Impact of Social Media on Academic Performance

Social media is a mode of communication, influencing nearly every field of life. Researchers have found that the use of social media can be addictive, which may cause significant impairment in various aspects of an individual’s life. This study has been designed to investigate the impact of Social Networking on students’ academic performance in Islamabad and Rawalpindi (Pakistan). This Cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2019 to February 2020. 385 students of age 15 to 25 years, enrolled in different educational institutes of twin cities were included in the study. Data was collected using self-designed Questionnaire. Analysis of data was performed using SPSS V.21. Total of 348 participants were included from different educational institutes of Rawalpindi and Islamabad city. Studies show that among youth, teen age group was more addicted to social networking and maximum participants were using social media for more than 3 years for just recreation or relaxation purpose. Though the results do not show statistical significance (Social Network Usage per 24 hours* Negative Effect of social networking on study timings p-value 0.061) but being close to the statistically significant figure, shows that somehow the fact that spending more time on social network has overall negative effect on academic’s outcome. We cross tabulated, duration since using social network with social network usage/24 hours and found statistically significant association between it (i.e. p- value= 0.000) which shows that those who were using social media for longer duration are actually using it for no specific reason or fruitful purpose. Most of the subjects under study were females in both age groups. More time spent on social media in 24 hours affects the study timings negatively thus affecting the study outcome and academic results.