Impact of Social Media on Students

Social networking websites like Facebook, twitter, MySpace, youtube and etc. are very much common among youth. Social media has several impacts on students and their academic work as Students use social media websites for discussion and for study purposes. Social media has become a vital part in modern society. Social media is becoming increasingly important for this era, because of increasing global outreach potential offered by the internet. Students can contact, address and influence many other people at the same time all around the world, via various forms of social media.

Social media also have some positive points, as it helps people in online communities and enhance communication. Social media has been used in many ways in this era as it is the era of technology. Youth is learning fast on social media and using it for constructive purpose also. One can educate people about the society, good and bad, values, ethics and culture, if its use is preceded in a positive way. Sometimes, Students use these social media tools in their studies also. They talk about their lectures, subjects or a single topic of their syllabus with their campus community groups.

Many of teens, youth but also adults also use it. Many of them don’t know how to use it safe. Over the past few years, social media networks have become one of the most popular applications on the internet. Social networking sites attracts youth, teens specially students towards them. While chatting and talking to friends, students forget about the time. Somehow, it is wastage of time, by saving that time students can learn more by studying.

Social media is just like a trap for students as students get so much involve in it. For some teens and tweens, social media is a primary way to interact socially. In spite of gathering and going out with friends, students prefer social media to contact and make fun with their friends. New generation usually now love to spend their time in using internet and mobile phones.

Use of social media affects students so much, not only their studies but also their relations. A large number students log on to one of their favorite social media website so many times on daily basis. Some if the students keep using cell phones for texting and instant massaging.

For youth and students, it is not much beneficial as social media websites are not much safe and students who use social media get so much addicted to it and they forget about their other activities and responsibilities. Too much use of social media websites is risky for the students as they lose their personal data and information, they upload on the websites. Not only on internet but also when students meet each other in their educational institutes, they keep discussing about their activities and data uploaded by them and their friends.

World is moving and developing fast, use of social media is not much bad, but it is worse, when used in a negative way. For parents it is advised that, while students are using social networking site or any other social media tool, it is the responsibility of parents to watch over them and tell them how to use it in a good way. Do not make so much hard and fast rules for children, that they begin to feel being caged. Proper guidance and counseling will works to teach students, children and youth the best and positive use of social media.

Quality of Curriculum in Business Schools

One cannot help but wonder why the quality of Pakistan’s university education is looked down upon all over the world, when almost all other countries in our immediate South Asian neighbourhood are treated with far better regard. While how we fare outside Pakistan is a cause of concern, a much more alarming situation is faced by students in the local job market. In the increasingly competitive world of recruitment and selection, most university students fail to do well. Even those who are lucky enough to find jobs, end up losing them, or hit the glass ceiling. Causes can be traced to the six years of education that these students receive before trying their luck in the professional arena. Employers complain that fresh graduates hardly know what to do on the job in a situation which is completely different from what they are prepared for in college through learning from books.

One cannot but fail to lay some blame on the curriculum of business schools in Pakistan, as it gives a lot of information, but very little encouragement to students. They are hardly pushed to think independently, or tested with elements that they are likely to face while on the job, and the students eventually end up as ‘knowers’ but not as ‘doers’. This problem needs to be addressed immediately to keep Pakistan from having a complete generation of business students, who have been wasted by the very system that claims to work for their improvement.

Consumers trust advertising in print media more than other media

Despite important changes in media consumption in recent years, consumers continue to have most trust in advertising in magazines and newspapers. It seems the power of the printed word still rings true and has great value when evaluating advertising. When asked how much trust they attach to advertising in the various media, consumers gave magazines and newspapers a score of 63%, TV 41% and Internet 25%. What’s interesting is that so-called traditional media such as direct mail and catalogues also outscore social media and the Internet respectively.

When asked about the role of advertising in purchase decision making, almost seven out of ten said advertising in magazines and newspapers is most important to support purchase decisions. Proving the importance of direct mail, almost 90% of consumers value addressed and non-addressed mail above social media.
These figures prove the continued effectiveness of advertising in the various printed media. Advertisers benefit from the leading consumer trust in print media, as readers more positively evaluate their advertising compared to when it is placed in other media. And at the same time advertisements placed in print media play an important role in the purchasing process.
These results are based upon a pan-European survey conducted by VTT, the Finnish research institute. More than 700 consumers in 13 countries were asked about their media usage and their attitude towards advertising. The results also show four distinct consumer segments: Slow Bons Vivants, Busy Mix-and-Matchers, Tolerant Surfers and Youthful Digilovers. The Slow Bons Vivants represent 23% and are print users who associate digital media with their hectic working life. Busy Mix-and-Matchers (46%) easily shift between digital and print media and appreciate print media. Tolerant Surfers (19%) are digital media users with a positive attitude towards print media. Finally, Youthful Digilovers, the smallest segment (12%), are pure digital users who do not see the benefit of using print media.
Although advertisers are shifting budgets towards digital channels, consumers continue to have the highest trust in print and refer to advertisements in magazines and newspapers as a great source of information to support their purchase decisions. A recent survey from Ablock Plus, a browser add-on to block online ads, showed that 95% of consumers don’t trust online advertising and that 33% trust TV advertising. The latest figure is in line with the results from the VTT study and underlines the strength of print media