Social Media Habits and Their Academic Consequences: Insights from Undergraduate Students of Odisha

Abstract

The significance of social media in education has garnered heightened scrutiny in the contemporary digital era. Social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, have transformed students' engagement patterns and exert considerable pedagogical influence. This research investigates the social media behaviours of undergraduate students of Odisha and their possible effects on their educational outcomes. Survey research method was adopted for this study. Using multi-stage random sampling technique, a total no of 540 undergraduate students were selected. Social Media Usage Scale (SMUS), a researcher standardised Likert-type questionnaire was employed to collect data regarding social media usage habits of undergraduate students. Academic achievement data were the Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) of students, obtained from college records. The data were analysed using percentages, frequencies, bar die-gram and Regression Analysis was carried out to assess the influence of social media use on the academic achievement of students. The results revealed that YouTube is the most popular social media platform among the students and maximum students use social media one to two hours daily. It is also concluded that utilization of social media platforms has a significant and positive influence on students' academic performance