Technology is evolving from time to time. The world is changing due to the advancement in science and technology. These days it seems hard to escape the presence of technology. Most people will praise many technological gadgets they use in their everyday lives. Many of us depend on it to get us through the day. To do our jobs, to get around and to do certain things.
The effect of technology on our day-to-day activities cannot be overemphasized. Technology revolves around all our social activities including our working activities. It has a considerable effect that it has mesmerized some people to the extent that they can’t do without it. The social media has been well grounded that it has become so popular. The social media is one of the technological gadgets−Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp−that is commonly used on specific mobile phones and computers.
Since smarts phone became popular, many social media platforms were launched, however, WhatsApp and Facebook has become more popular than others. WhatsApp and Facebook particularly has captured the heart of most people, generally the youth. It can be said that few or no youth have access to it. Users can then invite more contact or go ahead and start sending messages to other users.
The social media was purposely created to make communication and the distribution of multimedia messaging easier and faster. WhatsApp messenger particularly was created by Brian Acton and Jan koum in 2009 to promote effective and easy communication and Facebook created by Mike Zukerberg also to connect people together and to aid easy communication.
Social media generally is to create a platform where learning and getting information will be more easier for the people. Social media was created to aid easy learning whereby the student will easily search educational topics and access it the way they like.
According to Albert Einstein, he said, “A time would come when technology will surpass human interaction and the world would have a generation of idiot.” Despite the perceived and considerable effect that social media has achieved, most students still misuse the opportunity and fail to avail themselves of the opportunity.
A research conducted has shown that the social media has a positive and negative effect on the students. Most students are advantageously affected and the reverse is the case to others. The considerable high level of social media usage among the student is inevitable. As found out the perspective of student on the effect of social media on student performance is stated below.
Fatimah Lawal, a 200 level student of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko said, “I personally use the social media for my advantage, I use WhatsApp to gather information, but I seldom login in to Facebook because it is time consuming.” She explained further by saying, she spends little of her time on WhatsApp and the remaining on study because she knows her determination.
“The WhatsApp and Facebook is created for the advantage of the students, this is an avenue to access more on our study, but most students allow it to be an hindrance to their study,” Faforiji Tadese Obaloluwa of History department added. He advised that the students should refrain from the disadvantages OF social media.
Aladeselu Samson of the same institution added, “I do Facebook and WhatsApp but I don’t allow that to encumber my study, I rarely spend two hours on the platforms.” He advises the students to avoid being disturbed by the social media platforms.
According to one of the lecturers of mass communication department “Social media is good, it speed up communication, it is a potential news source where we can easily gather news, and it is accessible to everyone inasmuch you have a browsing phone. The arrival of social media, which is an offshoot to a new age media has brought in easier communication; we can easily communicate through the platform.
However, some students due to their laziness and carelessness allow it to sway away their attention and get distracted by it.” He said further that he uses the social media especially WhatsApp to interact with friends, colleagues and that using Facebook has made him gotten connected back to old friends. He also emphasized that spiritual messages are passed through the media. He advises generally that the students should not be engrossed with social media so as not to distract their attention from study.
Author
Adedokun Boluwatife an undergraduate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba akoko is A writer, a campus journalist. she’s passionate concerned about influencing the world positively with the power of pen.