1

BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF
PROFESSIONALS
A Long Report on

“Effects Of Social Media On Academics”

Prepared by
Faizha Nazifa Rodoshi 2123011013
Rubaiyat Samad-2123011015
Sindeed Sinan Hasan - 2123011023
Jareen Binte Hasnat - 2123011045
Masafi Hasan Abanti - 2123011051
Khandker Navid Reza - 2123011065
Raiyan Sanjana - 2123011119
Ashik Ullah Saad - 2123011125
MD. Mashukur Rahman - 2123011139

Supervised by

Ashik Abdullah

Lecturer

Department of Business Administration General

Faculty of Business Studies (FBS)

Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)

Date of Submission: 24 May 2022

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Letter of Transmittal

9 April 2022

Ashik Abdullah

Lecturer

Department of Business Administration General

Faculty of Business Studies (FBS)

Bangladesh University of Professionals

Subject: Submission of long report on effects of social media on academics.

Dear Sir,

We are hereby submitting our term paper, which is part of the BBA Program
curriculum at BUP. This report is titled “Effects Of Social Media On Academics”.

It has been a fantastic learning opportunity to study in Bangladesh University of

Professionals in the Business Administration General Department under the
supervision, guidance, and direction of Ashik Abdullah, Lecturer, BUP.

This Business Communication course has allowed us to learn the procedures of

communicating professionally. First of all, we learned about the ways of writing
business letters, short reports, and long reports. Secondly, it has also given us a good
understanding of the etiquette and things we should keep in mind while communicating
and gaining marketing acumen which will be helpful for our careers. I shall remain
indebted to you if you are considerate enough to receive this report and provide your
valuable observation.

Sincerely Yours

…………………………………….

Faizha Nazifa Rodoshi 2123011013

Rubaiyat Samad-2123011015
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Sindeed Sinan Hasan - 2123011023

Jareen Binte Hasnat - 2123011045
Masafi Hasan Abanti - 2123011051
Khandker Navid Reza - 2123011065
Raiyan Sanjana - 2123011119
Ashik Ullah Saad - 2123011125
MD. Mashukur Rahman - 2123011139

Section: A, Session: 2020-2021

BBA General

Bangladesh University of Profession

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Acknowledgments

We want to express our gratitude to Allah, the Almighty, for providing us with excellent
health and long life. We wouldn't be able to work on our project or finish our task without it.
We would

I would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude to Lecturer Ashik Abdullah, Department of
Business Administration, Faculty of Business Studies (FBS), our course instructor, for all of
his guidance. It would be impossible to complete the job without his assistance.

We're also grateful to our fellow classmates from both sections of BBA 12 and our seniors
from BBA 11, who helped us conduct a survey on how social media affects academics in
such a short period of time.

Lastly, we would like to express our gratitude to our parents and peers, who supported us
significantly throughout the endeavour.
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Table of Contents

Glossary 11

Chapter 1 - Introduction 15

1.1 Background 15

1.2 Purpose 15

1.3 Data Collection 16

1.4 Scope 17

Chapter 2 - Overview 18

2.1 Overview 18

2.2 How is Social Media Useful for Students? 18

2.3 What are the Drawbacks of Social Media for Students? 19

Chapter 3 - Discussion on the Findings 19

3.1 The Survey 19

3.2 Data Analysis 21

Chapter 4: Positive Effect Of Social Media on Academics 31

Chapter 5: Negative Effect of Social Media on Academics: 36
Chapter 6: How Can Social Media Help Students with Their Study? 42

Chapter 7 - Conclusion 45

7.1 Conclusion 45

7.2 Recommendations 46

References 49

Appendix 50
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List of Illustrations and Figures

Fig1: Concept of Primary and Secondary Data

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Executive Summary

This report aims to evaluate the impact of social media on our academics. The idea is to
establish a direct relationship between the use of social media sites and the academic
performance of students, thus a survey was conducted online to collect the necessary data and
has been used as the primary source of information in writing this report. Out of one hundred
and seventy-four emails sent, one hundred and sixty-one responses were retrieved,
representing 92.50%.

The study reveals that the majority of the respondents have benefited from using social media
sites as their educational tools. Apart from conducting a survey, some credible websites with
reliable information were also looked into to form an unbiased thesis.

After analysing the findings it was established that a majority of the respondents think that
social media sites assist students’ in increasing their creative abilities and improving their
academic achievements. The study further confirms that a good number of the respondents
believe social media sites are a major source of distraction, causing students to lose attention
when studying and reducing their capacity to learn and research. However, this survey is not
to be taken as a hundred percent accurate since it revolves only around the students of
Bangladesh University of Professionals, with a sample size of only 161 respondents. Thus
making it highly vulnerable to being misinterpreted and potentially biased towards one
demographic only. But since the outcome is mostly positive, it is safe to say that the findings
of this report can be used to develop an effective strategy for boosting students' academic
achievement by enhancing their use of social media sites.
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Abstract

The aim of this report is to recognise the effect of social media on academics. For this
purpose we conducted a survey online and from 161 responses, data showed that the effects
are largely positive. Our lives are increasingly mediated by social media, a phenomenon that
has made its way into all sectors, with academics being one of the largest. Data showed that
social networking was helpful for communication, and information gathering, and that it
positively influenced their academic work. However, students also reported that social
networking had a negative impact on their social interactions, emotional health and work
completion, with younger participants reporting greater negative effects of social networking
on work completion. Students also reported that social networking can be addictive,
distractive, and a threat to their privacy. The survey results show that the positives far
outweigh the negatives and we have discussed both prospects with statistics in our report. We
have also shown the various platforms students use and the ways they are benefitted from
these. Educational implications and future directions for research are also discussed.
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Glossary

