in classroom pedagogy can enhance students’ learning performance by collaborating and engaging in learning activities that transform students from passive receivers to active learners ( Alenezi and Brinthaupt, 2022 ).

3. Materials and methods

To answer the research questions, we conducted a literature review, including a search and analysis of the initial data collated from databases relevant to the study, then refined the selection for data synthesis according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines ( Moher et al., 2009 ).

3.1. Data sources and literature search

An initial search of the literature was conducted through ProQuest (ERIC and Education), and Scopus. We first extracted all studies related to using social media for assessment in schools, published up to May 2022. We did not set a lower boundary for the year of publication to include and review important earlier research. The combination of keywords , social media, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, student, formative assessment, summative assessment, feedback, self-assessment, peer assessment, assessment for learning, assessment of learning, assessment as learning, questioning, classroom assessment, teacher assessment, high school, junior, senior, secondary, primary, and elementary, K-12, were used to identify the papers in each database. We included the 10 social media with the highest subscriber to expound our literature search. The detailed search strategy syntax used for each database can be seen in Table 1 . Articles were included in this review if they were published in peer-reviewed journals in English. There were no restrictions regarding the design of studies: quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods.

Search strategy syntax.

3.2. Study selection

The literature search based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria identified a total of 167 articles (see Figure 1 ). After removing the duplicates, the title and abstract of the articles were reviewed if they met the criteria. The inclusion criteria of our review were: (1) topics relating to social media in assessing students’ learning; (2) school contexts of primary or secondary school settings (excluding studies focusing on adult learning, university, and vocational education); (3) peer-reviewed journal articles; (4) use of English language; and (5) access to full-text. The title and abstract of the articles that did not clearly articulate these criteria were excluded. After applying these criteria, 24 articles remained for full-text review.

Study selection flow diagram.

The 24 full-text articles were downloaded and carefully reviewed by the first, second, and third authors to determine the relevance of the studies for our review purpose (i.e., selecting studies on social media in assessing students’ learning). At the final stage, only 17 articles were found to be relevant to the aim of our paper. We synthesized them to answer our research questions (see Figure 1 ).

3.3. Approach to analysis and synthesis

We used the three stages of thematic synthesis for systematic reviews highlighted in Thomas and Harden (2008) . These three stages are (a) line-by-line text coding; (b) identifying specific indicators; and (c) generating theoretical dimensions. The first author developed descriptive and analytical themes and were checked by the second and third. To ensure rigor and consistency of coding, the second and third authors coded the same two articles simultaneously and then compared their coding afterward. The first author confirmed the codes before moving on to the next two articles. Any inconsistencies were discussed to reach a consensus. This process was undertaken for three iterations until a higher degree of consistency was achieved. The interrater reliability (88.89%) was established by calculating the percent agreement between these two authors. The remaining articles were coded by the second and third authors while frequently negotiating on emerging inconsistencies when they arrived. The first author then checked the final coding.

In this section, the results of the thematic analysis of the synthesis literature are presented to answer the research questions.

4.1. Characteristics of included articles

This section presents the context of social media assessment used in the 17 reviewed articles to identify the research contexts, study designs, theoretical framework, and study purposes. Descriptive analysis answers Research Question 1: What are the main characteristics (study location, school level, research design, and types of social media used) of included studies reporting social media used in assessment?

4.1.1. Contexts of the studies

As shown in Table 2 , studies on using assessment for assessment purposes were undertaken in Malaysia ( n  = 3), Taiwan ( n  = 2), China ( n  = 2), Brazil ( n  = 2), the United States, Australia, Indonesia, Ecuador, Hongkong, Iraq, Thailand, and Turkey. Asia dominated the geographical distribution with 10 out of 15 investigations conducted in Asian nations.

Summary of the articles included in the review.

In terms of school level, most of the research was conducted in secondary school settings. This may indicate that students’ social media literacy influences the selection of school settings (e.g., Kio, 2015 ; Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ). Regarding research design, two strategies have dominated the study: survey studies ( n  = 4) and Quasi-Experimental ( n  = 4). The use of surveys in those studies was accompanied by another approach: field study, intervention, and reflective journal. In contrast, the quasi-experimental design adopts a similar technique consisting of a pre-test at the beginning of the study, an intervention by the researcher in one experiment group, and a post-test at the conclusion of the study to assess students’ comprehension of the supplied topics or courses.

