Social media is a term used to describe various online platforms and technologies that enable people to produce, share, and exchange information, thoughts, and content with others. This has created new ways of communicating, doing business, and expressing culture throughout the whole world. However, social media has also been examined closely because of its bad effects on mental health, privacy, and democracy. Scientists such as psychologists are still studying and talking about its positive and negative effects. 

In recent years, social media has widely spread into our daily lives, and its impact on schools has been a topic of intense debate. While some people argue that social media has a negative impact on schools, social media has a more positive than a negative impact on the TSC community.

Of course, social media does have its downsides. Cyberbullying, online harassment, and other negative behaviors can all occur on social media. However, it is important to remember that these issues are not unique to social media. Schools should take steps to address and prevent these issues, just as they would with any other form of bullying or harassment. 

Social media provides an easy and effective way for schools to communicate with students, parents, and the wider community. With the use of these platforms, the school can share important news, updates, and announcements quickly and efficiently. 

Multiple clubs in the TCS community use social media in different ways. For example, the Blue Lizards Robotics team uses social media to inform and connect with people from around the world. The team thinks of social media as a really important asset that lets the team connect globally, and hence, be provided with more opportunities. 

“It allows you to show the people what the brand is doing and how the team is going. Not only this, but it also helps keep our followers updated on what we are doing. This can always allow us to be creative and maybe influence more and more people,” Julian Zuñiga, Lightning Blue Lizards Head Coach, said.

Furthermore, social media promotes school activities and clubs encouraging students to make part in them. TCS groups such as COSMUN, use social media to share photos and videos of student accomplishments, activities, and achievements, which can help build a positive school culture and inspire other students to excel and join the club.

“Through social media, students can see what is going on in COSMUN. It is more informal or not so much of a scary way to introduce people into the United Nations Model, so people are always more open to participating,” Senior Maria Arango, Press Vice President, said.

Moreover, social media can serve as a platform for students to showcase their achievements and businesses. For example, a student who excels in a particular subject or activity can share their accomplishments with a wider audience. This can boost their confidence, and inspire others to pursue their own interests and passions. 

“Social media helps a lot to increase the number of followers or the people that wants to buy the brand because, our friend or family members, can re-post stories and post about the brand so more can connect with the ideas we have to offer,” Senior Alejandro Molina said.

Additionally, social media can be used as a powerful tool for students building their own brands or selling a product. Students can use these types of platforms to promote an idea or product they want to share and sell to the world. This is a way for students to expand their creativity cost-effectively, have a wide reach, offer targeted marketing options, increase engagement, and provide branding opportunities.

A clear example of this in the TCS community is Senior Angel Bernal. Through the social media platform Instagram, he created a clothing brand to share his design ideas with a wider community. Furthermore, he uses sponsoring from external clients to expand the reach his clothing brand can get. Algorithms given by social media help him understand better the feedback his community gives back to him. 

Another positive impact of social media is the opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Social media can be a great way for teachers and students to connect with other schools and educators from around the world. This can lead to new ideas, insights, and perspectives that can enrich the educational experience for everyone involved. Finding new colleges is a great example of this.

Juniors and Seniors use social media to look up information about the universities that they want to study at, which normally post information about what they offer and the criteria to get in.

“I have an Instagram account and the way I use it is that I post things about colleges, announcements about like SAT exams coming up, college visits, and in the stories, I like to add a lot of like different schools so that people start looking at other schools that are not the typical ones that everyone hears,” Dina Rechani, TCS College Counselor, said.

The way social media is used by Rechani impacts the TCS community in a positive way, as it is used as an educational tool in which students can go and inform themselves about different colleges. Not only this but they can also use this tool to get a glimpse of the recommendations Rechani has about each one of them.

Furthermore, social media is a tool with almost infinite resources that students can use in their classes to learn and connect with others. Many teachers are beginning to use social media in their teaching plan, educating their students on how to use these platforms in a positive way for different subjects.

At TCS Camilo Hoyos, Business Technology Teacher, uses social media to teach their students about connection and networking. It is a tool used in his class that helped students interact with people around the world and use them as content to create their businesses. 

The debate about the downsides and good influence that social media brings to the world is still ongoing. While some argue that social media should be canceled in schools, others don’t. However, one thing is sure, social media has a greater positive impact on the TCS community than a negative one. It can be a powerful tool for communication, community-building, knowledge-sharing, and student engagement. As long as the school addresses the potential downsides, social media can be a valuable asset in today’s educational landscape.