● Anxiety: apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or

anticipated ill
● Applications: a program (such as a word processor or a spreadsheet) that performs a
particular task or set of tasks
● Blog: a website that contains online personal reflections, comments, and often
hyperlinks, videos, and photographs provided by the writer
● Cyber: of, relating to, or involving computers or computer networks (such as the
Internet)
● Cyberbullying: the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person
(such as a student) often done anonymously
● Data: information in digital form that can be transmitted or processed
● Depression: a state of feeling sad
● Distraction: something that distracts: an object that directs one's attention away from
something else
● Distractors: one that distracts
● Drawbacks of Social Media for Students: The negative effects experienced by a
student by using social media
● Dropbox: A cloud-based digital data storage application.
● Effect Of Social Media On Academics: Refers to the impact social media has on the
academics of students.
● Emails: Digital version of mails.
● Expectations: the act or state of expecting : ANTICIPATION
● Facebook: A social media platform, recognised as the largest one in the world,
currently under the parent company called Meta.
● Google: The largest search engine of the world, also a company that generates tech
products.
● Google Classroom: Google’s solution to conducting, sharing and assessing students
via an online platform.
● Google Docs: Google’s version of Microsoft Words: A text editing engine.
● Google Drive: Google’s cloud-based digital storage application.
● Google Hangouts: Currently defunct, but formerly, Google’s attempt to having a
social media or IM service.
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● Hashtag: a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the
accompanying text (such as a tweet)
● Https: hypertext transfer protocol-secured
● Information: the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence
● Influencers: one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of
others
● Instagram: A photo-sharing based social media platform by Meta. Considered as one
of the largest social media platforms of the world.
● Internet: an electronic communications network that connects computer networks
and organizational computer facilities around the world
● Lethargy: abnormal drowsiness
● LinkedIn: A social media platform meant for professionals. Used by professionals to
share their experience, network with various individuals and find jobs.
● Media: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression
● Online Learning: Academics and learning that is derived from the internet.
● Periscope: An American live video streaming app for Android and iOS developed by
Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein and acquired by Twitter, Inc
● Photoshop: A software by Adobe, under the Adobe Creative Suites. Used to edit
photographs.
● Pi: the letter π, used as the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its
diameter.
● Pinterest: Pinterest is an image sharing and social media service designed to enable
saving and discovery of information on the internet using images, and on a smaller
scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboards.
● Playlists: a list of recorded songs or pieces of music chosen to be broadcast on a radio
show or by a particular radio station.
● Post-COVID: The period from which the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic had
started to subside- to the point where worldly operations began to pace with how it
was before the pandemic.
● PowerPoint: a software package designed to create electronic presentations
consisting of a series of separate pages or slides.
● Questionnaire: a set of printed or written questions with a choice of answers, devised
for the purposes of a survey or statistical study.
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● Reddit: Reddit is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated
and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words "I
read it."
● Scope: the extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with or to which it
is relevant.
● Skype: have a spoken conversation with (someone) over the internet using the
software application Skype, typically also viewing by webcam.
● Smartphone: a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer,
typically having a touchscreen interface, internet access, and an operating system
capable of running downloaded
● SnapChat: Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send and receive
"self-destructing" photos and videos. Photos and videos taken with the app are called
snaps.
● Statistics: the practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large
quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in
a representative sample.
● Students: a person who is studying at a university or other place of higher academics.
● Submission: the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or
authority of another person.
● Subreddits: A subreddit is a specific online community, and the posts associated with
it, on the social media website Reddit. Subreddits are dedicated to a particular topic
that people write about, and they're denoted by /r/, followed by the subreddit's name,
e.g., /r/gaming.
● Survey: investigate the opinions or experience of (a group of people) by asking them
questions.
● Techtarget: TechTarget is an American company which offers data-driven marketing
services to business-to-business technology vendors. It uses purchase intent data
gleaned from the readership of its 140 + technology focused web sites to help tech
vendors reach buyers actively researching relevant IT products and services.
● Texting: the action or practice of sending text messages.
● Tumblr: Tumblr is a blogging and social media tool that allows users to publish a
"tumblelog", or short blog posts.
● Tweets: a post made on the social media application Twitter.
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● Twitter: Twitter, Inc. is an American communications company based in San

Francisco, California. The company operates the microblogging and social
networking service.
● Wall Street Journal: The Wall Street Journal is an American business-focused,
international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also
available in Chinese and Japanese
● Website: a set of related web pages located under a single domain name, typically
produced by a single person or organization.
● WhatsApp: WhatsApp Messenger, or simply WhatsApp, is an internationally
available American freeware, cross-platform centralized instant messaging and
voice-over-IP service owned by Meta Platforms.
● Wikipedia: Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that anyone can edit
● WWW: World Wide Web
● YouTube: YouTube is an American online video sharing and social media platform
headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by
Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. Owned by Google, it is the second most
visited website, right after Google itself
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Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.1 Background

Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication,
community-based input, interaction, content-sharing, and collaboration (Lutkevich, B.,2021)
. Some of the social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. The first social
media was called, six degrees, which was created in 1997 and allowed the users to upload
profiles.
Since its beginnings, social media has evolved to be an essential part of everyday life,
influencing almost every aspect. For example, around 2.93 billion people use Facebook every
day to stay in touch with others or for various purposes.
The emergence of social media was possible because of the internet. According to Wikipedia,
the internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the internet
protocol suite to communicate between networks and services. Along with bringing many
other advantages, the internet has helped the academics sector vastly, especially due to social
media.
Social media sites and platforms help the students get the latest information as well as share it
through various groups or by connecting them with different individuals. A positive side of
social media platforms is that they are interactive, so students can ask a direct query and get
answers from their peers. However, these platforms do have negative aspects as well.
Students tend to spend more time on social media other than for educational purposes. This
leads to distraction. Moreover, excessive use of these platforms has an adverse effect on
mental health. (Kolhar, M., Kazi, R. N. A., & Alameen, A.,2021)

