No doubt, social media has impacted our lives in diverse ways that we least expected. It has made the human race a lot easier yet complicated. When it comes to information being handy due to the invention of social media, it is one aspect that I appreciate, knowing that the world isn't that big after all.
Sitting from the comfort of your home and knowing whatever is going on in other countries, meeting people from all over the globe "is the sweetest thing ever," Building connections and long-lasting relationships with others in the online space is one of the most rewarding aspects of social media.
Growing up nobody taught us how to use social media, that's why the moment we are privileged to own a smartphone, the first thing we do is install those social media apps and start creating accounts, after we start sending friend requests to people "the known and unknown" and after a while we find ourselves being experts on those apps.
I wasn't taught how to navigate social media platforms but deep down I knew what was right and wrong because often I would stay around my big sister and those moments I'd see her on those apps doing certain things and closing certain pages when they pop up, so those little things I saw her did make me understand a little about the good and not so good of social media.
In the world today, social media plays a central role in our everyday lives; some people's lives revolve around social media: "I know someone," and that brings me to the topic of discussion: "Should social media be studied in schools?".
I'm having a wild imagination right now "kind of improper." Imagine social media being a faculty in a higher institution, and its sub-departments are gonna be "thinking out loud though" (TikTok, Facebook, and the rest of the family). Now this particular faculty is gonna be fun to be in. There are so many benefits of using social media but then not forgetting the negative impact it will have on pupils.
When I first had my ever first Facebook account I was fourteen years old but currently, you see kids up 9-to 12 years old who have their own Facebook accounts, regardless of the fact that there is an age limit to this thing, you'd still see this children faking their age just to have that account created and be among the latest crew.
These days, children appear to be able to access social media platforms easily; the moment they get their hands on a smartphone, the first application they open is the social media platform. As children, they won't understand the dangers social media can cause to them and others around them.
Children of that age range will not understand that the kind of things they post on social media can have repercussions on them someday. They don't understand the fact that social media always keep things intact; information can't be easily erased from the internet.
So, I think it would be a good idea if children are taught what to post on social media that won't lead to them harming themselves or others in the online space. They should be aware of the kind of actions to portray on the internet. The acceptable behaviors.
I know social media platforms seem too easy to access, as the knowledge of how to navigate these platforms comes naturally, but then it is how they use it that can be productively enhanced. Students need to be taught how to use social media effectively and responsibly.
Thanks for reading 🧡
