Analytical Study about the Effects of Social Media on Social Interactions of Students of Age Limits 14 – 21 Years

Abstract

Basic purpose of this research was to explore the emerging effects of social media on students’ social interactions. For this purpose a sample of 380 students was selected on the basis of purposive sampling technique during the academic year 2019. Through a self-developed questionnaire, researchers collected data from different elementary to higher secondary schools’ students and also the undergraduate students of semester first from the universities that were present on the day of data collection in their classes. It was found that WhatsApp, YouTube, FaceBook, Google+, and Instagram were the most popular websites or apps amongst the sampled students and they spent more than 4 hours in a day on different social media activities. Getting entertainment through these apps or websites was the basic purpose of using it. Social media has strong impacts on the social interactions of both male and female students because they feel their lives are incomplete without using it and they don’t like those who criticize on them while using it but students of early ages i.e., 14 – 17 years were least affected by it.