4.1.2. Purpose of the study

Four major themes in the study’s purposes emerged: social media influences on learning improvement, social media influences on learning activities, social media influences on learning assessment through feedback, and the instructional design comparison between learning through social media use and traditional method use. Although three of these themes are not directly about assessment purposes, they highlight the use of social media for assessment purposes. Hence, they provide important insights to achieve the aim of our paper.

4.1.2.1. Social media and student learning improvement

Six of the 17 articles explore the influence of social media use in improving students’ language learning (e.g., Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ). Social media in these papers were used as a medium to practice and improve writing skills (e.g., Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ; Yuk and Yunus, 2021 ). Teachers and students use Twitter to analyze their writing improvement ( Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ), while Facebook is used to investigate students’ development in writing reflection in action ( Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ). Other social media, including Peer Modo in Edmodo ( Yuk and Yunus, 2021 ) is used to evaluate the content quality of students’ writing skills. On the other hand, StoryBird.com and KidsBlog ( Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ) are used to examine the critical thinking skills of gifted students.

Apart from its focus on improving writing skills, other papers focus on the distinctive influences of social media use in learning. A study by Mukhlif and Challob (2021) examines the influence of Facebook in improving students’ vocabulary knowledge compared to traditional teaching for secondary school students in Iraq. In addition, a study by Yu et al. (2020) investigates some factors that influence social networking in an online self-regulated learning activity through ZhiLiao, a commercial Chinese online learning resource platform for junior high school graduates. It primarily focuses on understanding how social media benefits students’ self-regulated learning.

4.1.2.2. Social media and learning activities

Besides evaluating the improvement of students’ outcomes, six articles focus more on examining the learning process. Those articles investigate how social media influences the learning dynamic. For example, a study by Vikneswaran and Krish (2016) explores what motivates English as Second Language user students to write in English on Facebook. In addition, some research examines the use of different functions of social media, such as online schoolwork sharing ( Lai et al., 2020 ), social media-integrated teaching ( Liu and Ko, 2020 ), and synchronous and asynchronous students’ online discussion ( Huang et al., 2014 ). These studies highlight the critical role of social media in ensuring learning and assessment activities.

4.1.2.3. Social media and learning assessment through feedback

Three articles explicitly investigated how social media contributes to students’ development by providing peer feedback. A study by Wuttisela et al. (2016) addresses the use of social media in improving students’ learning by comparing feedback provided by the students and the teachers. It strives to analyze students’ reflections as evaluators of the science projects using the D4L + P program compared to the reflections of teachers and experts in Project Based Learning. A study by Kio (2015) identifies the influence of students’ feedback on learning activities. It investigates how social media enhance students’ learning experiences through a connected feedback model provided by social media. A study by Miller and Olthouse (2013) analyzed the differences between gifted children’s offline and online feedback in a writing workshop. These three articles show that social media can be used as a learning instrument to develop students’ feedback literacy.

4.1.2.4. Social media and traditional instructional design

Two articles highlight the comparison between the use of social media and traditional instructional design ( Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ; Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ). This comparison consists of two aspects: examining the effectiveness of social media use and traditional instruction use in improving students’ vocabulary knowledge ( Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ) and identifying the critical thinking of gifted students in administering online peer feedback within a writing workshop for talented writers ( Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ). The articles strive to identify the influences of using social media on students’ learning development compared to the traditional design.

4.2. Assessment in social media learning

A closer look at social media use in learning, assessment, and teaching reveals that various assessments have been used in different contexts. This section thoroughly analyses various social media used for assessment, the type of assessment used, and the outcome measured in the studies. The results below answer our Research Question 2: What and how have social media been used for assessment?

As evidenced in Table 3 , various social media platforms have been identified, including Facebook ( n  = 7), WhatsApp ( n  = 3), Twitter ( n  = 1), Line ( n  = 1), Edmodo ( n  = 1), SeeSaw ( n  = 1), Ning ( n  = 1), ZhiLiao ( n  = 1), StoryBird.Com and KidsBlog ( n  = 1), and Designing for Learning and Portfolio or D4L + P ( n  = 1). These platforms are used to implement four assessment strategies.

Social media used for assessment.

