A student's exposure to popular media can alter the way she writes, and beginning writers may mimic patterns of speech they see in popular media. For example, a student might use the term "like" as a substitute for "said" or "thought." College instructors, therefore, need to help students understand that academic writing should not necessarily mimic the patterns of informal speech and that colloquial terms and slang can be ineffective when they're used in college writing.
Formal sentence structure, mechanics and grammar are keys to effective academic writing, but exposure to popular media can compromise a student's competence in these areas. A 2008 Pew Research Center study, for example, found that 64 percent of students admitted to using social networking shorthand in more formal settings. High school teacher Terry Wood told "U.S. News and World Report" in 2011 that students exposed to social networking and other popular media tend to neglect basic grammatical rules. It's likely that this trend continues in college.
Popular media can expand potential writing topics. For example, a student might decide to look at the scholarly implications of a television show or music, examining the cultural messages or philosophy of popular culture. Social networking can expand students' access to information. A student might learn about a news story or historical event and then choose to write about it. However, when students rely solely on popular sources, they may get information wrong, so instructors should ensure students can discern what constitutes a reputable source.
A 2010 study published in "Computers in Human Behavior" found that popular media, particularly social networking sites, can interfere with academic achievement. Students who regularly use social networking sites are more likely to have a short attention span. This short attention span is unlikely to help students improve their writing. They may be so accustomed to quickly typing something and immediately posting it that they're unaccustomed to the pre-writing and editing process, and the decreasing attention span of some students can make these important components of good writing particularly challenging.