Social networking is good for students

Social networking is good for students because it helps kids do better in school. Half of all "students use social networking to discuss homework assignments" (National School Board Association). According to Georgia Middle School in Portland, Oregon, "grades went up by 50% after students joined a social networking site" (Kessler). 59% of students talk about educational topics online (National School Board Association). Because social media exists, students are "learning practical skills that are necessary for success in today"s wired world," (Huffington). Some people may think social media users have lower grades however, that is only shown as accurate if they are heavy users. Responsible users increase their awareness of news and important events. And as much as it helps in school, it also can help personal relationships. Social networking is good for students because it improves relationships and help students make new friends. Research shows that 70% of adults use social networking to stay connected to friends and family (Solis). Social media can help students "make friends by allowing them to gain familiarity with others and build friendships online" (Huffington). According to a study in 2011, a little less than half of the average Facebook users" friends consist of friends from high school or college (Hampton). Even though some people think that they can lose friends because of social media, "half (52%) of all teen social media users say using such media has mainly helped their relationships with friends, compared to just 4% who say social media use has mainly hurt their relationships. Similarly, more than a third (37%) say social media use has mainly helped their relationships with family members, compared to 2% who say it has mainly hurt them. In addition, a majority of teens say social media help them keep in touch with friends they can"t see regularly (88%), get to know other students at their school better (69%), and connect with new people who share a common interest (57%)" (Common Sense Media). More people use social media sites to stay in contact with friends. It is apparent that social media is beneficial in school and in personal relationships. But there are even other benefits for society. Social media is important because it created a socialistic change. Never before have people been connected in this way. It has caused all ages of people to want to get engaged in the medium. To this day, students are becoming experienced with technology "developing their creative ability, appreciating new and different perspectives and enhancing their communication skills" (Huffington). Because there are so many social media users, people have had to re-learn how to communicate with each other. However, some people think social networking is "ruining the world." People believe that everyone spends less time in face-to-face conversations when there are social media sites where people can interact. However, there are also sites where people can meet new people or reconnect with people. Certainly there are other reasons why people think social media is ruining the world such as cyberbullying and decaying writing skills. Cyberbullying is very serious but if students don"t put themselves in danger or if they tell a trusted adult what was happening, those issues would be less of a problem. Writing skills have changed dramatically because of some of the communication shortcuts encouraged by social media. Students may write "u" instead of actually spelling out the word "you" on school papers. But research shows that social media is actually helping the world and economy. People use social media to find jobs. New media such as Linked In show that 89% of job recruiters have hired employees through this site (HR Focus). Social media sites have also been shown to empower women and help them find jobs. That translates to high school students as well, who learn about job openings and opportunities through Linked In and other sites. It provides a new opportunity for students to learn about job openings.