Sample Essay on The Effects of Social Media on Students

The Effects of Social Media on Students

Thestudyinvestigates the effect of social media on students. The use of social media by college students has become increasingly significant to their daily lives. Smart phones have added channels in which the social sites can be easily accessed by students, therefore, increasing the number of hours students spend on the sites. Students’ ability to be online for a longer time and to access information from different sources brings about information overload where they might struggle to differentiate between genuine and wrong information. The aim of this research is to find out the effects of social media on students.

The Effects of Social Media on Students

INTRODUCTION

Social media refers to the relationship that is present between networks of different people. In the past years, there has been a transformation in the online world. Through the invention of social media, many young men and women are able to exchange information, ideas and concepts, pictures, videos, and personal information at a very incomprehensible rate. According to Wang and Liang, (2010: 3), it is estimated that approximately 73 % of wired Americans currently use social media sites. Social media has, however, encouraged several negative behaviors among the youth, for instance, procrastination through connecting with peers, an aspect that has led them to engage in peer pressure activities that are dangerous to their lives. In the same manner, there are many students currently who spend countless hours on social media, such as Facebook, My Space, Sim City, and Twitter among many others. Initially, this would seem like a waste of time and resources; nevertheless, social media is also significant in helping students to gain knowledge as well as develop important social skills. Social media is significant in helping students through creating content and becoming active. Currently, whether social media is good or bad, many students continue to make use of these sites on a daily basis. Many researchers have been conducting several studies to establish how social media affects students. In addition, parents are also getting worries on the amount of time students spend on social media and doing less concerning academic studying.

PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY

Recent studies conducted have shown that students make use most of their time on social media. Consequently, arguments and inquiries have come forwardconcerning the effects of Social Media on students. This study is intended to reveal the assorted impacts of social media and facilitatestrategic planners to getexistingdata that can be applied in decisions making on the subject of the use of social media.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study will answer the following questions;

1. What social media sites do the students have access to?
2. How often do the students go online?
3. How many hours do the students spend on the social media sites?
4. How have the social media sites impacted on the academic outcomes of the students?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Social media use has drastically increased over the past years across all age levels in human population. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, approximately 73 % of teens between the ages of 12-17 make use of social media. The levelof social media utilization is even more among the young adults between the ages of 18-29. Due to issues of age limit restrictions and access to social media sites, the adolescents have a lower access to social media sites as compared to the young adults. In addition to teens and the adolescents using social media, the adults are also part of social media users. Students have been able to access social media to use it in academic settings for them to interact with collaborators (Kabilan, Ahmad,and Abidin 2011). Furthermore, students make use of social media in their academic and personal lives. Many students have been found to be using social media to a larger extend as compared to other forms of related technologies since they are much acquainted with their features and settings ((Appel 2012).

College students have a great interest and love for social media. The different forms of social media include BB Chat, 2go, Facebook, You Tube, Blogs, Twitter, My Space, and linked in. In as much as offering a detailed perspective on social media use among students can produce both positive and negative impacts; approximately 25% of students’ time on the Internet is on social media and networking sites. This is according to a study conducted by Nielsen Media research (Jacobsen and Forste 2011). Facebook remains among the most used social network by college students, preceding YouTube and twitter. Furthermore, there is an estimated 500 million Facebook users across the world that actively log into the site on a daily basis. Recently, a study was conducted by PHD students online, which indicated that students spend approximately 100 minutes each day on Facebook. This has continued to grow each and every year.

Social media has a positive impact on students. Social electronic media and online communities help students in their academic work effectively. The presence of social media has enhanced students’ connections online by making the links readily available, thus, increasing the opportunities to exploreinterests and problems with other similar individuals, get academic support, and increase their online communication skills. In addition, students who find it hard to communicate or speak in classroom get an opportunity to do so through social media platforms. Several Web tools have emerged, which are beneficial in enhancing learning for students (Bryolf 2007).

