While Your Scrolling: The Benefits of Social Media For Students

According to Search Engine Journal, the average screen time spent on social media worldwide is 2 hours and 24 minutes, and 59.9 percent of the global population are social media users. For younger users growing up in the age of social media, education on how to navigate these platforms is important to ensure that students are using social media effectively and to their benefit.  

Apps such as Instagram, TikTok, and X have a variety of educational content that is beneficial for students. Funny videos and memes are part of what makes social media entertaining and fun for viewers, but during the 2 hours and 24 minutes that a high school student scrolls through social media, they can be viewing some content that helps them learn and grow outside of the classroom. Here are 4 ways social media can help students enrich their educational experience.  

Opportunity To Build Digital Literacy

The American Library Association says that digital literacy “involves knowing digital tools and using them in communicative, collaborative ways through social engagement.” Posting, liking, and commenting are not the only features users should care about. It’s important for people to understand things such as privacy protection, internet safety, and misinformation detection. The more digital literate someone is, the safer they can be on social media, and the better they can use various platforms.  

These skills also carry over into the classroom, as students conduct research papers and projects, communicate with teachers, and navigate group work in a digital setting. If students can build good habits on social media, those habits will help them navigate the digital world in academic and even professional settings.

An Extension of The Classroom:

Before going to college and specializing in only a few areas of study, students should use their high school experience as an opportunity to learn as much as they can during and after school hours. Using social media as a supplementary source of education can be a great way for high school students to expand their knowledge after school hours.  

Students should be encouraged to follow social media accounts that align with their hobbies, extracurriculars, and academic interests. The Education Resources Information Center’s article Why do University Students Prefer YouTube to Learn and Study, states that “YouTube provides much further information about different topics,” and that even college students find information on YouTube that is “typically not related to their major, but they have an interest in it.” This sort of educational exploration through different social media platforms gives students the chance to build upon their studies in the classroom and grow in areas outside of their school curriculums. This allows them, in their formative years, to build a more well-rounded foundation for the future.
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Preparation for the Future as an International Student:

For international students, social media can be a way to prepare for high school abroad, college, and beyond. For example, if a student shows interest in studying abroad in California, they may find it useful to interact with social media accounts based in that area. Rather than limiting themselves to websites and newsletters, students can conduct research in high schools through different social media sites.

Going to school in a different country allows students to immerse themselvewithin a different culture, and that immersion can occur even before stepping on campus. It’s important to know a school’s teacher-to-student ratio, standardized test scores, and rankings. However, through social media, an international student can connect with a current student online, listen to an on-campus podcast, or watch an interview about what student life is like at a specific school.  

Here at Amerigo, we provide plenty of real time campus updates on Instagram for prospective students and families to learn more about student life and the North American high school experience. Also, our Student Ambassador Platform provide opportunities for international students to chat directly with our Student Ambassadors to learn more about the study abroad experience from their own peers' perspectives.    

Community-Based Learning:

Another key benefit of social media would be the opportunity to follow and learn from liked-minded individuals who share common interests. Platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook have a feature where users can join “Groups” with other users who are interested in the same topics. These are great places to learn, find inspiration, and even network with others.  

Outside of the “Groups” feature, there are other opportunities for community-based learning on social media. Every tutorial, video lecture, or book review was made by a creator with the hopes of connecting to a specific audience. That audience comments and interacts with creators and creators are interacting with other accounts as well. There is a giant network of people and information for various topics online, and social media provides a place in which students can navigate that network.

Those who enjoy writing may follow an account that provides creative writing prompts. Students who like cooking could follow certain chefs or cooking influencers. There is always a way for students to expand their knowledge of subjects or hobbies they are passionate about.  

Here are some examples of self-growth and education-based social media accounts that are great for students looking to expand their horizons:

STEM:

@Nasa (Instagram)

@NationalGeographic (Instagram)

@InterestingEngineering (Instagram)

@Brian McLogan (YouTube)

@KhanAcademy (YouTube)  

@StarTalk (Spotify)

@Tyler Dewitt (YouTube)

Health and Fitness:

@thereadystate (Instagram)

@everydayhealth (Instagram)

@gregcpearson (Instagram)

@Therapy in a Nutshell (YouTube)

Humanities:

@writerushofficial (Instagram)

@History (Instagram)

@PoetryFoundation (Instagram)

@nationalgalleryofart (Instagram)

@Filmmkers (Instagram)

@made.by.james (Instagram)

@Adam Neely (YouTube)

Recreation/Fun/DIY

@epicgardening (Instagram)

@thefeedfeed (Instagram)

@amusaknits (Instagram)

@easyorigamibr (Instagram)

@rae.and.the.clay (TikTok)

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There are so many more accounts waiting to be discovered and students should be encouraged to explore social media and find ways to improve themselves outside of school hours. Though social media should be used with a certain level of safety measures, there are educational aspects to social media that are great for students.

Amerigo Education has resources for international students as well! So, don’t forget to follow Amerigo Education on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!