BYU-Hawaii courses are tying in social media to their assignments and encouraging students to take a studious viewpoint at the ways they can incorporate it into their learning. Classes such as “The Psychology of Social Media” taught by Assistant Professor Brian Kinghorn promote the use of social media by assigning students weekly blog posts and Twitter tweets. “I’ve used social media to do school projects, and instead of having to meet up, we can just message each other at our convenience,” said Hailey Page, a junior from California studying secondary education.BYUH students said social media helps them communicate with classmates but warned it can also be a distraction.“I feel like I have not been in a full class period where I’m not clicking between my notes and Facebook. It’s crazy,” said Heidi Wolfgramm, a junior from New Zealand studying psychology. Wolfgramm said even though she may seem addicted, the advances in social media have not changed her interpersonal relationships. However, grandparents of the digital generation said they have noticed a change in their relationships with their grandchildren. “My grandkids are always sitting there with their phones and not really paying attention to what is going on right now. They’re not involved with what’s happening here, and they’re always concerned with something outside of the room,” said Sister Fuller, a senior missionary from California. Advances in social media have created ways to communicate that would have seemed unthinkable and strange to people just a few decades ago. These advances have created a bridge for students to communicate with people they don’t know.“I use Facebook to find stuff that I need through groups on there,” said Christopher Joyce, a freshman from New Zealand studying psychology. He said the groups he uses consist of local community members who post things they’re either looking to sell or buy. “I’m still old-school. Social media isn’t really my thing other than for buying and selling things,” Joyce said.
Writer: Jared Roberts
