EFFECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING TO STUDENTS

Submitted by:

Ched Alcazaren Jessiel Toriaga Kristoffer Ray Duenas

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

Communication is the main reason why Social Networking Sites exist. On the contrary, no one can survive this world without the means of expressing themselves through communication with friends, family, relatives or even strangers. By all means, it is a connection allowing access between people and places. It can be through verbal or written like mail, text message, email, chat and social networking. Communication makes people aware and updated of what is happening around them, it is even made easier through the use of the internet. The internet has become a medium of communication around the globe. As the population grows and the cultures of men continue to evolve, it is imperative for the success of people to interrelate with one another. One of greatest advantages of the internet is social networking, which has become the biggest form of interrelation among people in todays generation. Social Networking are all the activities that are carried out by social networking sites that provide services, space and software tools. It allows people to create networks and enable them to construct a public profile within a bounded system. People can keep and develop friendships, be updated with the latest news and current trends, talk about the latest gossip online and even have a never ending group conversation with the significant persons in their lives. The use of social networking sites has been great help to a lot of people but it has also

been a great distraction for a lot of students. Most of the students are more likely to log in Social Networking Sites instead of doing their research projects and assignments. The use of SNS is indeed a great distraction to students academic performance, a lot of them fail their subjects and give very low performance in school due to lack of time management and not knowing what to put first in their priorities. Therefore, this study will tackle the advantages and disadvantages of social networking, its proper usage and impact to students. This will distinguish the effects of social networking to students in terms of performance in school and their social life. With this study, the proper approach of teachers and parents to the students engaged to social networking will also be identified. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This research paper aims to identify the factors that influence students to continue using Social Networking Sites (SNS). Particularly, the researchers will seek information to the following research questions: 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking to students? 2. Why is social networking addictive? 3. How can students manage their time between studies and internet distractions like social networking? 4. What are the parents perception pertaining to the social networking addiction of their offspring?

SCOPE AND LIMITATION The area of the researchers study will co ver up the grounds of The University of St. La Salle- Bacolod City. This study will focus on social networking in relation to students time management between school and social life. The period of this research will be covering the 1 st semester of A.Y. 2011-2012 of USLS. The specific objective of our study is to be able to know the advantages and disadvantages of social networking to students and parents. This study will not include investigation on sites other than the said topic. The researchers will be focusing more on social networking sites like Facebook, Bebo, Multiply, Myspace and Twitter. This research will only include interviews from students and parents of The University of St. La Salle. The researchers will also include users data like hobbies, interest and so on. All of these personal datas will be spontaneously provided by the user him/herself, with their permission to include their statements in this research paper. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study is significant to the following: STUDENTS. The students will be able to know their limitations when it comes to social networking activities. They will be aware of the factors that will affect their physical and mental health. This study will enable the students to cope

with their social networking addiction, which is one of the major issues that could distract them from their studies. PARENTS. With this study, the parents will be able to understand the causes and reasons why their children get addicted to social networking. They will be able to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the said topic. This study will help the parents to deal with their childrens addiction to social networking and encourage them to focus more on their studies. TEACHERS. The teachers will have a wider understanding about the factors that get the students addicted to social networking activities. They will be able to help the students by giving them advices on how to deal with social networking addiction. In some way, they will be able to get their students att ention to participate actively in class discussions. DEFINITION OF TERMS Distraction. The divided attention of an individual or group from the chosen object of attention onto the source of distraction. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention; lack of interest in the object of attention; or the great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of something other than the object of attention. (Young,Damon. (2011).DISTRACTION. Retrieved July 26,2011,en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distraction) Fatigue. Fatigue is the feeling of extreme tiredness or weakness that can make it difficult for you to perform ordinary tasks. Fatigue affects everyone

differently. You may feel very tired and all you want to do is sleep. ( Jason, L. (2001) What is fatigue? : History and Epidemiology, page2)

