Impact of social media on forming individual's prosocial behavior and related challenges among youths in college

Abstract

Background: The Internet has given birth to the virtual community; further, social media occupied a major chunk of computer mediated communication where virtual life considerably influences reality. For youths, social media became part of their existence and identity. Internet has widened the doors of opportunities for seeking knowledge and also has some challenges. Aim and Objectives: To study the impact of social media in forming prosocial behavior among youths in an institute of higher education. The objectives were, (a) to explore, the role of social media in forming pro-social behavior among youths (b) to understand the pro-social behavior exhibited by the youths in social media, (c) to understand the challenges in formation of pro-social behavior in social media. Methodology: Through a series of focused group discussions (FGD), various aspects of social media usage and engagements were explored. Five FDGs were conducted with 58 participants. Further, points are categorized and subcategorized to develop and standardize the questionnaire (self reporting) to assess the impact of social media in the formation of prosocial behavior and related challenges. A total of 100 youths, with equal distribution of gender, filled the self reporting questionnaire. Result: Social media plays an important role in strengthening prosocial behavior than the challenges it has for the users. Social media often facilitated seeking information, and transaction of ideas that helped in identity formation, aspiration development, and peer engagement. Further, youths encounter challenges in social media that can impose hindrances in promoting prosocial behavior. Conclusion: Ultimately, social media play an important role in the formation of prosocial behavior. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media platforms became an essential source of information and extending support. Thus, it is important to facilitate adequate programs and policies to strengthen the prosocial usage of social media.

Keywords

• prosocial behavior
• social media
• virtual community
• youths