4.2.1. Peer feedback

Peer feedback is the most common assessment strategy implemented using social media. Students engage and interact with their peers’ work posted on social media. They engage in peer feedback through reading, reviewing, and commenting on their peers’ work ( Vikneswaran and Krish, 2016 ; Lai et al., 2020 ). Kio (2015) cites that using social media to elicit and provide peer feedback has benefits regarding the timeliness of the feedback received by students. In addition, students can benefit from various feedbacks received as the interactions and conversations are not limited to two individuals. However, the large number of feedback received by individual students may be overwhelming, and thus, Casey (2013) proposes an approach by assigning three peers to provide feedback to individual students. Some studies use rubrics as guidelines for peer feedback. Yuk and Yunus (2021) used the Peer-Modo rubric for the content, format, and organization, and mechanics and grammar feedback. Wuttisela et al. (2016) used rubrics to assess content and student effort in completing their work.

4.2.2. Teacher feedback

In teacher feedback, there are two general approaches used. First, immediate teacher feedback is used when students publish their works on social media. Teachers provide immediate feedback upon reading and commenting on students’ posted work. This process is seen to achieve timeliness of feedback where students can immediately reflect on feedback and act on it to revise their work ( Kio, 2015 ; Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ; Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ). In addition to commenting on students’ work, some teachers utilize this feedback approach to remind students of the deadline for uploading projects and assignments ( Nuray, 2019 ). The feedback also serves as a mechanism for teacher to strengthen students’ understanding on the learning topic since learning does not take place in a real time context/distance learning ( Herwin et al., 2021 ). The feedback is also viewed as a support system for students which facilitate them to reflect, analyze, and judge their own ideas when completing their assigned tasks ( Bezerra et al., 2021 ).

Other articles report a more purposeful feedback mechanism. Using rubrics helps teachers and students improve clarity on the feedback process and content, which benefits students to improve their work further. Wuttisela et al. (2016) and Liu and Ko (2020) illustrate how teachers use rubrics in assessing students’ work and providing detailed feedback based on criteria and standards included in the rubrics. Meanwhile, Vikneswaran and Krish (2016) use a checklist to analyze the students’ writing posted on the Facebook wall. This checklist helps to ensure a more consistent and reliable assessment of and feedback on students’ work.

4.2.3. Pre-test and post-test

Four articles employed social media to administer the pre/post-tests. Mukhlif and Challob (2021) and Huang et al. (2014) used Facebook to administer the pre-test and post-test. The former administered the pre-test by posting mini dialogues with omitted letters. The treatment period included weeks 2–11, and the post-test was given in the form of a crossword problem in week 12. The latter study utilized Facebook to engage students in discussing scientific news as a pre-test and post-test, which were administered before and after the intervention.

A study by Yuk and Yunus (2021) used Edmodo to administer the pre-test by providing an overview of the essay’s key points and supporting arguments to the student in the experiment group. All group respondents reviewed the outline as peer feedback. The students then composed their initial draft based on these comments, which was regarded as the post-test. Meanwhile, Espinoza-Celi and Pintado (2020) administered the pre-test and post-test consisting of vocabulary and grammar derived from the students’ textbooks via Twitter. Both tests were delivered to determine their initial English proficiency in writing. Another post-test was also used to examine students’ knowledge retention, where students were asked questionnaires 3 weeks after the intervention.

4.2.4. Self-assessment

One article demonstrates the use of social media for self-assessment. The study of Yu et al. (2020) , conducted on junior high school graduates, included students monitoring their learning using the self-evaluation checklist embedded in the platform and self-regulation through their completed learning and assessment activities.

4.3. Issues in using social media for assessment purposes

Three emerging issues have been identified when using social media for assessment purposes: workload issues, students’ inappropriate use of social media, and low student feedback literacy. These issues answer Research Question 3: What are the issues with using social media in assessment?

Apart from its benefits, five articles highlight emerging issues related to administering assessments through social media.

4.3.1. Workload issues

Due to its affordances for synchronous and asynchronous engagement, teachers reported receiving messages even at unreasonable hours. They describe spending more time responding to students’ enquiries and providing feedback on their work ( Nuray, 2019 ). The affordances of social media for flexibility blur the distinction between work and personal life. In addition, teachers report allocating extra hours to monitor students’ engagement in assessment to check possible student outputs, particularly if the outputs are publicly available ( Nuray, 2019 ). They are forced to check students’ responses to assessment activities for language errors for fear of being criticized publicly ( De Barros et al., 2017 ).