Health Hazard. This means a chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established scientific principles that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees. (Clever, L.H., The Fatigue Prescription: Four Steps to Renewing Your Energy, Health, and Life, New York: Viva Editions, 2010.) Internet. It is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission to get information from any other computer. (Barone,Danielle (2011).Computer Radiation-family health.Retrieved July 26, 2011 from www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49755.asp) Social Media. Any website or web service that utilizes a social or Web 2.0 philosophy allows end users to engage in multi-directional conversations in or around the content on the website in turn driving communication into an interactive dialogue. (Svetia, C. (2011). Social Media: Defined. Retrieved August 31,2011 from http://www.ismoip.com/blog/social-media-definition) Social Networking. This refers to all those activities that are carried out within specific online services that provide space and software tools that allow people to create networks. (Collier, A., & Magid, L., (2011). Myspace Unravelled: What is it and how to use it safely, Indianapolis: Pearson)

Social Networking Addiction. A feeling that being online is the only way to be noticed by the world at large. A strong anticipation to being logged onto their social network of choice and seeing what everyone in their network is doing. (Oswagwu, Nnamdi. (2009). The brief guide to social networking addiction. Retrieved July 26, 2011, from http://www.thefacebookaddiction.com/downloads/SNA_guide.pdf/) Social Networking Sites (SNS). These are web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system. (Boyd, D.M., & Ellison, N. (2007). One history of social networking sites. Retrieved July 26, 2011, from http://yasns.pbwiki.com/ ) Time Management. Is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity.( Pausch,Randy (2007). TIME MANAGEMENT. Retrieved July 26,2011 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-timemanagement.htm)

Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature

Students are linked to other people, their family, friends and schoolmates in what are called social networks. In its simplest form, a social network is a map made up of nodes representing individuals and the connections or ties between them. To begin, one has to register online in any Social Networking Sites. The next step is to search and add for friends. Once the request is approved, then the online connection begins. SNS can be very helpful in a lot of ways but it can also be harmful not just to an individual, but also to the people he/she is connected to. The use of Social Media is considered as a form of communication in a way that two or more parties can interact with each other. At this very moment, students all over the country are chatting, tweeting, skyping and so on. Communication has become easier through the use of the internet and social media in a way that anything can happen in just a matter of seconds. Students can send important documents, receive fast feedbacks, meet new friends and find partners. Social Media has not only mediated communication in countless ways, but that the very ways we communicateand even the ways we talk and think about communicationare changing as a result. (Smith, 2007). Social Networking Sites help students see connections that are hidden in the real world,

this makes them possible to link and interact with their friends friend and build up another new connection.

Individuals are using Twitter to share and find breaking news before it's available from sources like CNN, the New York Times, or the local news. It has become a go-to source in breaking stories around the world.(Ivie, 2010). Social Media can also have the potential to increase students awareness of the movements of their social contacts. Twitter, for instance, offers an at-a-glance update of things people we know happen to be doing. SNS can inform people what is currently happening around them. Students, especially teenagers doesnt want to be the last to know in anything, thats why they open their profiles frequently to know the latest trending topic. They will know quickly and easily what is happening to their friends, families and love ones by just checking their updates. Students can easily know whos having their birthdays, current news, latest trends or even discuss about the newest rumor in town. There are a lot of instances where as the use of twitter and other social media has been considered as learning material, a lot of teachers use it to answer their students questions in anytime of the day. With this, knowledge is not just earned in the four walls of a classroom but anywhere with help of social networking applications.

Communication with distant classmates, relatives and friends is shortened from weeks to minutes and can be instant, allowing people to maintain stronger ties to a wider group of people than ever before. (Smith, 2007). Students

use SNS to maintain their social capital. They use it to stay linked with people with whom they used to be more closely involve or find and make new friends. Social Networking reduces the distance between people and allows interactions to happen more quickly than they might otherwise.

Although Social Networking has it advantages, it has also some disadvantages. According to Raven(2009), It starts to become easy for people to take their eyes off the real ball: their work. People struggle with getting out of the conversations and content to get back to what theyre supposed to be doing. As unfortunate as it may seem, the use of social media has become a serious distraction from student's academic studies, in a way that instead of doing their projects or study for an examination, they are lure to have a conversation online with their friends. Social Media can also be a barrier for students to do well in school, instead of listening to their teachers; some of them are tweeting through their phones and tablets about random matters.