1.2 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to inspect the impact of social media on our academics. In this
day and age, social media has become a tool for educational purposes, enjoyment, and a way
of networking, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. Living in this post-COVID world,
every one of us is experiencing the usage of these internet-based social media sites like
Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, and WhatsApp and the use of these is more than we did before
the outbreak. Our experience of using these social media sites for educational purposes has
given us the opportunities to easily communicate or share information quickly, research our
topics, solve our problems, connect to our peers, and so on. In this study, our main ambition
is to determine whether social media has a helpful or adverse impact on academics.
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1.3 Data Collection

This report applies two types of data-
● Primary Data
● Secondary Data

Primary Data: To get some information, we carried out a survey online. The result of the
survey shows that most of the students are benefited from using social media sites as their
educational tools. After analyzing the result of the survey, we started to work on our real-life
experience to get further more information regarding the impact of social media on
educational life.

Secondary Data: To get more firm information to make our research more accurate, we went
through some of the official and legitimate websites that provide accurate information. From
our research, we came to know that social media sites help us to improve our creative
element, boost our academic performances and motivate us to learn. But unfortunately, it has
its unfavourable sides too. According to our research, social media sites cause a serious
distraction, lose concentration from studying, and reduce learning and research capability.
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1.4 Scope

As social media is becoming more influential and being used by students day by day, it is
essential to understand the extent to which these platforms are helping in the field of
academics. Therefore, the objective of this report was to have an idea of the impact of social
media platforms on academics by doing online surveys. The survey was aimed at students of
Bangladesh University of Professionals in order to find out their opinions on how social
media helped them in their studies. However, this report is not to be taken as hundred percent
accurate due to some limitations. For example, the sample point is approximately 100 people,
therefore the answers may not be sufficient. Moreover, we have assumed that all of the
answers are submitted seriously. That may not be the case.
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Chapter 2 - Overview

2.1 Overview
According to wiki, social media is a computer-based technology that allows people to share
ideas, thoughts, and information by forming virtual communities and networks. Social media
is Internet-based by design, allowing people to share content electronically quickly. Personal
information, documents, films, and images are all examples of content. Users interact with
social media using web-based software or applications on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

In this modern era of science and technology, the use of social media has become a fairly
common occurrence. People mostly use social media sites for communication and to share
their opinions, thoughts, facts, and success stories. Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Instagram,
Linked In, Twitter, and WhatsApp are among the most popular and frequently used social
media platforms. Around the world, 3.8 billion people utilize social networking websites on a
regular basis. According to 2021 Statistics, Facebook has 2.79 billion monthly active users,
followed by YouTube (2.29 billion) and WhatsApp (2 billion). Teenagers and teens over the
world have embraced these sites as a means of virtual connection with their pals. It is used in
a variety of ways by students of various levels. Among all types of students, university
students are the most active users of social networking sites. Students are now using social
media platforms to communicate with their teachers for academic cooperation, access course
materials, customize their accounts, and form student groups in order to get any information
faster than before. Furthermore, educational institutions use social media to communicate
with students and alumni, as well as to disseminate academic information. Furthermore,
because students spend so much of their time on social networking sites, their academic
achievement and career growth are heavily reliant on them. As a result, it is clear that social
networking sites are important in the educational field.

Students frequently use social networking sites and applications. They spend a significant
amount of time on these sites on a daily basis. According to studies, university students use
social networking the most among the various age groups of students. improve student
learning results.

2.2 How is Social Media Useful for Students?

● Social media brings individuals from all around the world together.
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● Academics is more accessible to all pupils because of social media.

● Keeping in touch with family and friends is straightforward and easy, regardless of
location.
● Social media platforms make it much easier for young people to express their unique
talents.
● By having various sources at their fingertips, social media allows young people to
acquire a more balanced view of current events.
● Job opportunities are more readily available, both on social media and in other fields.

2.3 What are the Drawbacks of Social Media for Students?

● Social media can help you save time on your study.

● Through social media, "ideal life/body" images can contribute to low self-esteem
among young people.
● Bullying has shifted online, making it more difficult to detect and address.
● Anxiety and sadness in teenagers are on the rise. There are strong ties to social media
being partially responsible.
● Young people may lack the maturity to turn off social media, resulting in sleep loss.
● A genuine effect of social media is a decrease in physical activity. Even "hanging out"
with pals is now done primarily through social media.

Chapter 3 - Discussion on the Findings

3.1 The Survey

We’ve conducted a survey on people’s take on the effects of social media on academics. In
this study, a quantitative approach was taken by using a questionnaire distribution. We asked
students about their perspectives on the use of social media and how it helps them learn; we
also asked them how many hours they spend on social media each day and which social
network they think is the best for improving the educational process. There were 10
statements in the questionnaire following with options –

● Strongly disagree
● Disagree
● Neutral
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● Agree
● Strongly agree

After the distribution of the questionnaire, 161 people responded. When respondents were
asked whether they have mobile phones of their own or not, out of the total 161 respondents,
98% responded in the affirmative whilst 2% responded in the negative on the same issue. A
further follow-up question was asked to know whether the respondents had knowledge of
social media sites. And out of the 161 respondents, all of them responded in the affirmative.
As we’ve got to know that most of them has their own phone and knows about social media
sites, we asked them some questions regarding their take on the effects of social media. The
aim of the survey is to find the verity of the following statements-

Q1: Social Media plays an important role in improving student's academic performance

Q2: A huge chunk of our social media usage is spent on information seeking

Q3: Social Media makes it easier for us to communicate with our teachers and peers

