Do the Benefits of Social Networking Outweigh the Risks?

More than 350 million people log into social networking sites each day. While this might be just another fact to support the theory that many people are addicted to social media, one might be tempted to wonder if social media sites have any benefits. The risks and dangers commonly associated with social media certainly seem to disregard these. However, upon closer examination of social media and the possible uses of such sites, a more suitable and reasonable statement is that social media do indeed have benefits that outweigh these risks and dangers. Social media, even with some of its disadvantages, can prove to benefit the education of many young students, if used appropriately. Source B states that "Student research participants who studied in groups, even only once a week, were better prepared for class, and learned significantly more than students who worked on their own" (Thomaszewski). Although the lure of distraction may be enough to convince parents to have their children stay off social networks, motivation can be one of the main benefits of bringing social media into schools and can actually help students academically. Students who are more engaged in their studies tend to push themselves harder to work, ultimately bringing up their academic scores. The learning is also more self-directed, instead of it being forced upon by teachers, creating freedom that motivates the students to actively participate and learn from one another than from adults. The age of students also seem to play a part in educative social media, as a report from the Harvard School of Education states that social media, considered "cool" by many, can attract younger learners (Thomaszewski). As can plainly be seem here, social media is also able to attract a wide array of students, as the use of social media is particularly appealing to young students, allowing more groups of students to continue their education efficiently from high school and onwards, in a world where many kids