Social Media And Social Emotional Learning: Adolescents’ Perspective

Abstract

Social media network has infiltrated our world to become a permanent companion. Last decade has seen a considerable change in the social media usage of young people. They have become increasingly dependent on social media. The shift in teens’ social media usage is just one example of how adolescents today have grown up immersed in technology and how social networking sites are influencing their life and choices. From seeking validation to gratification, social networking sites provide diverse ways to interact, learn, and adapt. Around the globe, the most widely used social media platforms are Facebook, twitter, and Instagram. Each platform attracts diverse kinds of users and extends distinctive services or features to their userbase. Adolescents is a transitional phase of life. The rise in the use of social networking sites by adolescents raise the question whether it is for their benefit or not as they are in an impressionable age. Past research has focussed on the adverse effects of social networking sites but the question in line is, has any of the social networking site is positively impacting adolescents’ social skills, learning and knowledge. A pilot study was conducted on 12 to 18 years old to find the impact of social networking sites on the receptive mind. The present study is planned to find out the influence of social media on social emotional learning. As we are sitting in the inflection point in history where tech revolution must be supported by social emotional abilities, it is essential to find out if social media has an impact on social emotional learning of adolescents.