Q4: We use social media for interaction, networking, and Social Well Being

Q5: Usage of Social Media affects our academic work positively

Q6: Social media helps to make our group projects easier

Q7: Having a social network access, especially during the social distancing times, was really
important for students

Q8: We tend to lose our concentration from studying because of notifications

Q9: We tend to submit our work late because we were wasting our time on social media

Q10: Hours spent online can never be compared to the number of hours we spend reading
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3.2 Data Analysis

Q1 - “Social Media plays an important role in improving student's academic

performance”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 5%

Disagree 7.5%

Neutral 8.1%

Agree 9.3%

Strongly agree 70.2%

We took a group of people’s opinion on if social media plays an important role in improving
student’s academic performance. Here, from the pie chart we can see that almost all of them
agree with it. This study demonstrates how social media can help accelerate the creation of
online learning environments by stimulating cooperation, group discussion, and the sharing
of ideas among students, all of which encourage students' learning behavior and performance.
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Q 2 - “A huge chunk of our social media usage is spent on information seeking”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 3.7%

Disagree 5.6%

Neutral 7.5%

Agree 62.1%

Strongly agree 21.1%

We took the group’s opinion on if a huge chunk of our social media usage is spent on
information seeking. Here, we can see that most of the people agrees. But among them most
of them could not strongly agree with this. According to this study, most social media
platforms are used by college students not only for social connections or pleasure but also for
academic information searching. We may presume that the majority of students use social
media platforms for knowledge searching, with Wikis (e.g., Wikipedia) being the most
popular. In the academic setting, obtaining high-quality information is critical since it can
have a major impact on a student's academic achievement.
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“Social Media makes it easier for us to communicate with our teachers and peers”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 1.9%

Disagree 2.5%

Neutral 7.5%

Agree 17.4%

Strongly agree 70.8%

We took the group’s opinion on if social media makes it easier for us to communicate with
our teachers and peers. Here we can see that most of the people strongly agree with this. In
terms of the impact of teacher-student communication via social media on the
teaching-learning process, the improvement of teacher-student communication and
teacher-student relationships stands out as a deeper understanding of another person on a
personal level and the breaking down of barriers between teachers and students. Similarly,
enhanced academic motivation, academic performance, student dedication and involvement
in a pleasant classroom environment, student satisfaction with the teacher-student connection,
and student resilience are all linked to teacher-student contact on social media.
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“We use social media for interaction, networking, and Social Well Being”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 2.5%

Disagree 2.5%

Neutral 6.2%

Agree 18%

Strongly agree 70.8%

We took the group’s opinion on if we use social media for interaction, networking and social
well being or not. Here, from the pie chart we can see that almost all of them agrees with it.
Both conventional opinion and academic research in the early days of the Internet saw online
communication as a health hazard. Later study has complicated the picture, providing
contradictory information concerning how users are affected by technology-mediated
communication. When users are habituated to forming genuine social relationships, social
networking sites benefit them; when they are not, they hinder them by introducing problems
like isolation and social comparison. This technique can explain a lot of the benefits and
drawbacks of utilizing social networking sites that have been proven in previous studies, as
well as the necessity for future research on specific online habits.
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“Usage of Social Media affects our academic work positively”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 3.7%

Disagree 8.7%

Neutral 9.3%

Agree 59%

Strongly agree 19.3%

We took the group’s opinion on if the usage of social media affects our academic work
positively or not. Here, we can see that there are very few people who strongly agree with
this. But still, most of the respondents’ agree with it. Enhancing relationships, strengthening
learning motivation, providing personalized course material, and building collaborative
abilities are primary benefits of social media use by students in higher academics. Another
important effect of social media is that it improves student academic performance and
knowledge by collecting data and information. When students are given projects at school,
they use a variety of online resources to gather knowledge and find answers to their
problems.
 26

“Social media helps to make our group projects easier”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 1.9%

Disagree 1.9%

Neutral 4.3%

Agree 26.7%

Strongly agree 65.2%

We took the group’s opinion on if social media helps to make our group projects easier or not.
And we can see that 65.2% people strongly agrees with it which is even more than half of the
respondents. Social media helps you manage group projects by linking everyone on your
team and making it easier for them to communicate with one another, as well as sharing vital
information like deadlines, important files, and progress updates. Because social media sites
like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are primarily used for public sharing and corporate
promotion, they don't seem to make sense for collaborative work. However, social media
includes much more than that: any platform that allows users to create and share information,
as well as communicate and network with one another, is considered a social media platform.
 27

“Having a social network access, especially during the social distancing times, was really
important for students”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 3.1%

Disagree 2.5%

Neutral 6.8%

Agree 16.8%

Strongly agree 70.8%

We took the group’s opinion on if Having a social network access, especially during the
social distancing times, was really important for students or not. We got out answer in the
affirmative and can see that almost all of them strongly agrees with this. Most schools were
closed and examinations were postponed at the time of the pandemic. Teachers worked hard
to guarantee that students did not lose out on their academics by using social networking sites
like Google Classroom, Zoom, and Skype to create virtual classrooms.
 28

“We tend to lose our concentration from studying because of notifications”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 1.9%

Disagree 3.1%

Neutral 8.7%

Agree 70.8%

Strongly agree 15.5%

We took the group’s opinion on if we tend to lose our concentration from studying because of
notifications or not. And we can see that, almost all of them agrees with this. While studying,
it's easy to get distracted and check social media. And out of the 161 respondents almost 139
respondents agree with this.
 29

“We tend to submit our work late because we were wasting our time on social media”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 2.5%

