Social Media and Student Success: Unraveling the Link between Online Engagement and Academic Behavior

Social media has become an integral part of students' daily lives, influencing various aspects of academic behavior. Higher education students employ technology through an array of devices, including laptops, smartphones, desktop computers, and tablets. There are many academic behaviors but, in this study, only four academic behaviors are under consideration. These are communication among students and teachers, achieving high grades, time management and concentration on study. The major objectives of the study were (i) To explore the use of social media among university students, (ii) To find the relationship between social media and academic behaviors. This study adopts a quantitative, descriptive correlational research design to examine the relationship between social media engagement and academic behavior among university students. The target population consists of 620 university students and the sample size was 124 from three departments of University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Jhelum Valley Campus. A stratified random sampling technique was be used to ensure diversity in academic disciplines and levels. A structured questionnaire was developed, consisting of closed-ended Likert-scale items and demographic questions. The results derived from this investigation illuminate the dual character of social media within the educational institute. Although social networking sites (SNSs) present substantial advantages in facilitating communication and offering educational resources, their capacity to divert attention and disrupt critical academic practices such as time management and focus must not be disregarded. It is recommended that academic institutions ought to contemplate the incorporation of digital literacy initiatives that advocate effective social media practices, thereby maximizing its constructive influence on student achievement.