Thesis Statement
The consistent use of social media, specifically video sharing platforms, is influencing educational communities and has the potential to have even more influence in the future.

Abstract
Through this conference paper, the main idea is to point out the effect and role of social media, such as video sharing platforms, in the educational environment. It looks into the process of a thorough review of the relevant literature, texts, and news articles on this matter and how these tools are creating and transforming educational practices and communities of learning. The review contains implications of good and bad impacts for educational purposes, as well as future forecasts of social media and video sharing platforms in education. This study attempts to give a review that looks at the use of these platforms within the learning context, demonstrating their importance in disseminating information, providing a forum for collaboration, and giving solutions to problems such as misinformation and privacy concerns. This conference paper analyses a range of perspectives and evidence from scholarly research, media reports, and relevant articles with the intention of enlightening readers and is in favour of a fuller understanding of the interaction between social media, video sharing platforms, and education, which is used in researching and making future discussions on this issue.

Introduction
Social media has massively influenced different education systems from all across the world. The growth of social media has had a significant impact on higher education. Sewlyn (2012) states that social media being integrated into education has impacted the nature of the students entering into universities. The collective and creative, highly connected and creative aspects of social media are seen as much more flexible and fluid in our daily lives. As a result of the positive aspects that social media withholds, social media can be accredited for the increases in the tendencies for young people to multi task and use skills such as ‘digital juggling’ to take on daily tasks and commitments (Subrahmanyam & Šmahel, 2011, as cited by Sewlyn, 2012). Additionally, educators are aware of the incoming cohort of students entering universities who spent a lot of time on the internet. As a result, Universities are now using social networking sites such as Facebook to connect with students and have more interactions among students. (Mason & Rennie, 2007, as cited by Sewlyn, 2012). In fact, in 2014, The University of Melbourne became Australia’s first University to open a snapchat account with the intention of familiarising students with the campus (Driessen 2017). As social media begins to influence education systems, the use of video sharing platforms has increased across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a rise in the use of video sharing technology. Video sharing platforms such as Zoom saw a rise in usage from 40% to 100% in 2020 (Brascombe, 2020, as cited by De et.al, 2020). YouTube was found to have the most significant growth among American users during the pandemic, from 73% of American adults in 2019 to 91% in 2021. Other online communities, such as Reddit, saw a small rise in popularity as its usage went from 11% in 2019 to 18% in 2021 (Rodriguez, 2021). Due to the closure of universities, institutions had to rely on services such as Zoom and YouTube which saw universities refund students for parking, housing, and dining (Aratini, 2020). With the increasing use of social media in educational environments, this study aims to explore the impact & influences that video sharing platforms have on educational communities, exploring both the positive and negative impacts of the digital takeover. The rise of social media in an educational context has significantly impacted classrooms. The integration of social media into classrooms has improved information flow, peer connections, and self regulated learning (Kai et.al 2017, Kimmerle et.al 2017, Neuman and Hood 2009, Zou et.al, 2016 as cited by Toofaninejhad et.al, 2017). Popular platforms such as Facebook and other collaborative tools have transformed content distribution and teaching methods (Veletsianos and Navvarate, 2012 as cited by Toofaninejhad et.al, 2017). To delve into the impact that social media and video sharing platforms have on education, it is important to explore the existing literature that analyses the relationship with educational outcomes. This review aims to synthesise relevant findings and insights regarding the integration of social media, particularly video sharing platforms, within educational settings. Through the examination of previous studies and discussions, this review seeks to highlight the direct impact that video sharing platforms have on education communities across the world.

Effectively integrated across different educational institutions
Video sharing platforms have had a significant positive impact on educational communities. YouTube, a video sharing platform with billions of users, is being used as a learning tool in classrooms across the world. YouTube offers a variety of different learning opportunities. YouTube has engaged with their “how-to” tutorials covering a variety of different subjects (Almobarraz, 2018, as cited by Khan et.al, 2023). The use of YouTube has varied across many fields of education. The medical education institutions have found that educators have effectively used YouTube videos in their lessons, the use of YouTube videos for teaching language and literature in Saudi colleges, visual explanations from video platforms such as YouTube offer has greatly improved the understanding and retention of complex concepts (Jaffar, 2012, Burke SC 2009, Rapp et.al 2016, Chtouki et.al 2014 as cited by Khan et.al 2023). Khan et.al (2023) conducted an inferential qualitative survey amongst students from Kohat University with the intended purpose of exploring the significance of YouTube in education and communities. The participants in the survey (students) had different levels of education including: Bachelors, Masters, M.Phil, PHD. The results of the study found that, combined, 97% of students either strongly agreed or simply agreed that students watch YouTube for educational purposes. 67.5% of students strongly agreed that YouTube is a good platform that provides good learning opportunities & study material, with 29% of students strongly agreeing with this notion. 72.5% believe that YouTube videos can help students learn more rapidly, demonstrating a widespread belief that YouTube is a useful tool for knowledge acquisition. Khan et. al (2023) also demonstrate that instructors uploading lectures to YouTube is useful for students, 96% of students believe that YouTube videos uploaded by lecturers are helpful for students for a longer period of time.YouTube isn’t the only video sharing platform that has positively impacted educational communities. TikTok, another video sharing platform, has over 4.5 billion downloads. Released in 2016, TikTok is an app that allows users to create, watch, and share short videos on mobile devices and webcams (D’Souza 2024). Similarly to YouTube, TikTok has been used in educational institutions and, as a result, has enhanced learning in classrooms. Yang (2020) conducted a study amongst 187 Chinese secondary students from 7th to 12th grade in a voluntary quantitative survey to understand how TikTok can be used to assist in English learning. Results from the survey found that a vast majority of the students had a positive attitude towards the use for TikTok in the classroom. It was found that despite the different grades of the students, the vast majority of them held positive attitudes towards TikTok and saw it as a great tool to enhance their understanding of the English language.