4.3.2. Students’ inappropriate use of social media

One study raises an issue related to inappropriate language when responding to and commenting on other students’ work. In a student discussion using the WhatsApp platform, Nuray (2019) reports that some students used inappropriate and offensive language in an educational environment. Also, students tend to share unrelated and inappropriate materials embedded in their responses or feedback on social media. In both scenarios, teachers need to moderate the discussions among students. Since feedback from students is not always positive, teachers need to ensure that they thoroughly moderate peer feedback as soon as students post them ( Kio, 2015 ).

4.3.3. Insufficient feedback literacy for students

Two articles highlight the problem with students’ feedback literacy, which is the ability of the students to give feedback to their peers or to reflect and act on teacher feedback to improve their work. A study by Annamalai and Jaganathan (2017) shows that proper feedback provision would benefit students to deliver more insightful feedback to their peers’ writing. It would also leverage students’ capacity to become self-critical when performing their writing works.

Meanwhile, a study by Miller and Olthouse (2013) discusses some emerging issues with student feedback. First, vague comments on students’ feedback. Students’ opinions were frequently expressed in social media content without a clear conception of their thoughts. This attitude is known as “informal lingo,” where students provide vague comments that do not provide specific insights to help their peers improve their output. Second, informal language is used in giving feedback instead of formal language. Students assume an informal linguistic function within this social media use. Rather than replying within the formal confines of the online writing space, students write as if they were texting the writer or making a Facebook comment. In addition, there are students who are reluctant to engage in peer feedback. The reluctance to publish anything too detailed may be due to the social view that criticizing a piece of writing has a bad connotation and might influence social relations with their classmates.

4.4. Recommendations from the Studies

Two main recommendations emerge from previous studies to provide a better learning and assessment experience: students’ readiness to learn on social media and teachers’ preparation to learn on social media.

4.4.1. Students’ readiness to use social media in assessment

A study by Miller and Olthouse (2013) recommends some critical aspects of developing student readiness. Foremost, teachers must act as role models on how students should administer good feedback that promotes students’ critical thinking. Social support for students using technology in learning is essential for effective assessment processes. A supportive learning experience will help students understand that providing constructive feedback is not always praising and identifying their peers’ strengths. Instead, it is about exercising critical thinking skills to identify areas that can further be improved and, if possible, suggest strategies to improve. In addition to those challenges, two studies highlight the importance of providing explicit training to students before engaging them in peer feedback ( Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ; Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ). This will address the purposes, content, process, and outcomes of engaging students in assessment.

4.4.2. Teachers’ preparation to learn on social media

Two studies mention the importance of preparing teachers to administer assessment on social media. A study by Liu and Ko (2020) argues that teachers should be prepared to incorporate social media into their assessment practices. Teachers also need to be aware that students’ use of social media requires close supervision and immediate feedback. In addition, a study by Vikneswaran and Krish (2016) reinforces the argument that teachers need to explore new ways of assessing students’ learning using social media. It is inevitable that social media use for learning purposes has increased, so teachers should break away from the traditional method and embrace the contemporary methods to accommodate the needs of today’s generation of students.

5. Discussion

Our study provides an initial step to understanding how social media for assessment purposes has been researched and reported in the literature and identifies future directions for practice and research. There are noteworthy findings that emerged in this paper.

