Chapter I

The Problem and It’s Background

This chapter presents the Introduction, Theoretical Framework,

Conceptual Framework, Statement of the Problem, Scope and Delimitation,
Significance of the Study and Definition of Terms.

I.INTRODUCTION

The impact of the Internet on education is an important issue that has

caught both educators’ and practitioners’ attention in recent years. According to
Harasim, three new modes of education delivery make online education
distinctive. They are adjunct mode: using networking to enhance traditional face-
to-face education or distance education mixed mode: employing networking as a
significant portion of a traditional classroom or distance course pure online mode:
relying recent working as the primary teaching medium for the entire course or
program. Among these three education delivery modes, the pure online mode
has caught the most attention. Several successful cases or critical factors of pure
online education have been reported see especially. One major concern of online
education is whether the learning is effective. Many studies have been conducted
to explore the effectiveness of Web-based distance learning or asynchronous
learning. Although most studies showed that the learning outcomes of distance
learning or asynchronous learning are as effective as or more effective than
those of traditional face-to-face teaching, the results were not conclusive since
the learning materials and goals might exert significant influence on outcomes.
For example, conceptual learning might be different from technique learning.
Negative effects such as decrease in group effectiveness, increase in time
required to complete tasks, and decrease in member satisfaction were
confirmed. Students’ feeling of isolation may also become an obstacle in pure
online education. The adjunct mode and the mixed mode of online education
should be explored in more detail because these two modes of online education
could possess the advantages of both pure online and traditional face-to-face
teaching. Yet, few studies have been conducted to explore the adjunct mode of
online education. Little is known regarding the learning effectiveness of these
forms of online learning. Social networking sites (SNS) have become popular
with the help of digital technologies (tablet, smartphone, notebook, etc.) and
internet recently (Boyd &Ellison, 2007). Social media is a virtual platform. This
platform helps people to make new connections, to improve friendly relations with
other humans, and to exchange information (Coyle & Vaughn, 2008; Wang,
Chen, & Liang, 2011). Many social networking sites (Blogs, Facebook,
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) are using at the present time. One of
the most popular sites is Facebook. The statistical data showed that there are
more than 500 million people with Facebook membership and the majority of
them are members of other social networking sites besides approximately 250
million of these memberships visit Facebook site in each day at least one time
(Boyd & Ellison, 2007).

II. Theoretical Framework

USE

Effects

Physical Mental
Use

Social media access and usage has grown rapidly in the past several years.
In academia, social media is a new pedagogical tool that may be used to engage
students both inside and outside the economics classroom, and impact their
overall success. In this study we examine the students’ view of incorporating
social media in the classroom. The survey was administered at three academic
institutions. The results are based on a survey administered to students in
Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses. Students have the
strongest presence, in descending order, on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram,
and Twitter. However, based on their utilization preferences, these mediums are
ranked as follows: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The results
indicate that students are concerned with privacy but are more willing to connect
with faculty if the connection is “one-way” and participate if social media is a
voluntary part of class. Therefore Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, or Facebook
“like” pages or groups are potentially better mediums for faculty to use in
economic classrooms. The survey indicates that students use their social media
accounts more frequently than email or Learning Management Systems and,
therefore, social media may also be a more effective tool for spontaneous
communication for many students.

Effects

 Physical
Social media use has skyrocketed thanks in great part to the growth
of smartphone technology. It seems that everywhere we look, people are
glued to their smartphones. Awkward moments of silence and small talk in
the elevator with strangers are now gone due to the ability to stare at a
screen and look busy. Looking at the mental and social impacts of
widespread social media use was more straightforward. But how are we
being affected physically? Most physical effects of social media use have
to do with the increased amount of time we spend staring at our phones or
our computer screens. What damage is being done in our effort to always
be connected?

Posture

Numerous medical and scientific studies have shown alarming

results when testing people who use smartphones for more than four
hours a day and those who don’t. Smartphone users tend to develop
rounded shoulders, spinal curvatures, vertebrate disorders, and
associated neck pain and headaches caused by these ailments. It makes
sense. Using our smartphones often involves being hunched over. Our
posture suffers, and we alter the muscles and bones in our torsos over
time.

