PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Today's digital scenario has inspired social media to be underwent within the daily life of a student, not only shaped their forms of communication and socialization, but also their educational experiences and health of the mind. This discovery study examines the psychological aspects of social platforms as used in education and intended to identify positive and negative aspects of that use, for educational purposes by university students. Rapid students are leveraging digital platforms for learning use such as collaborative learning, communicating ideas, engaging in academic discussion, and increasing efficiency related to digital literacy, while excessive and uncontrolled use resulted in learning, stress and disintegration and dysfunction with their studies. A quantitative research design is applied with structured questionnaires disseminated across a representative sample of university students to measure some variables such as frequency of use of social media, purpose for use, time management skills, and some psychological indicators including stages of motivation, self-worth, stress, and anxiety. Statistical examination of the data collected indicate that appropriate and purposeful use of social media for education and academic purposes can enhance positively to student’s educational experience by enhancing knowledge acquisition, communication, and access to a range of learning resources On the contrary, excessive use of social media outside of an academic context is correlated with emotional exhaustion, psychological distress, and inattention and result in lower academic performances. Important takeaway emphasizes a dual occasion for higher education; Social media can be an excellent educational equipment when used with purpose, but can also damage the psychological welfare and educational activities of students when used improperly. The authors of this study apply media literacy, digital time management and psychological counselling to higher education institutions. This helps students to use social media more appropriately and to maximize psychological health and educational performances on the contrary to the educational value of social media.