Investigating the Necessity of Applying Digital Minimalism in Reducing Social Media Distraction in Online Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the value of applying digital minimalism in minimizing social media distraction while studying online and to advocate for its implementation in higher education. The circumstances that were placed on most nations by the COVID 19 epidemic have resulted into fundamental changes in the way universities operate. Creating online platforms for students was the only way to progress in Algerian higher education. However, ignoring the fact that most Algerian students frequently go online for self-entertainment may result in the failure or partial success of online teaching due to distractions caused by social media, paving the way for the necessity of applying digital minimalism in order to reduce digital distraction in online education. To investigate this dilemma, a questionnaire containing both open-ended and closed-ended questions was prepared and delivered online to 10 master two students of Language and Communication at Abdel Hamid Ibn Badis University's English department. The majority of participants were distracted by social media notifications, according to the findings. Furthermore, most students had no understanding of what digital minimalism was, and after being introduced to it,90% of participants agreed that using digital minimalism may reduce social media distraction when studying online. In fact, it is recommended that students should switch off all social media notifications before attending online lectures, and it is critical that students recognize the dangers of digital distraction when conducting online courses, and lead their online existence away from social media distraction.