However, social media has also negatively influenced students’ grades. Findings show that social media has a direct impact on the general performance of the students. Approximately two thirds of students who reportedly use social media regularly use it in classroom and at home (Jacobsen and Forste 2011). This multifunction is likely to have a negative impact on students through increased distraction, an aspect that is detrimental to the performance of students. These social media sites also are modes that enhance students adjourn in completing their academic works, making them less productive.

In relation to social media and students’ grades performance, a study conducted by Ohio State University indicated that University students who make use of Facebook utilize little time on studying and, thus, attain lower grades in relation to students who do not devotemuch of their time on social media (Kalpidou et al. 2011). Moreover, another assessment conducted by doctoral candidateArynKrpinski of Ohio State University and her colleagues from Ohio Dominion University Adam Duberstein indicate that college learners who make use of the 500 million member social sites have lower GPAs compared to those who do not use the social sites. However, several other studies have not found any direct connection between social media and grades or performance of students. This implies that there was no difference in the grades exhibited among students considered to be frequent users of social media and those who do not use the platforms. For instance, students who make us of Facebook most of their times get same grades as those who do not use the sites.

Social media is also significant among students in connecting a virtual community of learners. Students who make use of social media as part of their academic work feel more linked to their colleagues as compared to those who do not. Social media makes it possible for students to not only associate with their peers but also enhances connection to the entire group. Moreover, apart from enhancing the existing groups, social media is also significant in bridging the gap that exist in the diversity of a classroom setup among students, enabling them to interact with each other comfortably. Students who make use social media also feel more emotional in their connection with their colleagues, thus, making them feel they have persons to talk to in case they experience any kind of problem. Moreover, the peer links enhance students’ participations for those students who initially used to feel frightened in the classroom (Rambe 2008).

The links that students create through social media are significant in having a positive influence on the learning environment. Through involvement in social media integration, students feel more collaborative in communication in the learning environment by offering discussions and interactions with their colleagues. Through collaborating with their colleagues in discussing a given topic, social media plays a strong role in building a formidable community among students. However, in as much as students feel the sense of togetherness, this is subject to influence from the past experiences of the initial social media sites. Students who engage in high levels of social media networking also feel a high sense of communal togetherness. The aspect of community buildup in social media is also enhanced by the personalization of profiles, for instance, the inclusion of profile pictures as well as other identifying information on social media sites. The aspect of personalization in addition to common topic subjects shared by students enhance the realistic relationship among students by encouraging plainness and information sharing that enhance the students’ perceived learning (Top 2012).

Although social media is significant in enhancing collaboration among students in learning, it is also important in providing instant alleyways for dissemination all academic and course related information and knowledge besides the traditional confines of classroom setup (Top 2012). Through the utilization of social media for education purposes, students are able to make use of the group discussions and other network connections in classroom interaction. The capability of students to communicate with one another in more than one place allows them to construct conversations that are related to their coursework material. This enhances the chances of having a better learning since students incorporate learning that is beyond a given topic including discussions that are presented by their instructors (Hurt et al. 2012). Sharing academic information through social media sites also enables students to search deeper into the content at and link it to a wide variety of sources, an action that produces great opportunities to enrich student learning beyond the customary classroom instruction.

Social media is significant in increasing students’ learning process through their interaction. However, there are challenges that come along with the incorporation of social media use in classroom. The first assumption will be that students are acquainted with and courteous in using a particular mode of social media, which can cause instructors not to provide enough material in support of the learning process to students (Cole 2009). Moreover, although students are allowed to use social media for academic purposes, some will coil it in a way that will fit into their way that is not according to their instructors. For instance, many students will always engage in topics that are widely spread across social media sites when they are supposed to be handling academic work. This means hat in as much as social media is significant in content exploration, there are chances that students can use the opportunity to engage in other aspects not related to class work. Social media also affects students’ performance and the amount of time they prepare for academic work (Anneta et al., 2009). This because social media offers an intensive stimulation, thereby, distracting students from working on their academic activities and assignments. This might also be caused by lack of imbalance among students who use social media sites in relation to their academic activities. Research on the effects of social media on students is ongoing.

