FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

EDUC1002

ICT Skills for Teaching and Learning

MAY 2022

Contents

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
GENERAL USES/PURPOSES OF FACEBOOK...........................................................................3
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF USING FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM.......................4
GOOD AND BAD IMPACTS ON STUDENTS...............................................................................5
THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF THE USERS.............................................................................6
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION

People always try to find out opportunities to combine themselves into society. Social media can

refer to any computer-mediated communication platform where users can create their individual

material, view that of their friends or other users online, and interact with it. During the early
days, there were few available modes of communication (Newspapers and television). In

comparison to traditional media (newspaper and television) that only allow for one-way

communication, social media like Facebook and Instagram allow users to interact and

communicate with one another on an equally advantageous basis. Modern days Facebook and

Instagram are the most popularly used social media platforms worldwide.

Without a doubt, Facebook has taken the top spot among daily activities for the younger

generation. Facebook is invented by a student named Mark Zuckerberg from Harvard University

on February 24, 2004 (M-Saleh, 2016). Facebook has personally identifiable profiles made

consisting of data provided by the system, user-supplied content, or content added by other users.

87 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 years old reported using Facebook. In

the year 2017 research showed that 2.1 billion people are using Facebook. Among this many

users, 1.4 billion are active users. Excessive use of this social media platform leads to

dependency on it. Whereas Instagram is a mobile app for sharing photos that enables users to

capture pictures, edit them with filters, and publish them on Instagram as well as other platforms

like Facebook and Twitter. According to the company's website, Instagram has more than 400

million active monthly users who have uploaded over 40 billion pictures. The platform receives

an average of 3.5 billion likes per day for its more than 80 million daily photo uploads. Although

Facebook has the highest amount of users, Instagram has gained popularity during these years

and just passed the landmark of 1 billion monthly active users. Young adults make up the largest

part of Instagram users with more than half reporting using it. There are some strengths and

weaknesses of using these platforms. And it leaves some good and bad impacts on students who

are studying and on some extant mental well-being of the users too.
GENERAL USES/PURPOSES OF FACEBOOK

Giving people the ability to share and adopting greater connectivity around the world is key to

Facebook’s purpose. Facebook enables users the chance to upload and share information like

images and status updates, as well as connect with friends, family, and other connections.

According to past Facebook surveys, the main reason people use social media sites like

Facebook is to connect with and remain in touch with friends, family, and other connections,

maintain social connections and keep up with old buddies, among other socially important

objectives. However, over the previous twelve years, Facebook’s nature changed to the point that

other considerations are now becoming more important. Facebook users’ usage patterns are

becoming more frequently and predictably influenced by entertainment, medium attraction, and

self-documentation. Some people use Facebook to escape from their personal difficulties, in need

of emotional release, and preserve one’s relationships with others. Users of Instagram can post

image-based content (such as pictures and videos) along with text-based captions. Users can

engage with this information by commenting, sharing, or liking the post. The user can edit a

photo or video by applying a filter even before posting it. Instagram was created with

smartphone users in mind when it first launched, but it is now also available on desktops. Any

user who uploaded a photo may initially expect to receive remarks and likes from other users.

And posting personal photos, the user can view other content such as images of fashionable attire

that is now in style. (Saleem, 2017)

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF USING FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM

There are certain strengths and weaknesses of using Facebook and Instagram. Such as

Integration with websites and applications. Now we can link multiple Instagram accounts to our
Facebook profile which will help in sharing information between both Facebook and Instagram.

Both platforms have more than a billion active users in them. Facebook and Instagram have a

wide range of features that other social networks don’t, the website still lacks video chats, group

chats, dislike buttons, the ability to unsubscribe from alerts, and many others. Excellent user

experiences like exchanging so much information and good communication can share data with

the users. Understanding users’ needs and behavior, such as these social media platforms provide

a great deal of information about user preferences, needs, and online behavior. These social

media platforms have access to a lot of data that allows them to make the appropriate decision

about what to offer their customers (in terms of new features and advertisements), as well as how

to enhance their overall user experience. Instagram’s best attributes are its influencer community

and tremendous outreach. Instagram was the first social media site where users could share

pictures and videos, and it was really innovative and special. These are some of the strengths of

using Facebook and Instagram. When we talk about the weaknesses which include lack of

security, internet addiction, information overload, and loss of social contacts. And raising the

percentage of time spent on social media is also a huge weakness of using Facebook and

Instagram. Regarding the lack of security on these platforms, students get excess to each and

every piece of information from these platforms. Facebook and Instagram have a large number

of users that submit personal information to the social network. Each day, hundreds of passwords

are taken in these types of attacks. . A target for attacks that steal passwords and other personal

information from users. The platform does not promise that users will leave the platform and go

to the website of the persons or businesses using sponsored advertising and promotional tools.

