Social Media Utilization And Students’ Academic Performance
[A CASE STDUY OF ALIMOSHO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, LAGOS STATE]

2.7 Usage of Social Media and Students’ Academic Performance
    The social media has become a good platform that most engages students recently. The medium of internet is marketing with increase in its programmes. The improved usage of Websites has become a worldwide phenomenon for quite some time. What began out as being a hobby for several computer literate people has converted to a social norm and existence-style for individuals from around the globe (Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe, 2007). According to them, teens and teenagers have especially recognized these internet sites to be able to contact their peers, share information, reinvent their personas, and showcase their social lives. While the increase of technology remains helpful for getting together with others, internet sites are now being an activity that's done mainly on the web, with Websites (Coyle and Vaughn, 2008). According to Khan (2009), social media users often time experience poor performance academically. Khan posit that social media is negatively affecting academic performance of student than its advantages. Internet addiction consequently gave rise in internet usage within the last couple of decades. Addicted users prefer using internet setting back their personal and professional responsibilities which ultimately leads to poor academic performance. In the same vein, Karpinski (2009) pointed out that social media users devoted lesser time to their studies in comparison to nonusers did and subsequently had lower GPAs. According to him, among various unique distractions of every single generation, Social media remains a major distraction of current generation.
    However, technology is here to stay. ipads have taken the place of textbooks in schools in developed societies because they are more potable then textbooks. iPads can easily be used for research during class time. iPads can make teaching more interactive between a teacher and students. Educational Apps have take learning to a whole new level. Tests can now be online and will get the child more ready for college and the real world. With students taking notes on laptops, tablets, and computers the need for cursive is no longer necessary. With everything being typed or written in print, writing in cursive may become a lost art.
    Technology will keep advancing and we must find ways to use and interact with it. With technology having a huge part in the life of children, we must find ways to use it in the educational fields to compete in the new global world. As technology advances, we rely more and more on technology. Therefore, children are born into a technologically advanced world. There are both positive and negative effects to this new phenomenon. On the positive side children will be more prepared for this new world of work. Negatively children are going to be less socially evolved.
2.7.1 Cyber-Bullying
    Participating in online social networks also increases the likelihood of being victimized online, or, cyber-bullied (Mesch, 2009). According to this scholar, Cyber-bullying is the use of communication technology, such as SNSs, to harm or “bully” others. He highlighted forms of cyber –bullying to include harassing emails, web pages, hateful instant messages, text messages, and cruel posts on social networking sites. He added that the result of being a victim of cyber-bullying can be embarrassment, feelings of belittlement, low self-esteem, and even suicide. Because the internet allows users to remain anonymous on websites or create false profiles, cyber-bullying has become a serious issue. According to him, one national poll showed that over 13 million children between the ages of 6 and 17 have reported victims of cyber-bullying . Research has also shown that an adolescent is more likely to harass or harm another student if they are not together face-to-face, which also can make a social networking site a perfect place for trouble to manifest. However, there is no current legislation that protects students from this type of harassment, even though there are laws for more traditional types of bullying (Geach & Haralambous, 2009).
2.8 Social Media in the Classroom
    Having social media in the classroom has been a controversial topic in recent times. Many parents and educators have been fearful of the repercussions of having social media in the classroom (Kist 2012). As a result, cell phones have been banned from classroom and schools have blocked many popular social media websites. However, despite these apprehensions, students are using social media. Schools have realized that they need to incorporate these tools into the classroom and rules are changing.