Abstract

The main objective of this research study was to know the impact of social media on the performance of students at the postgraduate level in district Khanewal. The population of this research study was the students of colleges located in district Khanewal. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample from the population and 640 students were selected for this research study. T-test and ANOVA were used to know the inferential statistics. No significant difference in the usage of social media among students on the basis of their gender, age and class. Parents and teachers should guide the students to use social media in such a way that they may learn about their studies. It is also recommended that teachers should make WhatsApp groups with the students so that they may help the students after class hours and social media may be used in a useful way for the student’s academic matters.

Key Words

Social Media Students Achievement Graduate Level

Introduction

Another advantage of social media would be that we would have an incentive to make good contacts with our target audience. Students are encouraged to set up profiles on various social networking sites to get easy access to information and news. Most useful resources for an advanced user can be found on Pinterest, Instagram, as well as in other fields. Users will be presented with up-the-to-date and near-the-date news and knowledge by animations to help them gather information (Moreau, 2018). According to Wong and Merchant (2014), there is the biggest hurdle to making social media users use of content: a profusion of distorted or inaccurate information Allcott and his colleagues studied the way Facebook limits one's access to publications to lessen one's consumption of material (TV, radio, internet or other social media platforms). The vast majority of the people who uninstalled Facebook said they had no idea what was happening in the outside world (Alcott et al., 2019). The same research team concluded that they knew less by participating in current events more frequently (Allcott et al., 2019).

Hogan and Strasbourg mention the special use of social media to educate young people about diseases and subjects, including vaccination notices or sexual health updates, in particular cases like HPV are excellent for staying connected with your peers as a teen. By creating a text messaging app that quickly delivers health and crime prevention information, you connect users to immediate improvements in their social conditions and police services (Hogan & Strasburger, 2018). We believe that a majority of people in Boston favor text-based services. Young people who suffer from mental illness are, however, the heaviest social media users because of an overload of easily misinterpreted material on social media links. It has been discovered that those with bad health issues are more apt to say something is wrong with their body, ask for help, and to be concerned about the well-being of others (Hausman et al., 2017).

Since social networking relies on personal data, it can easily be made accessible to many millions of people, which has turned it into a means of doing financial as well as personal harm (Wong et al., 2014). Diabetes has shifted to be the most-trended of fitness and eating behaviors. The study by Zhao and Zhang (2017) showed that for people aged 18-30, social media was more often used for finding health information because some assumed they were on social media. A lot of teens obtain health records from parents or doctors. However, 1 in 5 adolescents is using YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter to look it up. Social network information is expected to increase the percentage of people getting their vaccinations. You were more likely to get a flu shot because of the big influence of social media, but you disagreed with this (Ahmed et al., 2017).




Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are to examine the effect of social media on the academic performance of graduate-level students. In specific terms, the study aims:

? To find the involvement of students in social media at the postgraduate level.

? To measure the perceived effects of social media on the performance of students at the postgraduate level.




Research Questions

We explored the answers to the following research questions:

1) Why do students of postgraduate level make use of social media?

2) What is the effect of social media on the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of students of postgraduate level?

Literature Review

Social media is a type of contact between people around the world, across continents and beyond prejudice against gender. It is a cable or wireless connection, such that the Internet has become a part of one the social media. Digital Global Statistics GDS. (2014) reported that a billion persons globally are Internet users, while 35% have internet access and 26% use social media for multiple purposes.

In Pakistan, there has been an IT boom over the last decade. Many new innovations have been implemented and many new programs and courses have been initiated in Pakistan's universities a large number of students obtained admissions. These innovations became common to educated people of all ages with the passing of time. But students remained the most prominent source of communication using the new technology and particularly social media. Compared to other mobile countries in this country, the growth rate of mobile, internet and broadband networks in Pakistan is very high. The population is 16.8 percent smart, although only the Maldives is 28.3 per cent famous on the Pakistani social media. Amin (2014) announced that an estimated 25 million internet users were using the internet, out of which 15 million were using cell phone networks due to their convenience and expense.

The educational social platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Google Plus and Facebook's message boards. In 2008-2009, 61% of the population used Facebook and in 2009- 10 it rose to 87%, hitting 98% in 2010-11. The key use of microblogs was made by educational institutes to update the new advertisements to students and teachers. The growth curve showed 59% in 2009, out of 10% in 2008-09, and 84% in 2011. Over the years, blogging has been very popular. The number of uses in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-1, respectively, was 48 percent, 46 percent and 47 percent. As normal, message boards enjoyed steady use ranging from 36% in 2008-2009 to 38% in 2009-2010 and 37% in 2010-2011. Schools embrace instructional innovations and incorporate social media into classrooms. This pattern has gained substantial encouragement and apprehension (Madhusudan G. Tandale, and Raghu Raman. 2016).