 

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The research design is used to describe the number of decisions to be considered in the process of collecting and analyzing data, Furthermore, the research design offers the guidelines that provide the researcher with direction in solving the research problem. This research adopted a survey method of data collection by getting people’s opinions through interviews.

Population of the Study

Based on the information from the office of the registrar of the Middle Tennessee University, the population of the study of the entire students of the University of Delaware was 6,000. The population of study entails students from different categories. Therefore, the total population number of the students in Middle Tennessee University for the academic year 2013/2014 was used.

Sampling Procedure

The sampling procedure entailed three faculties in the Middle Tennessee University students. It involved a small group of the students from the larger group used for the research process. Applying the simple random generator, 3 students were selected. These were the Law, Sciences, Arts and Management.

Fig 1: Chart showing different courses from where students were selected

Data Instruments

The data instrument applied in the study was interview. Several items were drawn and administered to the students from Middle Tennessee University. They were categorized into two sections where the first category A, entailed items on the demography of the participants and the second category B, answered the research questions. The interview applied in this research was systematically dissected by the supervisor for precision, accuracy, and conception, thus making it valid.

Methods of Data Collection

The researcher used qualitative research in order to analyze the effects of social media to students. Qualitative interviews were seen as the best option because of their similarity to a loose and interactive conversation. Data was collected through interviews that the research administered face to face with the participants. This took place in students’ residential houses and recreational halls. The data collection method was chosen in order to allow the students to freely discuss the social media they use in their personal and school work. The investigation conducted long interviews with participants using an approved question guide that is in the appendix. This entailed open ended questions, which ranged from about 15 minutes to 30 minutes with a series of questions that covered their use of social media. The interviews helped in answering the research questions. Question one to seven in the question guide address the basic demographics of the students, or instance defining their sex, age brackets, their departments, their level, and their nature. The remaining questions answered the research questions as indicated 1 to 4. Due to confidentiality reasons and protecting any risks that might affect the participants, their names were replaced by generic descriptions, for example, Research Participant 1.

Data Presentation and Analysis

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of social media on students. The study was conducted on the students of Middle Tennessee University. The interviews were conducted among 3 students. The study answered the under mentioned research questions.

• What social media sites do the students have access to?
• How often do the students go online?
• How many hours do the students spend on the social media sites?
• How have the social media sites impacted on the academic outcomes of the students?

DATA ANALYSIS

Once the interviews were complete, there researcher went ahead and transcribed each interview. After the transcription, there researcher read through each one of the transcripts and noted any recapping theme, practices, strategies as noted by two students from Middle Tennessee University students. The transcript data was then produced as a whole in order to answer the research questions. The results were afterwards, whip helped explain the effects of social media on students on students.

Data was collected from the survey topic on the impacts of social media on students (Middle Tennessee University) and will be reflected. The data was contained in the interviews conducted. The first research question, what social media networks do the students of the Middle Tennessee University have access to, was aimed at finding out different sites that the two students of Middle Tennessee University had access to. According to the findings, the two students from Middle Tennessee University students either owned a computer, Nokia cell phone or blackberry. The first student owned an Internet Nokia enabled phone and a computer. The second student owned a computer and blackberry cell phone. The two students of Middle Tennessee University studentstherefore indicated they own different social media instruments. On the question of access to the Internet,the two students of Middle Tennessee University had access to the Internet. This question was aimed at finding out if the students are exposed to any form of internet that enables social media sites functioning. The next research question was about the social media sites the two students of Middle Tennessee University have access to. This question was aimed at establishing if the students are exposed to any form social media. Both the students interviewed indicated that are aware of the social media use and application.  Regarding the respondents’ familiarity with social media, both two students of Middle Tennessee University indicated to be familiar with social media as they use it in their daily activities. This question was aimed at identifying the level with which the students are aware of the social media platforms that are available. Thetwo students of Middle Tennessee University gave different feedback on their knowledge on social media networking sites with the first student being familiar with 2go, and Face book while second students was familiar with BB Chat and Face book. The students also indicated the knowledge of many other social media networking platforms with shallow information on how the do operate. About social media accounts that the students own, this research question wanted to determine the different accounts that the two students are actively involved in. The first students of Middle Tennessee University to be interviewed owned an active account with 2go and Face book, while second student owned a Face bookand BB Chat accounts. On their best social media preference, two students of Middle Tennessee University had also different preferences. The first students interviewed preferred 2go and Face book accounts while the second student favored Face book and BB Chat.  In responding to the reason for their preference, the first student of Middle Tennessee University claimed his preferences for 2go and Facebook were based on speed, cost and flexibility, while the second one was based on good receptions, speed and flexibility. Speed was the dominant factor since the communication in the social medial platforms was instant with flexibility also being given preference since one would be able to use the platforms at the same time doing many other things.