Foremost, there is emerging evidence that social media can be used as alternative platforms for assessment purposes. Outcomes published are mostly positive ranging from providing timely and effective feedback (e.g., Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ; Nuray, 2019 ; Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ; Liu and Ko, 2020 ; Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ), monitoring student progress and providing support to those who need assistance ( Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020 ; Liu & Ko, 2020 ), increased student outcomes ( De Barros et al., 2017 ; Lai et al., 2020 ; Yuk and Yunus, 2021 ), and improving teachers’ practices through the reflection of their experience ( De Barros et al., 2017 ). The outcomes reported by the 17 studies provide preliminary evidence that social media can serve as alternative platforms for implementing various assessment strategies. Despite methodological differences among studies investigating the use of social media for assessment purposes, positive outcomes have been reported. Eliciting and giving feedback using social media has a positive impact on improving student learning ( Kio, 2015 ; Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ; Mukhlif and Challob, 2021 ). The immediate feedback received by students enables them to revise their work, which is consistent with the principle of effective feedback practices where timeliness is critical for supporting student learning ( Hattie and Timperley, 2007 ; Black and Wiliam, 2018 ). Positive outcomes are also found in administering peer assessment using social media ( Casey, 2013 ; Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ; Yuk and Yunus, 2021 ). Individual students benefit from the feedback provided by their peers. The same evidence is seen in face-to-face peer assessment activities where students’ engagement in identifying some areas needing improvement and analyzing their classmate’s work and identifying some areas needing improvement improve their learning ( Hovardas et al., 2014 ). Students who receive peer feedback can use it to revise their work while those who give feedback benefit from understanding how their classmates interpret the assessment, which can provide them another lens to review their work ( Kaufman and Schunn, 2011 ). Moreover, self-assessment is also successfully implemented using social media. Although the study of Yu et al. (2020) is limited only to using a checklist to engage students in self-assessment, it has demonstrated that this process increases student-regulation. The intersection between self-assessment and self-regulation was shown by Yan et al. (2020) , although they used diaries to engage students in self-assessment.

There are three major issues on the use of social media for assessment purposes, including teacher working, inappropriate use of technology and student engagement and feedback literacy. Firstly, the workload implications of using social media. Due to the accessibility and affordances of social media for immediate feedback ( Alenezi and Brinthaupt, 2022 ), teachers spend more time reading students’ work and providing feedback ( Nuray, 2019 ). Teacher workload in assessment has been an ongoing issue especially when providing individual feedback for many classes ( Carless and Winstone, 2020 ), but there is extra pressure in an online platform because it is publicly available. Teachers take extra time to correct students’ work for fear that the output of students will reflect the effectiveness of their teaching ( De Barros et al., 2017 ). Secondly, there is a tendency for students to use inappropriate language when responding to and commenting on their peer’s work ( Nuray, 2019 ). Addressing this concern requires enhancing students’ digital literacy to become responsible users of social media to support their learning without the risk of engaging in inappropriate behavior online ( Gleason and Sam von, 2018 ). Thirdly, the effectiveness of using social media for assessment purposes depends largely on students’ effective engagement in assessment ( Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ; Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ). This means that students should have a certain level of assessment knowledge and skills, known as assessment literacy ( Hannigan et al., 2022 ), to understand the purpose and aim of assessment, and the processes required to optimize the impact of their engagement in assessment on their learning. In our findings, students’ ability to engage in peer assessment is limited by their insufficient feedback literacy. There are students who provide vague comments that are not aligned to the learning outcomes and criteria, which the recipient finds difficult to act on ( Miller and Olthouse, 2013 ).

Apart from the outcomes and issues reported, there are significant gaps we have identified. With only 17 relevant articles extracted from three databases, this number indicates that research on the use of social media for assessment purposes is very limited. Among those studies, 66% were conducted in Asian countries, with only one study from countries like the United States, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Turkey. The limited number of studies highlights one apparent gap in the literature in terms of the adoption of social media for assessment purposes. We cannot make any assumptions relating to the preferential use of social media or issues that make them less popular for assessment purposes. In addition, it is difficult to make inferences about the contextual differences in using social media for assessment purposes, even though there is a range of evidence for the context-based nature of assessment ( Taylor, 2013 ; Alonzo et al., 2021 ). Notably, 35.39% of the studies synthesized focus on language learning, and thus limit the insights of the utility of social media in other key learning areas. The use of social media in other key learning areas is worthwhile exploring because the effectiveness of assessment requires adaptation for each key learning area ( Scarino, 2017 ). What is evident at this stage is that critical enquiries about the intersections of assessment and social media are limited only to exploring if they can be used as alternative platforms.

Moreover, in 52.94% of the studies, the use of social media for assessment purposes is tacked on to the pedagogical use of assessment. This approach is consistent with the true nature of the intersections of assessment, learning, and teaching, where assessment is the central feature of learning and teaching ( Broadfoot et al., 1999 ). Investigation of assessment within a broader pedagogical model is ideal because it highlights how assessment is used to inform learning and teaching activities ( Black and Wiliam, 2018 ). However, in the studies mentioned above, the link between assessment, learning and teaching and their intersections with the use of social media are not explicitly discussed. In most articles (76.47%), assessment is not clearly positioned as driving the learning and teaching activities. The disconnect between assessment and pedagogy is one of the major criticisms in assessment ( Baird et al., 2017 ). For research involving the pedagogical functions of assessment, the findings must clearly demonstrate how assessment and assessment data inform pedagogical approaches, such that learning, and teaching activities are modified to adequately address the learning needs of the students ( Alonzo, 2016 , 2020 ).