Disagree 3.1%

Neutral 14.3%

Agree 67.1%

Strongly agree 13%

We took the group’s opinion on if they tend to submit their work late because they’re wasting
their time on social media. We can see that most of them agrees with this. Distraction is a
problem since humans have a limited capacity to process information. As a result, social
media distractions should be avoided in order to complete specified activities successfully.
Task-irrelevant stimuli interrupt goal-directed behavior, causing distractions. When people
wish to focus on a task that requires their full attention to achieve a certain goal, such
distractions should be ignored. When writing a report or conversing with someone, for
example, social media cues as irrelevant distractors in that situation distract by diverting
attention away from the actual job.
 30

“Hours spent online can never be compared to the number of hours we spend reading”

Options Percentages

Strongly disagree 1.2%

Disagree 3.1%

Neutral 11.8%

Agree 65.8%

Strongly agree 18%

We took the group’s opinion on if hours spent online can ever be compared to the number of
hours we spend reading. We can see that most of the respondents’ agreed with this. Teenagers
in the 2010s spent more time online and less time with traditional media like books,
magazines, and television than prior generations. Reading, on the other hand, had dropped
due to the rise of e-books and digital devices. Reading books and magazines on electronic
devices such as tablets is quite convenient. We no longer need to go to the mailbox or the
bookstore; simply download the magazine issue or book and begin reading. Despite this,
reading has dropped dramatically. Even television and movie viewing time has decreased,
though not as much. The number of teenagers who attend the movies has recently decreased,
with the rise of streaming sites being blamed.
 31

Chapter 4: Positive Effect Of Social Media On Academics

In academics, social networking sites play a critical role. Students can link with learning
groups and other educational systems to better their learning and gain access to the most
up-to-date information. Students can also share information by forming connections with
diverse people. This has the potential to improve student learning results. From elementary
school to university graduation, social media plays an important role in empowering parents,
students, and teachers to share knowledge and develop communities in new ways. According
to statistics, 96% of students with internet access use at least one social networking site.
What's more remarkable is that, while some students use social media for entertainment and
other purposes, a large number of them utilise it to promote a variety of constructive and
beneficial activities. Everything is conceivable, from getting a summer internship to sharing a
success story about how to win the student loan struggle to collaborating on multinational
projects. When it comes to social media, schools have varying perspectives. When it comes
to sharing information or organising school tasks, they are widely regarded as beneficial. At
the same time, social networking is being blamed for kids' lack of concentration in class.
However, there is a growing trend of students using social media in school. Why not do it
during school hours as well, given kids already spend so much time on social media and
communicating with others outside of school hours?

The impact of social media on academics is becoming a driving factor in today's environment
of connected learning. The world is shrinking, and the way we learn is changing as a result of
advances in technology such as social media. If used correctly, social media and academics
can complement one another. Students have access to new educational opportunities because
of social media. Students' social lives have become increasingly reliant on social media. In
many institutions, it is now recognized as a learning platform that improves student
involvement and capacities. These platforms allow schoolchildren to interact, communicate,
and obtain knowledge and research. Social media is the most powerful form of
communication, allowing individuals to communicate from all over the world. One of the
driving causes behind these varying prospects and how social media is affecting academics is
its adoption in daily life.
 32

There really is no doubt that everything has changed since social networks and social media
entered our lives. Starting with how we interact, engage, organize events, and even how
frequently we go out.

The advantages of social media in academics do not have to be limited to the teacher-student
connection. There are numerous other advantages of using social networking at a higher
level. Principals or administrators, for example, can develop a novel approach to include
social media. Such as publishing school news on social media, hosting an online meeting
with parents, or even initiating a fundraising campaign for various initiatives. And, because
we live in such a fast-paced world, social media can easily become the only means of
connection. Parents are usually too preoccupied with work to attend school meetings. But it
doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware of upcoming events or be able to check in on their
children from time to time. Communication is important in every profession, and if it can be
done effortlessly with the help of social media, why not use it? It may not yet be a criterion,
but queries like "Does this school have a Facebook page?" may soon become as significant as
the questions that parents are asking now. For example, how well-equipped the library is, or
what elective classes their child can participate in.

1. Connect with peers:

Through social media, students are more connected than ever before, especially during these
trying times when they are physically separated from their families, friends, and peers.

2. Motivate Online Learning:

Students are motivated and encouraged to learn when social media platforms are used in the
classroom. YouTube educational videos, simple access to e-books, online notes, and learning
through video chats are all important parts of educational progress. Distance learning, made
possible by social media, is one of the best ways to study from reputable organizations while
being in any location. Students' creative abilities are boosted by using social media to learn
and then perform what they have learned.

3. Improve Creative Element:

 33

When a student begins to take images and use internet editing abilities to make them
aesthetically appealing, his or her hidden gift is typically revealed. Many students have
unique interests that they document with films and photographs, which allows them to see
their potential as a career.

4. Boost Academic Performance:

Another important effect of social media is that it improves student academic performance
and knowledge by collecting data and information. When students are given tasks in school,
they use a variety of online resources to gather knowledge and find solutions to their
problems. In addition to the benefits of classroom learning that social media delivers through
sites like

5. Learning opportunities:

YouTube, social media also allows students to obtain material about mental health and
well-being, which can be difficult to do without stigma offline.

There really is no doubt that everything has changed since social networks and social media
entered our lives. Starting with how we interact, engage, organize events, and even how
frequently we go out.

The advantages of social media in academics do not have to be limited to the teacher-student
connection. There are numerous other advantages of using social networking at a higher
level. Principals or administrators, for example, can develop a novel approach to include
social media. Such as publishing school news on social media, hosting an online meeting
with parents, or even initiating a fundraising campaign for various initiatives. And, because
we live in such a fast-paced world, social media can easily become the only means of
connection. Parents are usually too preoccupied with work to attend school meetings. But it
doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware of upcoming events or be able to check in on their
children from time to time. Communication is important in every profession, and if it can be
done effortlessly with the help of social media, why not use it? It may not yet be a criterion,
 34

but queries like "Does this school have a Facebook page?" may soon become as significant as
the questions that parents are asking now. For example, how well-equipped the library is, or
what elective classes their child can participate in.