The idea of custom-made learning, also an aspect of learning using SNSs, is also discussed in a Huge Open Online Course (MOOC). Indeed an online social network is commonly offered and circulated via a MOOC. A MOOC incorporates social networking interconnectivity, facilitates an existing research expert and gathers online tools readily available. Anyone from any part of the world will receive the same information for more organized education and the grant of diplomas in the sense of accessible educational tools, open access to findings of science output, from the most respected institutions, to the most renowned experts, from the same content (Lockyer, L.; Patterson, J. 2008).

Mushtaq, Kayani (2015) said students in the university use social media, in particular, Facebook, with a user-friendly interface, and users can do various activities through personal profile formation and the attachment of other users to them as buddies. They can exchange thoughts and feedback and post messages, photographs and videos. Facebook and other social media provide users the ability to chat on the internet through a number of electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets and tabs, making communicating with their peers and colleagues much easier for users (Rehaman 2014). Usman (2013) has observed that Facebook uses in Pakistan is increasing steadily as 1.16 million active users have been introduced over the past six months and their population access is 4.96%, while online people have access of 29.69%. Pakistan is number 27 globally as Facebook is used, counted by its number of visits.

It is clear that in the past decade, certain positive effects and also negative have been studied, but the question of how much this affects the grades of the students is debatable. Previous findings have found that students devote more time to and are addicted to social media. Facebook usage clearly affects real-life communication or face-to-face communication, which slowly declines the social skills of its use. Facebook addiction is the new psychiatrist expression because it harms sleep habits, health and interest in real-life studies and communication skills (Farooqi et al. 2013). The investigator has abandoned them and explores other facets of Facebook use. This research emphasizes its beneficial impact on the academic and grade learning of students.

Facebook has become popular among students and young people on social media. The effect on individuals, particularly students, is both positive and negative. For many different purposes, hundreds of millions of people use Facebook and it has an important part-time activity. Facebook is a social network that binds people to one another. Many students at universities use them in such a way that they don't find time for their other social tasks, physical activities. Facebook is a dependency to mimic and stick students around their desktops, tablets, IPads and cell telephones.

The educational authorities are keen to know if academic success is attained by the use of Facebook. The previous studies Negussie & Ketema (2014) have shown that no substantial correlation exists between Facebook use of time and frequency and university degrees, and the connections between Facebook visits and the academic performances of students have been negative. Thuseethan & Kuhanesan (2014). Therefore it is the media that plays on their professional careers that say that Facebook addiction is popular among university students. This study aimed to analyze the situation in Pakistan with quick and cheap access to social media.

Afzal (2012) has stated that students in Pakistan are spent time on Facebook work, particularly at their graduate level and do not want to prepare for tasks and to study for the exam, so they get poor grades, which negatively affects their academic performance of students. Marche (2012) said that social media such as Facebook gives a forum that makes them individual and unattended in social life. Turkle (2011) confirmed it was a social media user and who found shelter and anonymity in the young century.

Population Of The Study

A population is a target group of individuals with a certain set of features that can be used to gather information. It includes all possible cases (people, objects, and events) that make up a known whole (Gay, 2008). Students enrolled in Khanewal's colleges and universities, a total of 1250 students at the postgraduate level, were the focus of this study.

The institutions which were selected for the population are given below

1) Superior college Khanewal

2) Appex college Khanewal branch

3) Aspire college Khanewal branch

4) Government postgraduate college for girls Khanewal

5) Government postgraduate college for boys Khanewal

6) Kips college Khanewal branch

7) Superior college Mian channu Branch

8) Appex college Khanewal branch

9) Aspire College Mian Channu Branch

10) Government graduate college for girls Mian Channu

11) Government postgraduate college for boys Mian Channu

12) Kips College Mian Channu Branch







Sample Of The Study

The method of selecting a group of participants for a sample in such a way that the people reflect the wider group from which they were chosen is known as sampling (Gay, 2008). In this analysis, considerable efforts were made to choose a sample that is representative of the whole population. Owing to financial and time limitations, the researcher is unable to reach the whole population of the survey. The study's sample was chosen using convenience sampling techniques. This research study would have a sample size of 300 students.




Development Of Tool And Validity

In order to get the essential responses from the participants, a questionnaire was devised, verified via a try-out test, and delivered in accordance with the study's goals. This is because they were determined to be the most relevant and suited for answering the study questions.




Expert Opinion

Before being finalized, the designed research instrument (questionnaire) was passing through multiple phases of collection and rejection in order to meet the study's objectives. Any effort was taken to position and object in its proper location in order to gather accurate information from the respondents in the survey. For the confirmation of all the questionnaires, a group of experts composed of renowned professors in the field of education was consulted, and the questionnaires were finalized for further processing based on their input and expert opinion.

