Mapping the Conversation Essay. Effects of Social Media on the Reading Patterns of College Students in the United States

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Effects of Social Media on the Reading Patterns of College Students in the United States
Background
To many people, social media networking is a relatively recent concept. Its usage, however, dates back to so long ago as the 1970s. While the earlier technologies allowed communication and exchange of ideas and satisfied the criteria for being regarded as social media, they have been overshadowed by the easy access, creativity, efficiency and speed of their more modern counterparts including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, YouTube and Whatsapp. These qualities have endeared them to the younger generation who claims a huge part of their usage. In them they see an opportunity to create and develop friendships as well as share their emotions, ideas and cultural artifacts (Ito et al 113). With many of the college students in the United States falling in the young age bracket, the impact of social media on their learning activities, main among them reading habits, is so immense that it has raised the concerns of the involved authorities. According to the stakeholder in question, different perceptions and arguments have been borne.
Introduction
It’s an era in which computer technology rules many of the activities mankind undertakes. Such advents as Internet of Things (IoT) – which promises to connect different objects in achievement of a single objective – are evidence of the extent to which technology have penetrated human life. Nevertheless, one of the biggest impacts of technology on the way people run their lives is social media networking. A huge debate concentrated on the effects of social media platforms on different aspects of living, chief among them reading habits, has inevitably risen. Since reading claims a huge part of fulfillment of responsibilities and requirements for college students, much of the debate has been concerned on the impact of social media on the reading patterns of students. Exploiting the Statis Theory, this paper attempts to bring the discussion on the effects of social media on the United States college students reading habits on the table. It will include the perceptions and arguments of the various stakeholders involved in the issue. They include college students, social media companies, the government, academic institutions and parents.
Parental Concerns
Many parents worry that their children are spending more time on technological devices such as televisions, computers, tablets and phones than they do on their books. They argue that much of the time on social media is spent for entertainment purposes rather than increasing the breadth of knowledge and information. The main concern is that students on social media platforms are either chatting, messaging or viewing videos and graphics while studying, a habit that eventually leads to distraction and lower grades (Rosen, Carrier and Cheever 948-958). Further, social media have the power to grab the reader’s attention during an attempt to multitask. The concentration of students who watch television or use social media platforms while reading for academic purposes is greatly affected ( Mokhtari, Delello and Reichard 164-180). In the end, little chance is given to the books and other materials that would have brought real benefits to the student’s learning process and molding of personal character through reading. In other words, the more time on social media, the less time spent on books and the less valuable a person becomes to the family and the community. Social media, however, has proved to be a precious tool in passing of important information among students. People, for example, going through a similar course can now easily share and compare notes as well as enlighten each other on how to handle challenges and tasks related to their learning activities. Students get to fulfill the twenty first century competency requirements – which include critical thinking, creativity, information literacy and collaboration – through social media participation. While the same can be derived from book reading but online means are more affordable and offer such chances as creation of videos and blogs (Barron et al 6). In the end, only the student can determine how to use the time on social media for maximum social and academic gain.
Academic Institutions and Social Media
Reading is primarily an activity that calls for real effort in understanding and acquiring of knowledge. In addition, the participant does not necessarily have to be aware of the exertion involved. This means that reading is a natural activity. Academic institutions, however, are concerned that social media comes in the way of the unconscious learning obtained through reading. In addition, time spent on social media affects other tasks – including reading – undertaken by students (Mokhtari, Reichard and Gardner 609-619). Since a huge part of social media networks is aimed at entertaining and bringing people together with aim of strengthening the social bond, little room is left for the mind to absorb education material that would be beneficial to the student. In the end, the chance for allowing the mind develop to such heights as to enable enrichment of intellectual abilities and come up with insights into human problems is likely to be sacrificed for short-lived fun and entertainment. In addition such social media tools as Instant Messaging have been proved to negatively affect concentration. Put in another way, they replace the student’s interest in reading and thus performance of the reading task (Fox, Rosen and Crawford 51-53).This is in spite of the fact that social media networks can be effectively used for transfer and sharing of learning materials to and among students. On the other hand, there is the argument that social media, as a platform for learning, enables participants to be more relaxed, responsive and involved in the education process. Computer technology has, in fact, been used by class instructors to provide tutorials and practice in the past although its use in collaboration, communication and problem-solving is only recent (Mohammed 198). Additionally, some students are more comfo...