6. Makes it easy for Students to get instant access to reliable information:

Instead of traveling to the library, you can save time and find the information you need by
using Google. Furthermore, when material is not available in the library, Internet resources
are extremely useful. Sample papers as well as helpful suggestions on how to complete
assignments correctly can be found online.

7. Helps to improve writing skills:

Many pupils are unable to write essays and other academic papers because they lack the
necessary abilities. Starting a blog is the most effective strategy to handle this problem.
Freewriting encourages kids to practice on a regular basis without fear of being judged
harshly.

8. Helps to become an expert in the use of innovative technologies:

It is no secret that if you are unfamiliar with computer technologies, it is nearly impossible to
find a solid job nowadays. When students use social media to communicate, they develop a
better understanding of modern devices and the fundamental skills needed to construct
portfolios.

9. It helps to build Relationship:

Social media networks allow students to get to know one another better. It assists in bringing
together two or more people so that they can share their problem and get it solved by their
 35

peers. If a student discovers that he or she is experiencing difficulty in a specific course, he or

she can communicate with a genius via chat and receive assistance.

10. Students can leverage social media to promote their civic engagement:

Young people should use their enthusiasm for social media to foster learning, creativity, and
civic participation. Young people are connected to a world of ideas and opportunities through
social media. Students can utilize these resources to conduct research, communicate with
professionals, and ask questions. Young people can use these tools to express themselves,
share their work, and receive comments and support. Active citizenship is promoted through
social media.

11. Students can meet mentors to help guide their career goals:

Students can use social media to dip their toes into networking – albeit digitally. Responding
to Tweets and commenting on others' LinkedIn posts can help them create rapport and
relationships in their field of study.

While in school or university, most people do not network in person. It usually starts in the
first few years of a person's profession. People can now gain their first foot on the job ladder
while still in school, putting them one step ahead of their peers.

12. Students can use technology to form study groups:

When it comes to information, social media can be good to children and teenagers. For
example, when children participate in group chats and join online study groups to share
information and assist one another. This is particularly useful when children are away from
school because they can obtain information from classmates who were present that day. If
there were a lot of notes sent that day, a nice buddy can simply take a picture of the notes and
send it to the absent friend.
 36

Chapter 5: Negative Effect of Social Media on Academics:

While social media has numerous advantages, such as allowing kids to express themselves
artistically, providing learning opportunities, and allowing them to interact with others, it can
also have a harmful physical and mental impact on students. It's easy to become addicted to
social media, and studies suggest that kids who spend too much time on it experience poor
sleep, eye fatigue, bad body image, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, and other issues.

Students who use technology on a regular basis, especially social networking sites,
experience increased stomach aches, as well as sleeping issues, anxiety, and sadness. In
addition to many other psychiatric illnesses, such as numerous antisocial behaviors and
aggressive tendencies, such students show higher narcissistic tendencies.

Overuse of these social networking sites on a daily basis has a significant impact on all
students' health, making them more prone to future health problems. This is where
classmates, instructors, and parents may help by educating children on what they are missing
out on by spending too much time on these sites.

In order to find answers, students have grown to rely on the accessibility of information
available on social media platforms in particular, as well as the internet in general. This
means that there is less emphasis on learning and remembering knowledge.

Furthermore, students are attempting multitasking. While studying, they try to check various
social media sites. As a result, academic performance suffers. Furthermore, the distraction
provided by all of these social networking sites dramatically reduces their capacity to focus
on the task at hand.

Students also spend too much time on social media sites and far less time socializing in
person. In fact, in the case of social networking sites, there is a dearth of nonverbal indicators
such as tone and intonation. As a result, they cannot be used to replace face-to-face
conversation. Furthermore, students who spend a significant amount of time on social
networking sites are unable to effectively converse in person.
 37

Because information is broadcast quickly, these social media sites have grown in popularity
in such a short time. This has resulted in a casual attitude toward good spelling and language.
In fact, without the use of a computer's spell check capability, the kids are unable to write
efficiently.

Because of the anonymity provided by the Internet, many students have forgotten that they
must filter any material that they submit. In fact, many institutions and potential companies
look into an applicant's social networking pages before granting an acceptance or an
interview. Many students, on the other hand, do not continually evaluate the stuff they upload
online. All of this could have significant effects later in their lives.

1. Causes Distraction:

Social media platforms are a big component that is beginning to cause mental distress and
obstruction. Students nowadays tend to lose focus while studying and instead prefer to spend
time on social media. As beneficial as social media can be for learning. Because there is so
much noise and distraction on social media, it can have a negative impact on children and
even teachers. When using social media to learn, unwanted posts may appear on the app,
distracting the user from their primary goal. Examples of such distractions include
pornographic images and videos, uncultured music or movies, and even unsolicited ads that
may redirect the student or teacher to a completely different website, causing a complete
distraction from learning. All of this amounts to a waste of time that yields no results.
Because they are more focused on using social media sites, students are frequently unable to
submit their work within the stipulated time range.

2. Reduces Learning and Research Capability:

With the widespread usage of social media, students are increasingly relying on such
platforms to obtain information and knowledge rather than searching for it in books, journals,
or notes. Students' reading habits, as well as their learning and research skills, are
deteriorating as a result of the ease with which data may be obtained online.
 38

3. Impact on Health:

Adoption of social media sites with a careless attitude might have mental and bodily
consequences. Students do not eat on time, do not get enough sleep, and are always on their
phones or laptops, which can be harmful to their eyes. Students become sluggish and
unmotivated to study or even go out and meet new people as a result of such acts. It is
recommended that parents and schools keep an eye on what their children are doing on the
internet. Students may be subjected to incorrect posture, eye strain, and physical and
emotional stress as a result of excessive usage of social media.