In addition, research on the use of social media for assessment is fragmented. There is a distinct gap in the literature regarding the effective use of social media for assessment purposes. The studies analyzed in this paper did not explicitly investigate the intersections between assessment and social media. At this stage of research, what has been reported is the outcomes of using social media and the gains in student outcomes. We need broader investigations of the direct and indirect effects of using social media for assessment on teacher pedagogical approaches and student learning, engagement, and outcomes. Additional investigations should critically explore what factors influence teachers and students to use social media for assessment purposes. The question of whether factors of convenience or affordances influence the use of specific social media remains inconclusive.

Even more so, the number of social media reports for assessment purposes is limited. Only nine social media have been reported, with Facebook being the most popular (e.g., Huang et al., 2014 ; Annamalai and Jaganathan, 2017 ; De Barros et al., 2017 ). This limited number of research presents an enormous opportunity as most of the students and teachers are using or have access to social media. Exploring other social media platforms for assessment purposes may highlight two important issues: What should be the affordances of social media to become effective assessment platforms and are social media perceived by teachers and students to be just for social networking?

Subsequently, another significant gap is the investigation of teachers’ and students’ dispositions in using social media for assessment purposes. It is well documented that a person’s beliefs and perceptions influence their actual action ( Fives and Buehl, 2016 ; Beswick and Alonzo, 2022 ); hence, this critical enquiry area is notably important to contribute to the theorisation of using social media for assessment purposes. The interplay between teachers’ and students’ dispositions, knowledge and skills will provide insights into social media adoption in the assessment context. This gap in the literature is directly related to the issue raised above on the perception of teachers and students on the function of social media.

Finally, the discussion around ensuring the integrity of assessment implemented using social media is lacking in the literature. Issues related to trustworthiness ( Alonzo, 2020 ), ethical practice and cheating ( Sadler, 2009 ) in online assessments continue to raise validity concerns.

6. Conclusion

Our study aimed to investigate the extant literature on how social media are used for assessment purposes. Our review of the literature using the PRISMA methodology extracted 17 articles from three databases. Our findings indicate emerging evidence that social media can be used as alternative platforms to implement assessment strategies. There are reported positive outcomes, including providing timely and effective feedback, monitoring student progress and providing support to those who need assistance, increasing student outcomes, and improving teachers’ practices. There are also issues that hinder the effectiveness of social media for implementing assessment. These include increased teacher workload, the need for constraint moderation of students’ peer feedback, particularly if they are publicly available, and students’ feedback literacy. We need more studies to better understand the intersections of social media, assessment and learning to develop a strong theorisation.

Like many studies, we acnowledge some limitations to our research. The combination of our keywords might have limited our search. For future studies, the social media keyword can be further expounded to include all other emerging social media platforms. Also, we excluded gray literature, book chapters, reports, and books. These publications might have other critical information about using social media for the implementation of assessment. Furthermore, we did not include studies from the higher education context. It would be worthwhile to explore how higher education uses social media for assessment purposes.

Author contributions

DA conceptualized the paper, identified the key insights, searched the literature, performed coding and analysis, wrote the draft, and monitored the progress of the team. CO conceptualized the paper, searched the literature, performed coding and analysis, and wrote the draft. WW performed coding and analysis and wrote the draft. CH edited and proofread the paper and wrote the conclusion section. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

We would like to acknowledge the financial support under the 2021 Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (ADA Research Fellow Scheme).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare 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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15 Reasons Teachers Say Social Media Isn’t All Bad for Students

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Social media is the bane of many educators’ existence.

The platforms distract students from paying attention in class, make it harder for kids to communicate in-person, keep teens feeling isolated, and hurt students’ overall self-confidence, educators say.

But many teachers and school and district leaders do see some positive impact from the apps and platforms that they otherwise disdain.

