Abstract The purpose of this study is to actually look at the use of the social media (i. e Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp,) in RSUST and the academic performance of the students. In this research a qualitative research method is used. 3 researched questions were asked 1. How common is the use of social media (i. e Facebook, BBM[BlackBerry Messenger], Whatsapp, Twitter) among RSUST students. 2. How often do these students spend using the social media? 3. How has it affected the academic performance of those who use the social media and those who don't?
Introduction There has been a debate about the use of social media (e. g. , Facebook,Twitter,) by high school and college students, and the possible effect of those tools on students’ academic performance (Connolly, 2011; Hargitai, & Hsieh, 2010; Karpinski, & Duberstein, 2009). The main issue of this debate is whether the growing use of social media by high school and/or university students actually improves or worsens a student’s academic performance.
The continued growth in the usage of the social media by students as early as the elementary school level (Anderson, & Rainie, 2012; Lenhart, 2009), In fact, the average time spent with screen media among 8- to 18-year-olds is more than twice the average amount of time spent in school each year (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010; National Center for Education Statistics, 2007–2008). This issue has brought about concerns particularly for the areas of education (e. g. the identification and use of compatible teaching methods and the design of non-classroom educational assignments); communications (e. g. , the identification of appropriate channels on how to exchange educational information among individuals) (Chen, & Bryer, 2012; Anderson, & Rainie, 2012). Over the past 10 years, the media environment that children grow up in has changed dramatically, and the amount of time they spend consuming media has exploded. Students have been engulfed with—and possibly transformed by— reality TV, smartphones, iPads, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.