4. Poor sleep, eye fatigue, and physical inactivity:

We've all had the experience of telling ourselves we'll just check our notifications and then
finding ourselves scrolling aimlessly for hours. When we use electronics towards sleep, the
blue light from our smartphones confuses our bodies into believing it's still bright outside,
disrupting our natural rhythms. When we look at electronics, we also blink less, which, when
combined with blue light, can cause eye tiredness and strain.

5. Anxiety and despair are exacerbated:

Do you spend a significant amount of time on social media each day? Spending too much
time on social networking sites can have a negative impact on your mood. Chronic social
users are more likely to experience poor mental health, including anxiety and depression
symptoms.

It takes little thought to find out why. You can see the carefully selected greatest portions of
everyone else's lives on social media, which you can then compare to the terrible aspects of
your own life. Comparing oneself to others is a surefire way to anxiety and depression, and
social media has made it a lot simpler to do.
 39

According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook has been examining the impact of Instagram
on its younger users and has discovered some troubling data. The whole study of PowerPoint
decks is available in Facebook's newsroom. Most users wished Instagram "had given them
better control over what they viewed and allowed them to connect with people who had had a
similar experience," according to their findings.

"One-third of teen girls blame Instagram for exacerbating their body image problems and
inappropriate social media use." "Instagram makes problematic use worse," according to
users, "followed by social comparison, body image, FOMO (fear of missing out), sleep
troubles, SSI, and anxiety."

6. Cyberbullying:

Bullying used to be something that could only be done face to face before social media.
People can now bully others online, whether anonymously or not. Everyone nowadays
understands what cyberbullying is and has witnessed what it can do to a person.

While social media makes it easy to meet new people and establish friends, it also makes it
simpler for cruel people to tear others down with little effort. Bullies might take advantage of
the anonymity provided by social media to earn people's trust before terrorizing them in front
of their peers. For example, they might make a bogus profile and befriend a classmate, only
to betray and shame them online later.

These cyber-attacks frequently leave severe psychological scars and, in some circumstances,
cause people to harm themselves or commit suicide. Cyberbullying isn't just a problem for
kids, as it turns out. Adults can also be abused online. You can wind up becoming a jerk on
social media because screens obscure our faces.

7. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out):

 40

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a phenomenon that emerged at the same time as social media
became popular. It's not unexpected that it's one of the most common unfavorable social
media consequences.

FOMO is exactly what it sounds like: anxiety caused by a fear of missing out on a wonderful
event that someone else is having. For example, you might spend the entire day checking
your messages to see if anyone has invited you out, or you might spend the entire day
checking your Instagram feed to ensure that no one is doing anything cool without you. You
may also see images of something exciting that your friends were able to do and feel left out
because you were unable to attend due to another commitment.

8. It can affect the student’s communication skills:

Some students may be able to use the casual social media language in their academic work.
Words like "the" and "you" may be abbreviated as "d" and "u" respectively. This makes it
difficult for them to learn proper spelling and grammar communication in real life. They may
even begin to incorporate the informal methods of texting and chatting into their daily talks,
compromising their general communication abilities.

9. It can become addictive:

When a person becomes addicted to something, they are unable to live without it. This can be
extremely harmful to any youngster who learns entirely through social media. Some kids may
fail to pay attention in class because they know they can always turn to social media for
information, which can be hazardous because they would be unable to function without it.
This addiction can have a negative impact on a student's self-esteem and confidence since
they can easily replace real-world interactions with their professors and peers with the usage
of a social media app, which can prevent them from developing the confidence to relate well
with people in real life.

10. Inability to become an independent learner:

 41

This is one of the most significant disadvantages of social media in academics because
students do not have to work alone when using social media because they may collaborate in
groups and even start group chats. As a result, some students may choose to remain in the
background and not actively participate in group work. Because group work might cause
some students to become lethargic and unwilling to tackle things on their own, it can prevent
them from working on their own particular ideas and views.

11. Lowers Self-esteem Among Students:

Women's magazines have long been blamed for instilling low self-esteem in young women
through their usage of underweight and Photoshopped models. But, thanks to its filters,
lighting, and smart angles, social media is becoming the major preoccupation of several
lobbying groups and charities.

According to a survey of 1,500 people conducted by disability charity Scope, social media
platforms make more than half of users feel inadequate, and half of 18- to 34-year-olds say
they feel unattractive.

12. Unrealistic Expectations:

As most people are probably aware, social media forms unrealistic expectations of life and
friendships in our minds.

Most social media sites have a severe lack of online authenticity. People use Snapchat to
share their exciting adventures, post about how much they love their significant other on
Facebook, and load up their Instagram page with heavily staged photos. But in reality, you
have no way of knowing whether this is all a farce. While it looks great on the surface, that
person could be in massive debt, on bad terms with their significant other, and just desperate
for Instagram likes as a form of validation. One simple way out of this mess is for everyone
to quit lying on social media. But in the era of Instagram influencers and YouTubers who earn
millions from being inauthentic, that isn't going to happen anytime soon.
 42

Everyone should stop lying on social media as a simple way out of this situation. That isn't
going to happen anytime soon in the age of Instagram influencers and YouTubers who make
millions by being fake.

13. Unhealthy Sleeping Patterns Among Students:

Aside from increased anxiety and sadness, another disadvantage of social media is that
spending too much time on it might result in poor sleep. Increased use of social media has
been demonstrated in numerous studies to have a negative impact on sleep quality.

Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media if you notice that your sleep habits
have become erratic, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

This is especially true if you're using your phone in bed. It's all too easy to convince yourself
you'll check your Facebook notifications in five minutes, only to realize an hour later that
you've been idly reading through some Twitter crap you don't care about.
 43

Chapter 6: How Can Social Media Help Students with Their Study?