On the question of how the students go online, the first student of Middle Tennessee University students indicated he does it at home and in the cafes, and the second one does it in school. This was aimed at establishing on where the students are actively involved in social media activities. On the frequency of going online, the first student students indicated to do it very often when at home and anytime away from school while the second students student would often browse too especially in school, due to the free internet services offered by the institution. Concerning the number of hour’s students spend on social media, the first student of Middle Tennessee University students do it hours 6 per day, and the second one go online in 4hours and 30 minutes. On the question of whether social media affects their performance, students were asked the reason they access social media. The first student indicated he does it mainly for education reasons, doing assignments and catching up assignments with colleagues when at home. The second student however indicated he does it for entertainment mainly. On the question of the amount of satisfaction they get from social media sites, the first students of Middle TennesseeUniversity interviewed indicated he gets valuable information especially in academics, and the second one mainly indicated he is entertained by social media. The two students of Middle Tennessee University were also asked if they believe social media could impact on their academic performance. The first student agreed it had some impacts the second said it did not impact them, the same response received from the second student. On the usefulness of the social media to their academic performance, the first students indicated that it had positive influence him through assisting him to catch up with colleagues online, discuss and share information academically. It has had a positive influence on his academic work. The second students said social media has a negative influence on his academic performance since he wastes quite a lot of time on social media doing other things, the time he would be doing much academically. This had impacted negatively on his performance.

DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS

The first research question was about the social media sites the two students of Middle Tennessee University have access to. Both the interviews indicated that are aware of the social media use and application. The interview results showed that the two students of MiddleTennessee University students own different social media instruments. According to the interview, student 1, for instance owns a computer and a Nokia smart phone and the second student has students owns a computer and black berry phone. Furthermore, the flexibility of the instruments in terms of portability is also effective in terms of ownership. For instance, the blackberries and Nokia phones are convenient to carry them from one place to another thus being convenient to access them anywhere. On the question of access to the Internet, the two students of Middle Tennessee University had access to the Internet. The internet is significant according the two students since it connects the social media sites. Regarding the respondents’ familiarity with social media the two students of Middle Tennessee University indicated to be familiar with social media as they use it in their daily activities. Social media is part of their daily lives in their communication, both formal and informal. Thestudents of Middle Tennessee University also gave similar feedback on their knowledge on social media networking sites with the first student being more familiar with 2go and Facebook while second student more of Facebook and BB Chat in addition to the three mentioned like Twitter. However, the choice of the most convenient one among the two students of Middle Tennessee University is different. The first students of Middle Tennessee Universityown accounts with 2go and Facebookwhile second one owned a Facebook and BB Chat accounts. This is mainly determined by their best social media preference. In responding to the reason for their preference, the first student of Middle Tennessee University claimed his preferences were based on speed, cost and flexibility, while the second one was based on good receptions, speed and flexibility. This is due to the different use of the different social media by the two students of Middle Tennessee University

