Social Media and Education in the Era of Globalization

Social media permeates today’s society with millions of us engrossed, some would argue to the point of unhealthy addiction via apps such as Facebook and Twitter. The educational institutions have an increased use of social media marketing to showcase their courses and to attract students, but are they harnessing the full power of the medium to engage and interact with those same students once they begin their studies? Do social media have a place as a teaching tool or is it simply a distraction? It seems that some lecturers are indeed beginning to tap into the potential benefits of social media in education.But could social media play a more central role in university education? we can look at the lead taken by distance learning models which in some respects have got ahead of the game when compared to their campus-based counterparts. Learning management systems such as Moodle and Blackboard have become immensely popular. The role of social media in education has different meanings depending on which side of the house you sit on. The studies have concluded that the more you connect with your student population the better your retention rate. Social Media can be a great way to engage student population and to ensure that they are made aware of student-centered activities on campus. Another area, where the role of social media in education is becoming apparent, is in the area of recruitment and admissions. The use of social media is growing and has almost become a utility in many cultures. Colleges tend to be behind the curve in the adoption of using social media in their educational strategy and have not put a lot of time how to overcome the obstacles. The paper is aimed to discuss these issues in the context of Indian Society.