The World Changes Before we Fully Realize by Oluwafeolami

The World Changes Before we Fully Realize by Oluwafeolami - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

A little over a decade ago, I was about 6 years old; I vividly remember I had gotten my first ever laptop. It had the DELL logo on it and had a silvery color that I found very pretty. I had extremely limited internet access back then, and social media was not as prevalent as it is now. My parents used Facebook and Blackberry Messenger, so they were the only social media apps I was particularly familiar with. To tell you the truth, I spent most of my time on my laptop playing Windows 7 games like Purble Place, Solitaire, and Minesweeper. These were all built-in games that came with the laptop, and I played them judiciously. When I was younger, utilizing my laptop for research and studying was the last thing on my mind; but, as I grew older, I realized how valuable the internet and social media were for studying and advancing my education.
As I grew older, school presentations, group projects, and online assignment submissions became more common, highlighting the importance of social media on education. In simple terms, social media is a type of communication that allows people to share their interests and information with others around the world. From middle school to high school, I began to rely on these more regularly to direct my study, and later... covid. Who'd have guessed there'd be a global pandemic that would keep us all cooped up in our homes? There will be no physical interactions, and most significantly, you will be able to take classes from home!
Because there was no other means to contact with family and friends during this time, I became intensely aware of the necessity of social media. Despite the impact of Covid, I was still able to continue my education online; I was able to consistently construct an effective schedule for myself to work hard while attending classes and be productive.
Social media has had a significant impact on my education since it has taught me how to properly interact with others, communicate, and collaborate on group projects. When I use social media to gather knowledge and collaborate with my peers, we can learn and get information more easily.
Another way that social media has influenced my learning is the ability to swiftly explore information and find any topic I want to learn about. Although physical books are still available, social media has opened the way for information on where to locate study materials and additional research tools. Everything you need to know is available online these days, and there are tutorials to help you out. I've also been introduced to support groups through social media, which occasionally feature groups of people that have gone through similar educational experiences or are going through the same thing as me. This has given me both encouragement and motivation to continue learning.
Despite this, there is no denying that social media has educational disadvantages. Due to the constant need to know what exciting discoveries are available on social media, there is a risk of becoming distracted and unfocused on lessons. There are a lot of interesting aspects social media gives to discover, and if there isn't enough discipline, social media can become a lever for addiction.
Another downside of social media in education is the potential for misinterpretation and miscommunication while using digital platforms to communicate. Because discussions are not conducted face-to-face, information may be misunderstood and improperly transmitted.
This disrupts communication and may lead to misunderstanding when passing information on to others.
Spending too much time on social media might lead to impatience as well as laziness among students because everything is so simple and laid out for you. There are also many abbreviations for terms in texting, which makes students sluggish and sloppy when writing essays for school and completing projects. There is a tendency to emulate the simple, easy way that social media has made texting, which is bad for learning and education.
To summarize, I believe that social media has had a more beneficial than negative impact on my learning, and it is up to me to be disciplined in how I anticipate my learning to take place, regardless of potential distractions.