On the enquiry does it at home and in the cafes, in order to catch up with school work while the second student mostly does it in school. On the regularity of going online, the first student students indicated to do it very often, same as the second one. Concerning the number of hour’s students spend on social media, the first student of Middle Tennessee University students do it hours 6 per day, and the second one go online in 4hours and 30 minutes. On the question of whether social media affects their performance, students were asked the reason they access social media. The first student indicated he does purely for education purposes while the second one does it for entertainment. The two have different levels satisfaction they get from social media sites, the first student of Middle Tennessee University indicated he gets valuable informationacademically and the second one is entertainment, for instance chatting, music and videos. The two students of Middle Tennessee University were also asked if they believe social media could impact on their academic performanceand they both agreed it had some impacts. On the usefulness of the social media to their academic performance, the first students indicated that it had positive influence him the second one said social media has a negative influence on his academic performance since the first student mostly use it for education purposes while the second one does it for entertainment.

SUMMARY

The data indicated form all the interviews conducted from the two students of Middle Tennessee University studentsassumed that social media can influence on the general performance of students in their studies. The answers form the two students of Middle TennesseeUniversity also showed that social media had impacted negatively and positively on their academic performances. According to the findings, it is apparent that the students use social media for affiliation reasons. The findings from one of the students of Middle Tennessee University also indicated that social media can influence on the academic performance of students negatively since they spend much time chatting and other things that are not related to studies or academic research.

According to the findings, the two students of Middle TennesseeUniversity are familiar with social media and have access to the social networking sites. The Middle Tennessee University students are frequently online on the several social media platforms. The students spend a considerably high amount of time on social media sites as compared to academic activities. Therefore, as a result of the much time that students spend on social media, their academic performances are affected negatively and positively. This also affirms the fact social media has become a powerful tool in the education process and its effects can be both negative and positive. This is as a result of a non-clear balance of engagement between social media activities and academic work.

LIMITATION

This study aimed at establishing the effects of social media on students from wide variety areas. Due to some constraints involved, there are several weaknesses in the study. This research solely relied on a very limited number of students thereby getting a limited feedback. Furthermore, the choice of the student’s interviewed was not effective. The information received from the interviews was also not sufficient in giving deep analysis of the topic. As compared to quantitative methods, the feedback lacked crucial information that would have been significant to the study. In order to get more information that is free open and accurate information, interviews could be used alongside content studies and diary studies.

CONCLUSION

The research has validated that the Middle Tennessee University are acquainted with social media sites, which are accessible to the students. Furthermore, according to the findings, students are influenced negatively and positively to a large extend, by social media due to the much attention they put to unnecessary social media elements, such as chatting, listening to music and pornography among others and they do not focus more on the academic needs and the other way round.

RECOMMENDATION

With regard to the findings and the conclusion of this research, several recommendations were drawn. First, social media sites need to be developed through the inclusion of new pages to enhance academic activities to reduce the negative outcomes of students’ academic performances. In addition, students should also reduce the number of hours they spend on social media sites. The influence of social media on the educational outcome of students needs to emphasize more on the positive outcomes than negative impacts.

Further research needs to be conducted to come up with more pages for research and academic activities to enhance students to improve their education performances and avoid lose of concentration on their academic work.

References

Annetta, Leonard A., James Minogue, Shawn Y. Holmes, and Meng-Tzu Cheng. 2009. “Investigating the impact of video games on high school students’ engagement and learning about genetics.” Computers & Education 53, no. 1: 74-85.

Appel, Markus. 2012. “Are heavy users of computer games and social media more computer literate?.” Computers & Education 59, no. 4. 1339-1349.

Brydolf, Carol. 2007. “Minding MySpace: Balancing the Benefits and Risks of Students’ Online Social Networks.” Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review 73, no. 2 : 4-8.

Cole, Melissa. 2009 “Using Wiki technology to support student engagement: Lessons from the trenches.” Computers & education 52, no. 1: 141-146.

Hurt, Nicole E., Gregory S. Moss, Christen L. Bradley, Lincoln R. Larson, Matthew Lovelace, Luanna B. Prevost, Nancy Riley, Denise Domizi, and Melinda S. Camus. 2012 “The ‘Facebook’effect: college students’ perceptions of online discussions in the age of social networking.” International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 6, no. 2: 10.