Findings

S. No	Statements	M	SD
1	Students' academic performance is affected badly due to addiction to social media.	3.57	1.21
2	Limited use of social media does not affect my performance.	3.65	1.24
3	I am distracted from my studies by social media.	3.96	1.07
4	Due to sharing of unethical content on social media platforms, students' interest in studies is decreased.	3.95	1.07
5	It is a waste of time and the duration spent on social media.	3.56	1.16
6	I use social media just as a hobby to kill time.	3.96	1.07
7	There is no improvement in my performance even though I use social media for my study purpose.	3.47	1.23
8	Using social media is essential at present as a tool to improve my performance.	3.96	1.07
9	I spend more time using social as compared to my studies.	3.92	1.08
10	I spend much time on Facebook and Tik Tok and it has affected my performance badly.	3.96	1.07
11	By using social media, I can approach my friends who are far from me to help me in my studies.	3.57	1.21
12	I use social media as a helping tool in my studies.	3.95	1.07
13	Social media is a source of awareness for to young generation in all walks of life.	3.47	1.23
14	I use youtube for my studies and it has improved my concepts.	3.17	1.20
15	To me, using social media is just a waste of time.	3.50	1.21
16	I have joined WhatsApp groups of my fellows and these groups are useful for my studies.	3.95	1.07

Discussion

The different tools of social media should be applied in high school. Its network is very wide, and in a relatively short timeframe, it has penetrated a broad audience. This study showed that Facebook, Twitter, Whatapp, Instagram, Google Docs, YouTube, Flicker, My Space and Pinterest were the most widely used social networking platforms for students. These are the instruments that are commonly used by pupils. Very few teachers are searching for advice from apps such as Edublog, Padlet, Friendzy or Edmodo, but these forums do not help students to learn more and develop more academically. The results demonstrate that teachers integrate the different resources of social media in order to improve their pedagogical capabilities and promote self-paced learning. Parents and school managers usually agree that social media is an online source with little to no confidentiality and protection that denies school management, and some teachers urge students to engage in social media integration. Social networking tools, because they lack anonymity, cannot keep up with their users' privacy and are often harassed and sometimes threatened because of lack of privacy and protection (Tariq, 2012). This is one of the main problems to be dealt with such that social media in secondary classes can be continually and smoothly implemented. The impact of social media has assumed that social media have a negative side, but this must be remembered if students partake in inappropriate acts and behavior. Sharing useless, gross content and intimidating peers all allow the mistrust of school governance to rise and discourage it from incorporating social media into classrooms.

It is most important to teach educators about how to utilize social media since they are the main agencies involved, but they also teach parents. Without their assistance, educational social media access will be impossible, and therefore social problems will escalate in society. Taking into account the findings obtained, some teachers integrate social media resources into their lessons; but few teachers do. School management plays a major role in the progress and development of schools. It is also essential to educate school managers on the implementation and importance of social media. Seminars and seminars may be held in-house to increase visibility (Anderson, 2014). The integration of cyber-intelligent services and the provision of intelligence on cyber intelligentsia would increase visibility and control of social networking risks. The organization of professional training sessions for teachers and internet safety awareness services for parents and students is also possible. Any move in the 21st century includes technologies in which connectives theory comes into play (Downes, 2012).

Conclusion

Many of the students are actually the victims of urban or rural social media, as well as male and female. Also, pre-primary school-age children now use social media without understanding the benefits or pitfalls. Social media is used at a young age. Most students favored their success through the use of social media. There are a limited number of respondents who benefit from social media, but most of them are adversely affected. Those that used social media most poorly are affected by the results of social media respondents. The findings of this research revealed that social media has detrimental impacts on teens, such as loss of anonymity, distracting students from their school assignments, taking much of their time to work, etc. For example, students can build on the internet to schedule a project, have a group conversation about the classroom subject, or use social media to stay up-to-date with current academic knowledge when a student is absent.

It is concluded that the social media site has a huge effect on Pakistani graduate students' academic success. However, the adequacy of time and health addiction among the six variables included in this study have a greater effect on the academic success of students. Time control plays an important part in assessing an individual's success or failure. Thus, the damaging effect of Social Media sites on their uses can be readily seen by students without time control.

Similarly, students who are overwhelmed by social media sites end up skipping their food which has an impact on their well-being. Such students get malnourished and could get sick, which would affect students directly. Furthermore, the essence of the use and the relation of friends often affect student results, but it does not have the same effect as the predictor. Lastly, time span and privacy issues affect the academic success of students minimally or not significantly.

Recommendations

On the basis of the findings following recommendations are given which will be helpful for the students to use social media to improve their academic performance.

1) Students should use social media for a short time just for the sake of studies, so that is necessary e time maybe e used for the learning process.

2) Unethical videos, pictures and images and other content should be banned so that students' moral training may not be affected. such vulgar videos attract the students and time is wasted in such vulgar activities

3) Facebook should be used by the students only for study purposes. It was found that the majority of the students spend most of their time on Facebook just to see the likes and comments on their posts during school time.

4) There are many Facebook pages that are helpful for the students. Such pages should be visited frequently by the students, especially during their exams.

5) Teachers should make WhatsApp groups with their students so that teachers may teach the students even after school hours. It will be helpful for the teachers and students in the teaching-learning process.

6) YouTube channels are also helpful for the students to learn about their subjects. Teachers should ask the students to visit the YouTube channels which are helpful for the students related to their studies. Students will learn about their practical work by watching such videos on YouTube channels.

7) Students should be guided about ethical issues in social media usage so that social media may be used in a useful way.

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