SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT ON THE LIFE CHOICES OF THE UPCOMING SENIOR HIGH

STUDENTS

CHAPTER 1

PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter discussed the background of the study, the problem, the scope
and delimitation and the introduction of the research.

Introduction

Social media has made people's lives easier and has become an integral part of
one's life. It is a fact that social media has tremendously changed the way people
interact and carry on with their everyday lives. For individuals, social media is
used to keep in touch with friends and extended family. Some people will use
various social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Wattpad and
Instagram to network career opportunities, find people across the globe with like
interests, and share their thought, feelings, insight, and emotions. Those who
engage in these activities are part of a virtual social network.

Social media is a web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with
each other by sharing and consuming information. Solis (2007) describes social
media as an "online tool that people use to share content, profiles, opinions,
insights, experiences, perspectives and media itself, thus facilitating
conversations and interaction online between groups of people." With the use of
social media, not only the young people, but people of all ages, and all profession
are using social networking sites as a means of communication. People use social
media to connect with people far from them. Because of the evolution of social
media it's much easier and convenient to use than before. People are fascinated how
they can tell their opinions using social media, usually for politics, education,
or even entertainment.

From telegraphs to instant messaging apps technology really paved its way to the
rise of social media and networking that has made a faster and easier access to
information around the world, and by having smaller, bite-sized chunks of
information makes it easier for people to digest and communicate to one another.
Whether through a simple tweet, post on Instagram or a status update on Facebook,
we can instantly be made aware of different issues around the world than we ever
were before.

The first recognizable social media site, Six Degrees, was created in 1997. In
1999, the first blogging sites became popular, creating a social media sensation
that’s still popular today. After the invention of blogging, social media began to
explode in popularity. Sites like MySpace and LinkedIn gained prominence in the
early 2000s, and sites like Photobucket and Flickr facilitated online photo
sharing. YouTube came out in 2005, creating an entirely new way for people to
communicate and share with each other across great distances. By 2006, Facebook and
Twitter both became available to users throughout the world. These sites remain
some of the most popular social networks on the Internet. This creates an
environment where users can reach the maximum number of people without sacrificing
the intimacy of person-to-person communication. This became popular especially for
teenagers to stay in touch with their friends. It is an important part of
socialising and connection in the modern world. Teenagers and social media use is
increasing, the main reasons teenagers regularly use social media include joining
in on group conversations, learning about current events and staying up to date
with online content, meeting new people, not having anything to do, or feeling
bored and feeling like they might miss out if they aren't always up to date with
social media.
With a history dating back nearly 20 years, social media has become second nature
to today's students. Today's younger generation is hooked on social media. If given
the choice between Tweeting or textbooks, which would students choose? Many
teachers think that if they allow their students to use social media in the
classroom, students will be posting status updates about how their day is going,
which would only detract from educational experiences. However, social media can be
a powerful educational tool that provides unique and dynamic learning experiences
to students and teachers alike. The use of social media in education provides
students with the ability to get more useful information, to connect with learning
groups and other educational systems that make education convenient. Social network
tools afford students and institutions with multiple opportunities to improve
learning methods. Through these networks, you can incorporate social media plugins
that enable sharing and interaction. Students can benefit from online tutorials and
resources that are shared through social networks and LMS’s.

Teachers integrated the use of social media and social networking to help their
students connect and collaborate on a deeper level. These networks can enhance
student relationships as well, giving socially anxious or introverted students a
comfortable way to interact with their classmates. When used outside the classroom,
social media can function like professional development for educators. Teachers
report that a great deal of their non-personal usage is geared toward finding and
sharing resources on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. Despite being on a social
network, this is high-quality professional development that expands teacher
knowledge. Social learning theory says that students learn best when they learn
from each other. Several studies have found that when students study together, they
earn higher grades, are more engaged, and are more motivated. For that reason,
teachers have incorporated group/team learning into their classrooms for decades.
Today's learners view social media as 'cool,' making it useful in providing social
learning activities that are both educational and engaging. According to Dr.
Richard J. Light of Harvard University's School of Education, 'This group learning
format appeals to younger, socially conscious learners and is built around the
notion that many minds are better than one.'

We all need to realize that social networking communities are here to stay,
considering the millions of users that they have. In addition, there are blogs as
well as the video blogs. And there are students who are actively engaged in all
these online communities. But we also need to look at the kind of effects that
these sites are having on the youth, especially the students. According to Mehmood
and Tawir (2013), "the use of technologies such as social media networks and the
Internet is one of the most important factors that can influence educational
performance of students positively or adversely”. Students today have begun to rely
on the accessibility of information that is available on the social media platforms
specifically as well as the web in general in order to get answers. In addition,
students are attempting to multi-task. They are trying to check various social
media sites while they study. This leads to reduced academic performance. Besides,
their ability to concentrate on their task at hand gets significantly reduced due
to the distraction that is brought by all these social media sites. This is where
peers, teachers and parents need to play a major role by making the students aware
of what they are missing out while spending too much time on these sites.

However, the fact that these media are generally open to the world implies a need
to carefully consider its' benefuts, impacts and risks of openness as well as need
for ongoing communication with students in order to address their concerns and deal
with the issues of social media as they arise.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of social media on students' life
choices of Grade 10 students in choosing their strand/track in Senior High School.
To be specific, this study aims at exploring the kind of social media students are
familiar with, how such social media is used by students of higher education and
the impact its making in their academic life.

Statement of the Problem

This study examine and assess the impact of social media has on the life choices
and learning of the Grade 10 students of Tanauan School of Craftsmanship and Home
Industries, be it positive or negative impact.

The main research question of the study was "has social media has distinctive
impact on students' decisions in their academic life once they step as a Senior
High School student?" To answer these questions and analyze how this impact has
taken place, the following questions were considered:

How do students use social media?

To what extent social media support students learning?

Significance of the Study

The researchers aimed to widen their knowledge with regards to the understanding of
social media, it usage and impact on the students in making a decision. This
research study benefited the following:
Students. This research material was intended for those students who use social
media as a pass time, for school purposes and other use of different websites. And
they would understant if social media was really a helpful decision-making tool for
them or not.
Parents. This research study helped the parents to track the usage of their child
with regards to social media.
Teachers. This research was designed for teachers to know if the integration of
social media in their teaching strategies is helpful on the students' academic
performance of the traditional teaching is better.
Future Researchers. This research aimed to help the future researchers to explore
more about this research.