International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

The Pull of Social Media Platforms on Student Cognition

At the present time, the students use social-media sites every day. It has altered their way of life considerably and altered the way they use information. The aim of this paper is to study cognitive absorption in students in social media which can be defined as the state of being in the connection and not just the mobile application. Using flow theory and cognitive absorption, this project looks at how immersive experiences are designed and how they capture and maintain student attention using platform design features, algorithmic curation and reward systems. The results revealed a nuanced connection among platform affordances, cognitive processes, and student wellness. It is important to understand how connection transforms into captivation in order to design interventions for healthier digital behaviours. Enhancing pedagogies of digital literacy education; implementing self-regulation strategies; redesigning platform features that are more supportive than exploitative of attention mechanisms. This study adds to ongoing discussions that center upon the cognitive effects caused due to social media. Moreover, it also makes a case for the need for the collaboration of schools, the government and social media companies.