The use of SNS can be harmful to an individuals health, Mitchel (2010) says that Facebook, and social networks in general, could be a new source of psychological stress, representing a triggering factor for exacerbations in depressed asthmatic individuals. The daily usage of Social Networking Sites is strongly discouraged due to the fact that it could cause chronic heath effects, physically and mentally. Students who are socially active online, especially those who are already addicted to it, lose track of time easily. Eventually, these students

will get easily sick due to lack of sleep and stress, theyll have a poor eyesight because of too much usage, weak immune system due to the radiation that their body get from electronic devices and acquire other illness.

Primarily, cyber harassment occurs on the web through the use of a computer device, but today's smart phones are being used to harass people too. Teens who share their identities online are more vulnerable to cyberbullying. (Arie, 2007). Cyberbullying is one of the major risks of using social media, students can bully their classmates thru the use of SNS, this will be exposed not just to a few number of students but hundreds of them. In addition, many cyberbullies use the web to embolden their actions, as they can hide behind their monitor. There are a lot of instances where in as, students who are victims of cyberbullying commits suicide because they cant handle the moral damages cyberbullies have done to their life.

We are living in a society that has become dependent on online interactions (Theresa Waldrop). Children raised today are surrounded by technology in which, they inevitably, become independent to it. They use devices such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets for email, blogging, facebook, twitter and even online gaming. Believe it or not, diaries and private stuffs in their rooms are long gone. Fifteen years ago, parents, especially mothers usually have debates whether or not to look on their diaries. Now, with the diary being replaced by status updates, tweets, blogs and messages, the debate is still there.

Parents are usually protective of their children, they have the urge to know a lot of things and events happening around their offspring.

W ith the bad that there is on the internet, such as online predators, we need to do everything we can to protect our children (Theresa Waldrop).

There are lots of resources in the internet suggesting that parents should have their childrens cellphone and on line passwords and to check their activity very often. However, theses approach may make the child feel less likely being protected and more on the you dont trust me issue. Other websites

suggest friending the child on social networking websites such as facebook and tweeter in order for the parents to check on their activities. But then, sites like those made it easy for children to block contents from their parents which will defeat the purpose of monitoring them.

Parents

being

protective

have

their

unconscious

way

of

embarrassing their children with their posts, or even commenting on their childrens conversations they have with their friends. And in so many ways, social networking sites have become a hang out and parent presence is not always welcome. With this, it is recommended for parents to talk privately with their child f they find inappropriate topics on their social networking pages.

Some parents are in a way hesitant to visit social networking sites but they shouldnt. Instead of parents being wary of social networking sites, they should instead take advantage of them to learn more about who their kids are talking to-and also use them to learn more about their kids (Dr. Megan Moreno). Children right now are not that close to their parents, if there are any, there are only a few of them. Children, however, post their interests, hobbies, and personal thoughts in their profiles wherein parents can use these information to learn more about them and use it as a way of communication. After all, the information on social networking sites is posted for everyone to see so its not really invading their privacy.

The number of friends you have on FaceBook has become a social status symbol amongst large numbers of youngsters and this can encourage your children to seek friends they dont know (Ellen C. Braun). Guarding against this is a good idea so that parents can ensure that the child is only befriending people they know. Parents should understand that many children now use social networking sites as their primary mode of communication, other than cellphones, and that there is no moderation of what their friends and they themselves can say or post on their profile. Children are at risk can be exposed to, and expose themselves to, a large amount of inappropriate language and content that is posted by their friends online. For this reason parents need to talk to their children carefully about appropriate online behaviour and how they should react to inappropriate exposures. Parents also need to caution them about their behaviour

and explain that anything they share online (even in private) can potentially be shared amongst many more people. Finally parents need to be aware that bullying has become increasingly commonplace on social networking sites and they need to talk to their children openly about how to react to this kind of behaviour.