However, Facebook and Instagram have to do more to safeguard users from identity theft.

Overuse of social media sites like Facebook and Instagram can lead to addiction. These social
media platforms make it easier to reconnect with old friends and keep in touch with folks who

live far away. However, as these technologies have grown in popularity, there has also been

more reports of people who are "dependent" on the virtual world of social networks, which has a

negative impact on their real life. These stories have appeared in the news as well as in scientific

journals. According to some reports, the aggressive use unexpectedly causes real-world

relationships more harm by increasing separation. (Prasath, 2016)

GOOD AND BAD IMPACTS ON STUDENTS

Social media has made it possible for students to connect more than ever, especially in these

tiresome times when they are physically separated from their friends, family, and classmates.

Social media offers numerous advantages, such as the possibility for pupils to express

themselves artistically, learning opportunities, and also the opportunity to interact with others.

The distribution of material and the exchange of information are growing social desires. In the

development of their academic studies at educational institutions, university students have

developed how individuals communicate, connect, and socialize thanks to social media. The

distribution of content among college students and the general public is greatly facilitated by this

new medium of communication. Students can now take part in social discourse by publishing

comments, exchanging photographs and pictures, and other forms of idea-sharing. And they get

to learn different things from the users and get much more information about their ongoing study

projects from different view angles. Social media has an impact on young people's daily life

nowadays, particularly university students. They get to share their hard time with their friends

and ease the hardships. On the other hand, there are bad impacts of these social media platforms

such as because of their propensity to use the internet, they are unable to get the better sleep that

they need for studying. Your eyes are forced into overwork because they must continually
refocus in order to process text and images when you stare at Facebook or engage in any other

screen-based activity for a prolonged period of time. This always has an effect on the long-term

health of your vision and increases the aging of your eyes and eye fatigue. Spending a lot of time

online can result in a sedentary lifestyle and a failure in regular physical activity, which can

make individuals more prone to non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, and

hypertension. Like other social media sites, Facebook and Instagram have a bad impact on

students' behavior and academic performance and prevent them from concentrating on their

studies. As technology advances, students are depending more and more on readily available

information and data from the internet and social networking sites. This explains why, in some

situations, students' learning abilities and research capacities are declining since their usage of

these websites makes them less focused, which makes them spend less time studying and lowers

their academic achievement. Due to spending more time on Facebook and Instagram, students'

communication skills decrease as they spend more time on social media and less time interacting

with others in person. Students who waste time on social media can run afoul of deadlines. Since

excellent communication skills are believed to be essential for success, students may not be able

to speak and socialize effectively in person as a result. (Jaffar Abbas, 2019)

THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF THE USERS

Using the "like" button, users can leave comments on posts posted by their Facebook and

Instagram friends. These users who obtain "likes" feel that their virtual friends are supporting

them. Numerous studies have been conducted on how social media platforms like Facebook and

Instagram use affects people's wellness, including self-esteem, emotional support, and social

connection, as a result of the widespread use. Those with low self-esteem, for example, spend

more time on social media than those with strong self-esteem.

Instagram. An unimaginable amount of young adults are using Facebook and Instagram which is

affecting their mental health. Such as Internet addiction, depression, anxiety, and spending more

time on Facebook consumes time for other activities. With Facebook addiction, one can lose the

time to spend with their family and friend face to face. Due to this, the bond between family and

friends gets lost. It would be challenging to set aside enough time for tasks and social

interactions. Teenagers and young adults, who make up the majority of Instagram and Facebook

users, report 13-66 percent greater rates of depression than those who use social media the least,

according to The Child Mind Institute. Distracters present in the environment lead to attentional

conflicts that result in confusion, which can then lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. The

more time we spend on Facebook the more time we lose on other activities like household work

and job-related work. In the meantime, we lose control of such activities. (Mizanur, 2018)

CONCLUSION

It is clear that social media platforms can affect youngsters’ and individuals’ health if used

excessively. Although these social media sites have some positive benefits for their users, they

also have a negative side that has a negative impact on mental health. While it improves

communication and provides accurate information, utilizing social media excessively can lead to

addiction. Addiction causes us to lose control over regular activities, such as the affectionate

bonds between friends and family. Students' use of social media has both positive and negative

consequences on them. Students are given learning opportunities, but this drives them to spend

more time engaging in screen-based activities, which leads to health problems like hypertension,

diabetes, obesity, etc. Numerous research has been done on how people's wellness, including

self-esteem, emotional support, and social connection, is impacted by the widespread usage of
 social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Even if these people are utilizing social

media sites for good reasons most of the time it leads to many more mental difficulties like

stress, anxiety, and depression that are sometimes challenging to treat. The Child Mind Institute

reports that the majority of Instagram and Facebook users, who are teenagers and young adults,

had 13–66% higher rates of depression than those who use social media the least.

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