One big bright spot: social media gives students a chance to pick up knowledge or delve into topics that they aren’t learning about in school. Thirty percent of educators surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center in December and January identified that learning opportunity as a positive outcome of social media use.

“Social media is a place where young people do engage in some self-directed and informal learning,” said Jeff Carpenter, a professor of education at Elon University who studies social media in education, who is also a former high school teacher. “And I think [for] teachers, there’s interest in encouraging students not just to learn within the confines of the school building, not just to learn about the things that teachers tell them they have to learn about, but to realize that you can learn outside of the school context, you can learn [about] topics that aren’t assigned to you. Follow your passions. Explore things.”

Nearly another quarter of educators surveyed said their students have been able to go deeper into topics they are learning about in school through social media, developed positive friendships, improved their creative skills, or received recognition or praise for their accomplishments.

Another quarter of educators surveyed said they couldn’t think of a single positive development arising from students’ social media use. The nationally representative survey of 595 educators was conducted from Dec. 21, 2023 to Jan. 2, 2024.

While Stefanie McKoy, a special education teacher at Branson Middle School in Missouri, understands why some teachers find social media nothing but problematic, her own perspective is more nuanced.

“Social media is a way for students to connect to the world,” said McKoy, who also works as a lecturer at University of Arkansas and studied social media platforms while pursuing her doctorate . “It gives students power, and a sense of choice. … I think what draws students to social media is that they’re like, ‘Oh, hey, you know, I can purposely look at this,’ or, ‘Hey, there’s another student that looks like me, but maybe they’re at a different school.’ And I think that that’s really great.”

Still, McKoy thinks students need help in navigating social media platforms safely and with a critical eye.

“I think that we have to do a better job at preparing our students for social media use,” she said. “And we as educators haven’t necessarily caught up to that yet.”

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Essay on Social Media for School Students and Children

500+ words essay on social media.

Social media is a tool that is becoming quite popular these days because of its user-friendly features. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more are giving people a chance to connect with each other across distances. In other words, the whole world is at our fingertips all thanks to social media. The youth is especially one of the most dominant users of social media. All this makes you wonder that something so powerful and with such a massive reach cannot be all good. Like how there are always two sides to a coin, the same goes for social media. Subsequently, different people have different opinions on this debatable topic. So, in this essay on Social Media, we will see the advantages and disadvantages of social media.

Advantages of Social Media

When we look at the positive aspect of social media, we find numerous advantages. The most important being a great device for education . All the information one requires is just a click away. Students can educate themselves on various topics using social media.

Moreover, live lectures are now possible because of social media. You can attend a lecture happening in America while sitting in India.

Furthermore, as more and more people are distancing themselves from newspapers, they are depending on social media for news. You are always updated on the latest happenings of the world through it. A person becomes more socially aware of the issues of the world.

In addition, it strengthens bonds with your loved ones. Distance is not a barrier anymore because of social media. For instance, you can easily communicate with your friends and relatives overseas.

Most importantly, it also provides a great platform for young budding artists to showcase their talent for free. You can get great opportunities for employment through social media too.

Another advantage definitely benefits companies who wish to promote their brands. Social media has become a hub for advertising and offers you great opportunities for connecting with the customer.

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

Disadvantages of Social Media

Despite having such unique advantages, social media is considered to be one of the most harmful elements of society. If the use of social media is not monitored, it can lead to grave consequences.

Thus, the sharing on social media especially by children must be monitored at all times. Next up is the addition of social media which is quite common amongst the youth.

This addiction hampers with the academic performance of a student as they waste their time on social media instead of studying. Social media also creates communal rifts. Fake news is spread with the use of it, which poisons the mind of peace-loving citizens.

In short, surely social media has both advantages and disadvantages. But, it all depends on the user at the end. The youth must particularly create a balance between their academic performances, physical activities, and social media. Excess use of anything is harmful and the same thing applies to social media. Therefore, we must strive to live a satisfying life with the right balance.

FAQs on Social Media

Q.1 Is social media beneficial? If yes, then how?

A.1 Social media is quite beneficial. Social Media offers information, news, educational material, a platform for talented youth and brands.

Q.2 What is a disadvantage of Social Media?

A.2 Social media invades your privacy. It makes you addicted and causes health problems. It also results in cyberbullying and scams as well as communal hatred.

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