Distracting and Misguiding Students & Impacting Mental Health and Learning
Despite the many benefits that video sharing platforms have on educational institutions, they can negatively impact educational communities and environments. Video sharing platforms can easily distract students as much as they engage them. Mekler (2021) found that among 111 students aged 18-28 who spent a lot of time on TikTok, they became increasingly more distracted and lost track of time, indicating that the popularity of this app is slowing down students’ attention spans. Qamariah (2023) also acknowledges the distraction that video sharing platforms can have on students, pointing out the many entertainment features that YouTube possesses that could potentially distract students from their initial intention of learning. Qamariah (2023) argues that because Youtube has no filtration system when it comes to uploading content, some video creators may not provide good, accurate learning. As a result, inaccurate and unreliable content can be produced. Kamal et.al (2023) conducted interviews among 18-23 year olds who had basic knowledge of internet use, were currently enrolled in university, had previous experience using YouTube, and had an interest in entertainment channels. Participants acknowledged the harmful effects of certain content on YouTube, acknowledging the fact that content creators can influence others to imitate such content without realising the harmful effects of it. Such concerns have been taken seriously around the world, resulting in legal action. Eric Adams, the New York City Mayor, filed a lawsuit against the parent companies of TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. The reason behind the Adam’s administration’s legal action against these platforms is their alleged affect on the mental health of children (The Guardian, 2024). Beyond just providing distractions and false information, video sharing platforms can have detrimental effects on educational groups. The possibility of increasing passive learning and decreasing student participation is one major worry. Over-reliance on video content can impair pupils’ capacity for independent information analysis and weaken their critical thinking abilities (Mayer, 2009). Furthermore, learners may get confused and educational content inconsistent as a result of the availability of videos from multiple sources (Bates & Sangrà, 2011). Furthermore, the prioritisation of entertainment value over instructional quality resulting from the privatisation of education through monetization on video platforms may lead to superficial learning experiences (Veletsianos, 2018). These problems show how crucial it is to balance the use of video content with interactive and participatory learning techniques in order to help students develop deeper comprehension and critical thinking abilities.

Potential To Revolutionize Learning Spaces
Video sharing platforms have the potential to revolutionise learning spaces of the future by ensuring easy access to endless associated informative content for students all over the world (Darby, 2019). Learners can interact with the relevant information to them, in the right format to efficiently motivate them, enabling them to gain a strong grasp on and retain concepts that fit their specific needs and preferences (Bonk & Khoo, 2014). Video sharing platforms also facilitate a sense of peers and community in education, as they create a peerless collaborative online learning space for teachers and students to interact in real-time (Kimmons & Veletsianos, 2018). Platforms can act as valuable tools for teacher professional development, as educators can be furnished with training materials and instructional resources to which they can access anytime, anywhere (Saka, 2020). The integration of video in learning provides for a collaborative learning setting which enhances the application of innovative pedagogical approaches, such as flipped classrooms and a multitude of other blended learning models (Brame, 2013). Additionally, video sharing platforms support a modern educational system by accommodating all kinds of interests as well as unique learning demands, enabling learners to expand their learning even in spaces outside the classroom and embark on lifelong learning and skill development amidst the changing demands of the world.

Conclusion
The consistent use of video sharing platforms is currently influencing educational communities and has the potential to continue in the future. Video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Zoom have seen an increase in popularity during the COVID 19 pandemic, particularly among universities, as a method to educate students off campus. The integration of video sharing platforms has had positive effects on many educational institutions around the world. The many features that YouTube and TikTok possess have been utilised in classrooms in Saudi Arabia and China for skills such as language and literature. Students with different educational backgrounds all seemed to believe YouTube was beneficial for their learning. However, the impact that video sharing platforms have isn’t always positive. Platforms such as TikTok have been found to be distracting for students due to their engaging and addictive nature. This was particularly present among students who spent a lot of their time on social media. Video sharing platforms easily distribute information across the world, however, due to platforms such as YouTube having no filtration systems or qualification requirements needed to post educational content, students can easily be exposed to misinformation. The popularity of video sharing platforms can also influence youth to imitate harmful behaviours without understanding the harmful consequences these behaviours can cause. Despite their large presence in education institutions across the world, video sharing platforms continue to have the potential to impact learning spaces. Video platforms enable learners to access content that’s relevant to them, as well as continuing the trend of a collaborative online space between teachers and students. Video sharing platforms support the modern day education system due to the fact that there is so much content that appeals to so many different interests enabling learning spaces beyond the classroom.

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