Introduction
The capabilities and scope of information and communication technology have expanded dramatically during the past two decades. In particular, the Internet has emerged as a crucial facilitator of social and economic transformation, reshaping how citizens, businesses, and the government interact and presenting fresh approaches to solving development-related problems. It has also changed education by fostering a new culture of information access and learning.
Social media and the Internet are really big in this modern world. As of January 2023, there are 5.16 billion Internet users worldwide, representing 64.4% of the world’s population. (Petrosyan, 2023) They are now even used in schools and in education. But how do they affect education?
How do the internet and social media work in education?
Before the Internet, students had to wade through many books to get the information they needed, which was time-consuming (Singh, 2023).
Students no longer need to carry their books everywhere to study.
Using the internet in education, such as online education, has become more widespread in recent years due to the pandemic in 2020.
The Positive and Negative Effects of the Internet on education
Positive things
- Students can easily search the Internet for the relevant information they need.
- Students can do their work whenever they want, wherever they are.
- Students are more engaged in learning if they have access to media in the classroom.
Negative things
- Students may be disturbed by other social media. For example, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, etc.
- More time spent on social media can lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to age-inappropriate content.
(Dalomba, 2022)
Conclusion
The Internet and social media can have a positive impact on students and education with very innovative tools, and they present numerous opportunities to raise educational standards. New approaches to instruction and learning, improved access to a greater variety of data and resources, and new digital-age skills can all change people’s lives. However, there are also various risks involved, so we need to consider how we use it.
References
Dalomba, F. (2022). Pros and cons of social media. [online] Lifespan. Available at: https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/social-media-good-bad-and-ugly [Accessed 7 June 2023].
Petrosyan, A. (2023). Digital users worldwide 2020. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide [Accessed 7 June 2023].
Singh, R. (2023). Use of Internet Technology in Education [#5 is Awesome]. [online] Available at: https://techbaji.com/education/use-of-internet-technology-in-education/ [Accessed 7 June 2023]
