Social Media – Academic’s New Horizons
The Internet revolution changed the information world with regard to sharing, speed, storage and retrieval of information. Social media has become a centralized hub for the information. The role of social media in the academics has a remarkable contribution.
At first glance, academia and social media might not appear to have an obvious connection. Generally Social media is considered as the activity undertaken for purely personal reasons, family, or to any person, to share thoughts, pictures, videos with them (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram etc.). Academic is considered separate from the social media.
But in recent times the academics is involved with and in the social media, some dedicated websites for academic like slideshare.net, academia.edu has boost up the use of social media in academic and social websites Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + etc. have proved their useful in every sector including academics.
Academic and social media seems to be for different purpose but the utility of social media has been covered academics.
Initially academics was focus to the research and its result. Now it has been shifted to citation of the research, interacting and sharing the academic activities with the others. Social Media is the most convenient method to be connected with academicians and related people world-wide. Social media can help academics to achieve core goals
such as increasing the readership for their work and increasing knowledge to the wider public.
Role of Social Media in Academics:
Academic & Research Discussion:
Social media gives a platform to share and discuss the research related matter over the internet. Research gate, SlideShare.
Live Seminars
Video calling, live telecasting trough service like Skype etc. make possible to deliver live lecturers to the far distant aspirants. “Skype” a video calling service which enable to connect with the Facebook contacts to chat
over internet with voice, text and video.
Student-Faculty Interaction
Social media enable student faculty interactions even after college hours, assignment, query can be asked, resolved
over the internet. Sharing of lecture notes, not only to the students of same college but with the others
Day to Day operations in Academic Institutions
Admissions, recruitment process and others activities like promotion of institute, conference, seminars etc. all these activates have gotten a new platform with the social media. For example with the help of Google groups, LinkedIn we can easily get connected with the alike persons that are suitable for the seminar and conference.
Online Examinations
Various examinations are conducted online, Social media are the channels which enable not only to attract & promote students but as the tool to identify the person. A unique email id, Facebook or LinkedIn profile can be used as the login id for examination
Help, Support & Feedback
Any problem in academic, need feedback on new concept or idea social website are the one point solution for all. For example various Google groups on Gmail are running who share & support the literature to each other, more the members more the effectiveness of the group.
Distance Education
A concept that can realize the dream of hundred percent literacy and skilled people with the help of distance education. Internet has given its revolutionary role in the distance education. Online application forms, fee
submission, study materials, lectures, examinations has
Some Negative effects of Social Media
No method is perfect and this is true for the social media in academics. There are some negative points such as “Privacy & Confidentiality”, “time consumption”, “not a guaranteed tool”, “plagiarism”, “ambiguity”, etc. Social media can be a cause of off tracking of the routine & planned work procedure. More over social media claim to
the reach of billions of people but it also not necessary that every person must be using social websites. Also social websites are not authentic sources of information as if any wrong information is put on the twitter or
Facebook it will be circulated to thousands of people in seconds and mislead them.
Conclusion
However social media have varies negative impacts but we can-not neglect the benefit and importance of social media. Social media is the source which have a very large user base and can be utilize to prosper, enhance the academic and its effectiveness. Academics has its future relying in the Social Network.
