THE ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS IN INDORE, MADHYA PRADESH

Both social media and Information and Communication Technology have become an integral part of college students’ lives, significantly impacting their academic performance. The present research work aimed to find out the extent to which social media usage influences academic success by investigating various factors such as the frequency of social media engagement, the purpose of use (academic vs. non-academic), effectiveness, time management, effectiveness, and the platforms most commonly utilized by students of higher education, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. For this, a quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected using Google Forms-based surveys and collected data were further studied to identify trends and correlation between studied parameters. The findings revealed that 93% of respondents have been using social media, with most spending 1–2 h daily. Moreover, these are using social media primarily for educational purposes (61.5%), followed by news (45%) and entertainment (44%). A proportion (50.75%) of students have seen to experience positive impact of social media on their academics. Similarly, 71.5% have reported receiving study-related help through it. However, the data also showed that the excessive use caused distraction (54.75%), time management issues (40.25%), and mental health issues (52.5%). Overall, a good number of students (88.75%) have mentioned that social media can be more effectively used for education. Overall, the findings can serve as a ground to students, educators, doctors, parents, and policymakers in making informed decisions about balancing social media use with academic goals and also laying the groundwork for future research into more effective usage.