Eyesight

Smartphones emit blue light, which is very bright for our eyes.
Looking at our smartphones in bed is especially harmful, as this direct
exposure to light can be damaging to our retinas, which can lead to
macular degeneration (i.e., worsening eyesight). Also, a growing number
of ophthalmologists are beginning to believe there’s a link between
smartphone use and cataracts, with younger and younger patients
experiencing cataracts instead of the typical 75-and-older crowd.

Disrupted Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important factors in our overall health. In

order to achieve and maintain healthy sleep, our bodies need to be able to
naturally produce melatonin. Staring at smartphone screens in bed is like
tricking the body into staring into a brightly-lit landscape, which delays
 melatonin production and prevents us from having quality sleep patterns,
resulting in a host of health issues.

 Mental
In this day and age, social media constantly surrounds us.
People are always on their phones or laptops updating statuses, posting
pictures, liking things, and messaging back and forth with friends.
Although social media is extremely beneficial in several ways (i.e., self
expression, communicating with long-distance friends, self-identity,
emotional support, and so on), it does have a negative impact on mental
health. Recently a study was conducted by the Royal Society of Public
Health and the Young Health Movement, which surveyed nearly 1,500
young adults around the ages 14-24 from Northern Ireland, England,
Scotland, and Wales. For this survey participants were asked to rate 14
mental health and wellbeing-related issues for different platforms of social
media. The mental health and wellbeing-related issues consisted of items
like: quality and amount of sleep, feelings of loneliness, bullying, fear of
missing out (FOMO), anxiety, emotional support, depression, self-
expression and so on. The results of the study showed that there are both
positive and negative impacts of social media platforms. Some of the
positive impacts of social media platforms include, that it is great for
making and maintaining relationships with people, self-expression, self-
identity, emotional support, and community building. While on the other
hand, the negative impacts of social media platforms include issues like
increased levels of depression and anxiety, poor sleep quality,
dissatisfaction with body image, cyberbullying, and FOMO. In general
these negative impacts of social media are typically attributed to
unrealistic depictions in posts that cause viewers to feel inadequate. This
feeling of inadequacy and low self-esteem can lead to the negative
impacts that were just listed above (i.e., increased levels of depression,
anxiety, body image dissatisfaction, and so on). Social media can easily
make people feel as if they are not good enough which can then lead to
negative feelings and desiring to alter yourself or your life. These negative
feelings and the desire to alter yourself or your life is harmful to one’s
mental health. Additionally other research has found that the more often
you spend on social media and the more social platforms that you are on
can also lead to increase negative feelings and rates of depression and
anxiety. Based on the results from the 14 health and wellbeing-related
questions, the study went ahead and displayed the overall net impact of
each social media platform on health and wellbeing. YouTube was rated
the most positive for health and wellbeing, followed by Twitter, Facebook,
Snapchat, and finally Instagram was found to be the most damaging for
one’s health and wellbeing. It has been noted by many that there seems
to be a problem with viewing image content since both Instagram and
Snapchat were rated so negatively and are social media platforms hugely
focused on images. In terms of trying lessen the amount of negative
impact from social media, the Royal Society of Public Health and the
Young Health Movement are proposing a couple of ideas. The first is
having social media platforms keep track of the amount of usage done by
a user and providing pop-ups stating that viewing more content may be
harmful. This would most likely also help lessen the addiction that some
people have to social media, and lessen the rate of depression and
anxiety. Another proposal is having social media platforms highlight when
photos of people have been digitally manipulated (this includes photoshop
and filters). This would help with body image and levels of depression and
anxiety. There is no way to know for sure if the proposed ideas will ever
be put into action, so that is why it is important to be weary of your social
media usage and the feelings it may be causing you. If you feel as if you
are constantly checking social media or are feeling anxious or depressed
after viewing your social media, it may be important to take a step back
from your phone or laptop screen and take a break from using social
media. It is also as equally important to spend time evaluating what you
are putting on social media as well, as some content may be harmful or
damaging to others. Overall though, remember that it is most important to
do what is best for your mental health and wellbeing.