Jacobsen, Wade C.andRenataForste. 2011. “The wired generation: Academic and social outcomes of electronic media use among university students.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 14, no. 5. 275-280.

Kabilan, Muhammad K., Norlida Ahmad and MohamadJafre Z. 2010 “Facebook: An online environment for learning of English in institutions of higher education?.” The Internet and higher education 13, no. 4. 179-187.

Kalpidou, Maria, Dan Costin and Jessica Morris. 2011. “The relationship between Facebook and the well-being of undergraduate college students.” CyberPsychology, behavior, and social networking 14, no. 4: 183-189.

Rambe, Patient. 2012. “Constructive disruptions for effective collaborative learning: Navigating the affordances of social media for meaningful engagement.” Electronic Journal of e-Learning 10, no. 1: 132-146.

Top, Ercan. 2012. “Blogging as a social medium in undergraduate courses: Sense of community best predictor of perceived learning.” The Internet and Higher Education 15, no. 1: 24-28.

Wang, Qingya, Wei Chen, and Yu Liang. 2011. “The effects of social media on college students.”

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 1

Interview Guide

Section A

1. What is your sex?
2. What is our age strut?
3. What department are you?
4. What nature of student are you?

Section B

5. Which of the social media tools do you have?
6. Do you have access to the Internet?
7. Are you cognizant of social media sites?
8. What are the social media sites you know?
9. Which of the social media sites do you have an account with?
10. Which social media do you favor?
11. Why do you favor it?
12. It is cheap and reliable
13. If none, why?
14. Where do you browse?
15. How often do you go to social media sites?
16. How many hours do you spend on social media?
17. What do you browse?
18. What gratification do you get from it?
19. Do you accept as true that social media can impact your academic performance?
20. How has the use of Social Media impacted your academic performance?

APPENDIX B

This section provides the transcribed interviews between two students in the survey. The first student is a moderately user of social media whose work online is purely for research and academic work. This has affected him positively. The second student is a heavy user of social media on entertainment and personal reasons, which has negatively affected his performance.

Sample Interview Transcript

Student 1

Researcher (R): Before we get started with the interview, I would like to bring to your          attention some things. My name is Erick Alexis and I’m a researcher. I’m conducting this research on the effects of social media to students here at Middle Tennessee University. All your personal and identifiable information will be kept confidential.

Student1 (P1): Okay

Researcher: Stories you might share in this interview may be entailed in the study but items specific to your situation will not appear. During the interview, you may review your social media activity profile but the information will not be collected. So, nothing will be traced back directly to you.

Student 1: Okay. That sounds better.

Researcher: Do you have any questions for me?

Student 1: No I’m good.

(Participant 1 signs Informed Consent)

Researcher: So let get started. What is your sex, in as much as it may seem obvious?

Student 1 :( Laughing) I ‘am a male student at the Middle Tennessee University, third year of my learning.

Researcher: What is your age?

Student 1: I ‘am 24 years old and a third year students.

Researcher: What Department are you in?

Student 1: I ‘am a business management student in the Management Department.

Researcher: What level are you?

Student 1: I’ am at 200 level.

Researcher: What kind of students are you?

Student 1: I ‘am a full time student, but not boarding. I attend classes’ everyday but commute from home to school. Commuting for home was decided upon by my parents since my home is not far from the school.

Researcher: Which kind of social media equipment do you own?

Student 1: I own a nokia smartphone and a computer (showing his nokia handset from the pocket). I use all of them in my online activities. The two devices have helped me to be flexible anytime I want to go online both at school, home and when travelling. The smart phone is flexible and portable to any place, more that the computer that I mostly use at home.

Researcher: Do you have access to the internet?

Student 1: Yes, I do have full time access to the internet in all the devices. I have both wired and wireless connection for the computer and wireless applies to both the devices while at home and at school.

Researcher: Are you aware of social media sites?

Student 1: Yes, I ‘am fully aware of the several social media sites. They have been instrumental in my work both at school and home. Social media sites have also been influential in connecting with my friends and colleagues at school.