Social networking has opened up many new doorways f or cybercrime, and with all the people on social networks who are completely new to technology, it is more important than ever to make sure people are aware of the risks (Melissa). Everyone is affected by social media information that is gleaned and used. When people sign up for a social media account, there is always an agreement that must be checked off before an account is established. This is because third parties use information about them through social media to advertise to us. While much of this advertising is normal, manifested by ads on the side panel of a social media page, there is more invasive tactics that go on. There are a number of scammers on social networks who may try to steal or use personal information that can be used for potential crime such as identity theft or fraud which is called phishing. There are also websites that are set up to appear to look like a childs favorite social networks in order to steal their password. Once someone has their password they can use it to destroy their profile or send out spam messages and viruses, which could do irreparable damage to their online reputation. Parents should make sure that their children are at the right site in entering their credentials by reminding them to double check the address bar and making sure they are in the right place before logging in. Log-in sites will never

ask people to send them their password. When receiving messages requesting passwords, do not reply and forward the message to the networks support or privacy department.

Phishing can be used on anyone. Because of the way social media works, it is often very difficult to realize when a scammer is phishing for your information. Why? Because normally, scammers pose as people on their friends list or social media network.

What is the purpose of phishing? The basic goal is to obtain private information, usually user passwords, which are then used to break into a users personal accounts, use their credit cards, or whatever scammers can get their hands on.

The social media of children and even high school students should be supervised and monitored by parents (Melissa). They are without a doubt, the most vulnerable victims to social media dangers, and can be harmed in almost every way possible when all of the dangers and crimes are considered. If it was easy before social media became a widespread social staple, it is now even easier for predators to pose as other children with the same interests, activities, like and dislikes as the child. If a child accepts a predator as an online friend, he can find out just about anything he needs to know, including where the child lives.

Child Identity Theft though child predators are by far the most dangerous potential within the realm of social networking, there are plenty of other scammers, thieves and hackers out there that target children for other reasons. Children are not old enough to own a credit card, but that doesnt mean someone hasnt stolen their identity to use for that very purpose. Child identity theft is increasing at alarming rates, so parents should be careful about the information they offer to their children, such as the exact date of their birthdays, their middle name, or even the maiden name, which is often a question asked when filling credit card information. Social media does not have to be completely avoided. However, the more aware users are to the potential threats and dangers, the more protection they have against them. Social media is a new method of social interaction in this age of information, and to ignore it would only isolate children from social communication, and the plenty of useful or enjoyable aspects of social networking. The point here is to be on guard, be vigilant, and be aware of the ways in which social media can be dangerous. Social Media helps students learn because theyre practicing exactly what a lot of professionals do on a daily basis but it can be a distraction also not just for students but for professionals as well. (Simon, 2011). As a student, it is hard to manage time between school and a lot of distractions. Distractions can be in a lot of ways, and one of those is the use of Social Media. Time management is a big issue for students due to a lot of to-dos and extra co-

curricular activities. Despite the busy schedule, students are still able to have the time to open their social networking accounts in sites like Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Myspace and et al. Wherever or whenever they are, even if theyre in class, theyll sneak in to their little smart phones and update their status or tweet about random matter. This has become a habit in todays generation, which can put their academic performance down the drain because of not listening attentively to the discussion of the teacher. Some students have very long breaks and most of them use this time to go to internet cafs near their school, play games online, check the latest updates, view interesting photos from last nights party, check mail, view random intriguing conversations on their friends wall and so on. Due to boredom they get in waiting for their next class, students find it amusing and time consuming when logged on to SNS. Thus, most of them do this in order to entertain themselves but the confusing part is that, they dont use their time to be productive like studying or finishing important stuff. It is advised that students should avoid Facebook, during their free time. We all know that a few minutes on Facebook can soon turn into an hour. It would be best to avoid Facebook altogether until they are completely done for the day. (Teen College Eductaion, 2011) Thus, students should use their long breaks to get ready for their next class, review the next topic and finish what has to be done. It may be that if it wasnt for Facebook, some students would still find other ways to avoid studying, and would still get lower grades. But perhaps the lower GPAs could actually be because students are spending too much time

socializing online. The use of social medias is now made easier because of smart phones, thats why anywhere students go they are capable of updating their social networking accounts. Most of them bring their phones during dinner and tweet behind the table napkins, that is why the relationship of students to their family is changed due to the fact that they give more attention to the technology rather than telling their parents how their day was. Most of them will surely login to their social networking accounts as soon as possible as they arrive at their homes. They check their profiles as if its an assignment given by their teachers; in addition, they forget what to prioritize first. Eventually, due to less studying, they will blame SNS in the end for getting low grades.