Social media, when used correctly, can make studying more collaborative and efficient.
Given how used many students are to social media and technology, incorporating their use
into the classroom is more natural than before.

Each social media site has a variety of applications in the classroom, ranging from sharing
announcements to live lectures and much more.

For starters, social media allows students, instructors, and parents to check in and ask or
answer questions in a more fluid and direct manner.

More e-learning options are also available thanks to social media. As distant jobs and online
classes become more common, teaching students how to operate from a distance is a crucial
lesson to learn, and social media can assist.

Before adopting social media in academics, it's crucial to understand its impact, but we're
confident that it will help kids grow in technology.

More e-learning options are also available thanks to social media. As distant jobs and online
classes become more common, teaching students how to operate from a distance is a crucial
lesson to learn, and social media can assist.

Before adopting social media in academics, it's crucial to understand its impact, but we're
confident that it will help kids grow in technology.
 44

1. Create a community:

Many students are frequently confronted with the same learning topic or course assignment.
Social media can help to consolidate an entire class's collective knowledge, making studying
and communication more efficient for everyone.

● Create a hashtag for your course or study group.

● To cooperate and share study ideas, create a contact list or group for the class.
● Invite instructors who utilize social media to join discussions or follow the group
conversation.

2. Continue the Conversation:

Starting a collaborative study network to tap into the collective intelligence can save time and
effort for everyone.

● Have someone stream or record the lecture on Periscope, Skype, or SnapChat

to make up for missed courses or lectures.
● To make group study sessions easier, use Google Hangouts.
● Follow or become a fan of the writers behind the books you're reading in class.

3. Organize learning resources:

Social media techniques can aid in the organization and accessibility of course materials.

● Use collection-building platforms like Pinterest or Tumblr to save, curate, and share
resources.
 45

● Use Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox to collect study materials if they aren't already
available online.
● For group work, have students use content providers like Google Docs; it will make
staying organized and sharing notes much easier.

4. Supplement Course Materials:

Additional content to reinforce or enhance basic instruction can be found using social media.

● For supplementary learning on the most difficult topics, look for YouTube videos and
playlists.
● Follow existing hashtags for certain topics.
● Send your classmates video notes, questions, or reminders.

Chapter 7 - Conclusion

7.1 Conclusion
From our survey, it is pretty evident that social media does have a positive impact on
academics.

In most cases, the responders have responded positively with “agree” and “strongly agree”
making up the bulk of the cases of the questions related to affecting academics positively.

However, in many cases, people have also pointed out that social media might be the reason
why they lose focus in studying.

This can, of course, be largely attributed to the fact that a significantly large number of the
students surveyed are good students that are engaged in academics.

Hence from the responders, we can conclude that social media sites do positively impact
one’s academics.
 46

However, a large problem of this report is that it has a very small sample size of around 161
respondents. This is further troubled by the fact that this was done by BUP students, most of
whom are very meritorious students.

In just the sphere of Bangladesh itself, a 161-sample size of meritorious students is more of a
case data that is highly prone to be misinterpreted and potentially, but unintentionally,
cherry-picked.

In order to draw inferences based on the principles of inferential statistics, one must have a
wide range of respondents from various places with various academic results in this context.

If this survey were to be replicated by a different group using a different sample population,
then the statistical results could’ve been very different.

But overall, our results hold as positive outcomes.

7.2 Recommendations

The study, if used in an implementation should be used in a much broader sense.

Firstly, even if we were to just study Bangladesh, it has a huge population. Facebook alone
has over 44.7 million users in Bangladesh, most of who are in the younger age group. This
makes a large part of this group composed of students.

The sample size, in this case, needs to be significantly larger than given to give a proper and
clearer picture of how it all plays out in actuality.

The sample must also be widely distributed among the population. Most of the people who
answered the questionnaire are from the best universities in Bangladesh. The student body of
Bangladesh isn’t just limited to that.

Contemporary research does show that social media may negatively affect one’s academics if
that person is a sample unit from the general population.
 47

The sample should also include students from all age groups. A person using social media in
seventh grade versus a master's student will have very different priorities in life and will thus
allocate the usage of such platforms for different purposes. So, the sample population
demographics should be well defined in this particular instance.

And such a study should be done over a long period of time to ensure that it has the proper
reach and doesn’t have any errors.

A person’s internal biases may also be considered in this particular case. Someone with a
clear unhealthy obsession with social media may also be in denial that they use it for good
even if using it for assignment, in the percentage of their time scales, only end up in single
digits in the overall usage amount.

This may be an issue but doesn’t show up in the results of the survey. It’s very hard to
quantify how big this problem of denial might be in the survey.

The type of social media is also a major issue in this case. Social media is an umbrella term
that has things like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc in them.

A person who uses Facebook may seldom use its pages and groups primarily for
academic-related content. However, if they’re very much into academics then the Facebook
algorithm will ensure that academics are what they see. But otherwise, it will mostly lead to
them spending most of their time scrolling through memes.

Sites like Reddit that aren’t that popular in Bangladesh are mainly a cluster of forums that
could be studied differently. These also tend to have subreddits dedicated to academics that
may help students immensely.

A person who primarily spends time on Instagram is unlikely to go through academic content
versus a person who spends their time on YouTube, a site that has saved the grades of
millions out there.
 48

Overall, it’s important to note that these differences might be slight but different entities will
have different impacts on different people. So, it’s important to take these into account before
going into any proper decisions regarding the outcomes of such studies and where they
should be implemented.
 49

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Kolhar, M., Kazi, R. N. A., & Alameen, A. (20220–08-23). Effect of social media use

on learning, social interactions, and sleep duration among university students.

Science Direct.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X21000103#b0225