Researcher: What are some of the social media sites are you aware of?

Student 1: I know of 2go, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Integra, LinkedIn, Whatsapp and BB Chat that I have been personally been involved in. I have not been however active in all the social media sites due to time contstints.

Researcher: Which of the social media networking sites do have an account with?

Student 1: I have social media accounts with 2go and Facebook. The accounts are fully active and I do most of my communication through them.

Researcher: Which of the social media sites do you prefer?

Student 1: I prefer 2go and Facebook more than the rest at the moment. The two social media sites have been effective in balancing my school and connecting with my friends. For instance, on Facebook, we have a class group that we use in sharing assignments and other academic assignments as a class. Out instructors have also been able to post other important information regarding classwork there by being flexible and fast in significant communication. I have also preferred 2go, because of its speed and flexibility in communication.

Researcher: Why do you prefer it?

Student 1: I prefer Facebook because of its speed and reliability. They are instant and flexible. Furthermore, the interface on Facebook is vital for sharing information with my colleagues at school, for instance our class group that enables us share information like assignments, discussions and even our instructor’s contribution.

Researcher: Where do you browse?

Student 1: I normally browse at home due to the availability of free internet and during times when doing homework and the free time away from school activity. In instances where there is connection breakdown, I normally browse at the cyber. In doing small research or getting information that is not so much intensive, I normally use my cellphone which allows me to browse anywhere like in the bus or at school break hours.

Researcher: How often do you go online?

Student 1: I normally get online often as I can. Every time I ‘am at home I get online and work on my assignments and other cores. At the cyber, I do also browse and every time I’m travelling or going to school and back. When I have much work that needs to be researched and done online, I tend to spend more time online than usual in order to accomplish the assignments.

Researcher: How many hours do you spend online?

Student 1: Averagely, I spend not less than six hours a day online. This maybe even more depending on the amounts of work that I need to catch up as indicated earlier.

Researcher: What do you browse when online?

Student 1: In most cases I do browse in order to get different education information. These include class work assignments and discussions with my friends. Most of or my online work I do to make personal resercah on academic work and on other topical issues in society like terrorism, radicalization and more others

Researcher: What satisfaction do you drive from it?

Student 1: The fundamental gain I get online from social media is purely educational and informative. Through online engagements, I get latest news happenings across the world apart from academic research. Through browsing, I also tend to get in touch with people we have common interest through social media groups like course mates in other academic levels in school.

Researcher: Do you believe that social media cab affects your academic performance?

Student 1: Yes, social media can affect my performance. This is because of the amount of time I spend on social media doing class work especially homework. Social media is a perfect platform to enhance my work after a long day at school. I get to chat with my classmates and discuss assignments and exchange ideas. At times, we even get our instructors version, an aspect that has helped me and my colleagues improve our academic performance outside normal classroom setup.

Researcher: How has the use of social media influenced your academic performance?

Student 1: Social media has improved my academic performance positively. Through social media, I have been able to get additional information academically not discussed in class or in physical groups. In addition, social media has enhanced my performance through getting in touch with my instructors even when I’ am at home and get the necessary academic information.

APPENDIX C

Sample Interview Transcript

Student2

Researcher (R): Before we get started with the interview, I would like to bring to your          attention some things. My name is Erick Alexis and I’m a researcher. I’m conducting this research on the effects of social media to students here at Middle Tennessee University. All your personal and identifiable information will be kept confidential.

Participant 2: (P1): Okay

Researcher: Stories you might share in this interview may be entailed in the study but items specific to your situation will not appear. During the interview, you may review your social media activity profile but the information will not be collected. So, nothing will be traced back directly to you.

Participant 2 (P1): Okay. No problem.

Researcher: Do you have any questions for me?

Participant 2: No

R: What is your sex?

Participant 2: I ‘am definitely a male student, as it can be seen physically (smiling).

Researcher: What is your age?

Participant 2: I ‘am 28 years old almost turning 29, next months (appearing to node his head in approval)

Researcher: What Department are you in?