Chapter 3 Research Methodology This chapter deals with the research This study will survey 30 students which are our respondents, 6 from the College of Business and Accountancy,6 from the College of Arts and Sciences,6 from the College of Nursing, 6 from the College of Engineering and also 6 respondents from the College of Education and they are all from the 5 different colleges of the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod, Bacolod City.

Chapter 4 Presentation and Analysis of the Results Table 1: Age group of social networking users Options a) 15-17 years old b) 18-20 years old c) 21-24 years old Total Frequency 2 25 3 30 Percentage (%) 6.67 83.33 10 100

Out of 30 students, only 2 (6.67%) are within the age of 15-17 years old, 25 (83.33%) are from 18-20 years old and 3 (10%) are within 21-24 years old.

Table 2: Students using social networking sites Options a) Yes b) No Total Frequency 30 0 30 Percentage (%) 100 0 100

All 30 (100%) students said that they use social networking sites.

Table 3: Social networking sites used by students Options Frequency Percentage (%) a) Facebook b) Myspace c) Twitter d) Tumbler e) Others Total 30 2 19 7 1 59 50.85 3.40 32.20 11.86 1.69 100 1 4 2 3 5 Rank

Out of 59 answers to social networking sites used by students, Facebook ranked 1st chosen by 30 students (50.85%} followed by Twitter chosen by 19 students (32.20%). The 3rd rank went to Tumbler chosen by 7 students (11.86%), Myspace came 4th with 3.40% or 2 frequency and the last or 5th place went to others with 1 frequency or 1.69% .

Table 4: Time spent by users on Social Networking

Options a. Less than an hour b. 1-3 hours c. 4-6 hours d. More than 7 hours Total

Frequency 9 16 4 1 30

Percentage % 30% 53% 14% 3% 100%

Based on the survey, 16 out of 30 users or 53% spend 1-3 hours of their time on social networking, 9 out of 30 (30%) spend less than an hour, 4 out of 30 (14%) spend 4-6 hours and 1 (3%) spend more than 7 hours on social networking.

Table 5: Time spent by users on Social Networking

Options a. Less than an hour b. 1-3 hours c. 4-6 hours d. More than 7 hours Total

Frequency 13 14 2 1 30

Percentage % 43% 47% 7% 3% 100%

Based on the survey conducted, 14 out of 30 (47%) spend 1-3 hours of their time on studying, 13 out of 30(43%) spend less than hour of their time, 2 out of 30 (7%) spend 4-6 hours of their time and 1 out of 30 (3%) spend more than 7 hours of their time on social networking.

Table 6: Social Networking Sites as a threat to students' academic performance Options a. Yes b. No Total Frequency 6 25 30 Percentage % 20% 80% 100%

Table 6 shows that 20 percent of the students consider the use of social networking sites as a threat to their academic performance, while 80 percent of the students do not consider it as a threat.

Table 7: Students' purpose of using social networking sites Options a. Meet new friends b. Find old friends c. Communicate with friends d. Be updated with the latest news/ trends/ issues Frequency Ranking 10 5th 11 4th 21 1st 19 2nd

e. kill time f. others

12 3rd 2 6th

To rank it from top to bottom, table 7 shows that students use social networking sites mainly to communicate with their friends. Second, to be updated with the latest news/ trends/ issues. Third, to kill time. Fourth, find old friends. Fifth, meet new friends. Sixth, others like communicating with love ones and stalking kids.

Table 8: Surviving without social networking sites Options a. Yes b. No Total Frequency 21 9 30 Percentage % 70% 30% 100%

Table 8 shows that 21 out of 30 students or 70% of them can live without using social networking sites. On the other hand, 9 out of 30 students or 30% of them cannot live without using social networking sites.