There are advantages and disadvantages to spending time on social media as a student. What are your views?

Having access to the internet as a student is like a double-edged sword. There are many pros and cons that come with it, especially when we use the internet to be on social media apps. Therefore, I will be discussing the pros and cons of using social media for students.

An advantage of having access to social media as a student would be access to a wide and vast library of new information which the student can read and learn more about. For example, certain news companies like BBC News, the Straits Times, and Fox News have social media accounts where they post the news daily, thus students could easily access their social media platforms to learn more about what had happened in different parts of the world during the day, therefore expanding their general knowledge and keeping up to date with current affairs. However, with how easy it is to share things on social media, there is also a lot of biased and fake news on social media and oftentimes, fake news could be mistaken for actual news, especially when it is not verified properly. For example, in Singapore, when the government had announced that the nation would be going into DOSCORN Orange, there was fake news spreading on social media platforms such as Instagram and Whatsapp claiming that Singapore was going to run out of food supply due to the virus, reducing imports of food for locals. This piece of fake news struck widespread panic and terror into the Singaporean’s hearts, leading them to sweep the shelves of supermarkets all over the country clean and start doing selfish acts such as stockpiling and even fighting over necessities like toilet paper.

Another advantage of having access to social media as a student is the connectivity that social media provides for students. For example, apps like Whatsapp and Instagram allow students to post about their lives and interact with their friends through texts and calls. This allows for students to keep in touch with friends and families all over the world and the video call functions of social media apps allow students to talk to their loved ones face to face virtually despite being miles away in the real world. Students can also use social media to create group chats where they can talk with fellow group mates via texts while working on a group project together from the comfort of their own homes which is more convenient than the traditional method of meeting up in real life to do the group project. However, with this greater connectivity, there are also more cyberbullying cases in Singapore. According to a study published by Channel News Asia in 2019, nine in ten students between the ages of 12 and 16 have experienced cyberbullying at least once while using social media. The victims shared how the nasty comments left by others in their posts had led to low self-esteem and in more severe cases, depression. It was also mentioned in the study that every teenager who owns a social media account is vulnerable to cyberbullying as with the anonymity of social media accounts, more and more people can freely express their dislike against someone without fear of being tracked down or their identities being revealed.

A third advantage that social media has for students is that using social media is a great way for students to reduce stress. For example, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are packed to the brim with funny contents for students to enjoy and share with their friends and with how advanced social media is today, contents can be adjusted and recommended to student’s liking, allowing them to have a whole library of their favourite funny contents at their disposal anytime and anywhere. However, this may impact students negatively as they may get addicted to social media. This is shown in the statistics of a yearly British study on social media and teenagers. In 2018, nine in ten parents knew that their child was addicted to social media while only six in ten teens owned up to their addiction. This shows the side effects of addiction such as dishonesty which is not a characteristic anyone in general should have. Some students who took part in the study say that they get hooked onto social media and cannot put it down, watching video after video on the sites. It slowly became a bad habit and took over their lives and got them to neglect their studies.

A fourth advantage that students could obtain via social media is exposure to different cultures of others. Students can actively watch and find out more about daily life in other countries and learn about their festivities and celebrations with just a search. This exposure teaches students to be more open-minded and accepting of others’ cultures, traditions and way of life. This is particularly beneficial in a country like Singapore, a racially diverse city and such exposure would allow students to interact with peers of different races much more easily. However, with all the videos of different cultures and traditions online, there are also racist remarks made about those of a different race which could be hurtful for students to come across. For example, a Workers' Party member who was running for Sengkang GRC in 2020, had her previously created racist post on social media dug up and was spread around on social media, leading to a stern warning from the police.

In conclusion, I feel that even though there are disadvantages like addiction and cyberbullying, social media is still a tool which students can use to a great advantage as long as it is used wisely and with discipline. In the hands of a responsible student, social media can be used to increase their knowledge in any aspect they want to. Thus, I believe that the advantages of social media are greater than its disadvantages.

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