Participant 2: I ‘am in the Social Sciences Department, ready to get out in the near future and go out to impact many lives (smiling).

Researcher: What level are you?

Participant 2: I’ am at 300 level.

Researcher: What kind of students are you?

Participant 2: I ‘am a full time student on boarding. I stay on campus, in the hostels since I come from a different district. I also preferred this mode since I needed some independence from my loved ones in order to start repairing for the life ahead.

Researcher: Which kind of social media equipment do you own?

Participant 2: I own a blackberry and a computer laptop always on in my room. I do use both of them when to browse online. In most cases while in the hostel, I use my computer and my phone in other places I cannot access my computer like in the cafeteria, school bus and church (laughing)

Researcher: Do you have access to the internet?

Participant 2: Yes, I do have full time access to the internet and the one supplied by the school.  Personally, I do have normal data internet on my cellphone that enable me to access internet services. I also have an internet subscription device that I use to connect with my computer to browse or at times a go to the school computer laboratory to access free Wi-Fi internet services.

Researcher: Are you aware of social media sites?

Participant 2: Yes, I ‘am aware of some of social media sites. Quite a number of them, for instance, Facebook, whtasapp, twitter, linked in, Skype, Instagram and BB Chat among others.

Researcher: Which of the social media networking sites do have an account with?

Participant 2: I have social media accounts with Facebook and BB Chat, Twitter and Skype but actively involved in Facebook and BB chat. This is because most of my colleagues are on these sites and I find them convenient in my online socialization.

Researcher: Which of the social media sites do you prefer?

Participant 2: I prefer Facebook as it is the one I know very well; it is convenient, effective and fast. Furthermore, I have very many friends on Facebook whom we chat and communicate at one time. The social media interface enables me to chat with different people at the same time in addition to being instant and fast.

Researcher: Where do you browse?

Participant 2: I usually browse at school computer laboratory and in the hostel and recreational room when I have completed my daily chores. Whenever I am not near my computer I browse anywhere using my cellphone due to its portability nature. I carry myself with it anywhere like in the cafeteria and in class. Practically I do not have any specific place that I browse, so long as I internet and my devices, I get online. Even when in classroom, I do browse when I get bored with lectures (smiling uncontrollably).

Researcher: How often do you go online?

Participant 2: I do go online often, when I’m free. I do not have any specific time. As I said earlier, I browse quite often when I have my devices. Maybe the only time I do not brose is when I’ am taking a shower or sleeping.

Researcher: How many hours do you spend online?

Participant 2: In most cases, I do spend a minimum of four hours a day. That might be even longer depending on what I’ m doing and how the interaction goes. I can spend the rest of the hours online chatting with my friends colleagues and family members across the globe. When chatting with my girlfriend, it even becomes worse because we chat almost for four hours alone each night.

Researcher: What do you browse when online?

Participant 2: In most cases I do browse in order to get entertainment, for instance music, videos, pornography and chatting with friends. I get to online and listen to music and watch movies at least every day. Listening to online music and chatting with friends is my hobby every day. Keeping in mind that I have to do all these at least every day explains why I spend much time online and you can see for yourself.

Researcher: Sure (nodding with agreement). What satisfaction do you drive from it?

Participant 2: The significant gain I get online from social media is purely entertainment and communication. Social media connects me with my friends and family members. Moreover, through social media, I get latest entertainment on social media that fulfills me.

Researcher: Do you believe that social media cab affects your academic performance?

Participant 2: Yes, social media can affect my performance. For instance, I spend most of time online chatting and doing other things apart from educational. This takes much of my time I would have used in academics an aspect that has affected my performance. As indicated earlier, I also go online in classrooms whenever I am bored something that affect’s my performance. I can say that this high addiction to social media affects me negatively.

Researcher: How has the use of social media influenced your academic performance?

Participant 2: Social media has negatively affected my academic performance negatively.  I have most of my time doing unnecessary things online like sharing photos and chatting instead of studying. In addition, social media has affected my academic performance due heavy addiction I have to it. This has made a negative influence on