Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.Tác động của mạng xã hội đến tư tưởng chính trị của sinh viên các trường đại học ở thành phố Hà Nội hiện nay.VINHLPT Luận án tiến sĩ MINISTRY OF EDUCATION HO CHI MINH NATIONAL AND TRAINING ACADEMY OF POLITICS ACADEMY OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION LE PHAM TUAN VINH IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL THOUG.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH NATIONAL ACADEMY OF POLITICS ACADEMY OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION LE PHAM TUAN VINH IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL THOUGHTS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN HANOI IN THE CURRENT PERIOD Major : Ideological work Code : 9.31.02.01 SUMMARY OF PHD THESIS ON POLITICAL SCIENCE Hanoi - 2023 Works are completed in ACADEMY OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION NATIONAL POLITICAL ACADEMY HO CHI MINH The scientific guidance: Assoc Prof Ngo Dinh Xay Dr Nguyen Cong Dung Chair of the Board of Examiners: Assoc Prof Tran Thanh Giang Reviewer 1: Assoc Prof Ngo Van Thao Reviewer 2: Assoc Prof Do Thi Thu Hang Reviewer 3: Dr Luong Ngoc Vinh The thesis was defended in the thesis put Council of State, meeting at Academy of Journalism and Communication-Hanoi At last now on months in 2023 Thesis can be found at: National Library, the Library of Academy of Journalism and Communication (NATIONAL POLITICAL ACADEMY HO CHI MINH) INTRODUCTION Rationale We are living in a globalized world, “a flat world” with the explosive development of the Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which the Internet in general and social media in particular are extremely useful tools under numerous forms – from blogs to websites While traditional media often focus on the production and distribution of information content via such traditional channels as: paper newspaper, electronic newspaper, television, audio newspaper, etc., social media involve the gathering of large numbers of members in platforms where information and views on a certain issue are shared In recent years, social media have witnessed vigorous developments with great impacts on social life in most countries around the world, including Vietnam Social media have become a popular term with diverse features, allowing users to connect, share and receive information immediately and effectively The most popular social media sites today, namely Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, WeChat, etc., have been quickly attracting billions of participants and become an important part of netizens' living space and a special spiritual environment of social life The strong attraction of social media is bringing increasing implications to all aspects of social life, especially for those at student age Impacts of social media on student-age people take place in parallel in two directions – positive and negative Nowadays, students have been accessing and using social media for a large set of purposes: finding and exchanging useful information in learning, sharing, connecting with friends, etc However, reality also shows that, besides positive and useful effects of social media, there are direct impacts, not only affecting such aspects as psychology and health, but also, more worryingly, having negative impacts on political and ideological stance, morality, lifestyle, and revolutionary goals and ideals of today’s young peoples and students This is manifested in the fact that social media contain toxic contents that can make teenagers weak in political stance, wavering in ideological stance; corruptive in morality and lifestyle; and conductive to illegal acts, etc Particularly, the frequent use of social media is having multi-dimensional impacts on students, affecting both their cognition and their behavior However, issues regarding social media impacts on students have not been put into in-depth research with significant amount in Vietnam According to the 2015 national report on Vietnamese students, the youth population is estimated to account for about 30% of the country's population [Error! Reference source not found., p.10], – a relatively large proportion Vietnam is currently ranked 22nd in the world in terms of social media users and 6th in the top 10 Asian countries in terms of Internet use According to Digital's statistics, in 2021, the rate of Vietnamese people using Internet is 77.4%, higher than the average rate for Southeast Asia (69%) [Error! Reference source not found.] Specifically, there are over 72 million social media accounts, accounting for 73.7% of Internet users Regarding the structure of social media use, the age of people using popular social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram is mainly that of those from 13 to 24 years old, accounting for 71% Thus, it can be seen that while social media users in our country are not distributed by age, student age users are always among the most frequent ones This is really becoming a concern and a threat to the country's sustainable development in the future Therefore, paying attention to political thought education for students, promoting positive impacts, addressing negative impacts of social media on political thoughts of students is an urgent need Moreover, in the current context of the country's increasing openness and integration, social media have become a “golden ground” for reactionary forces to implement the “peaceful evolution” strategy against young people by publishing, sharing and spreading articles and comments with political views opposed to those held by our Party and State Faced with that situation, our Party and State are very interested in improving the quality of theoretical works aimed at fostering and raising awareness on political theory, patriotism, love of the homeland, and revolutionary sentiments for students – the future owners of the country In particular, Resolution 35-NQ/TW dated October 22, 2018 of the Politburo on “strengthening the protection of the Party's ideological foundation, and the fight against the wrong and hostile views in the new situation” sets out the task to step up dissemination and education for all classes of people, especially the young generation, in order to improve their resistance and ability to actively fight against wrong and hostile views on the Internet; know how to exploit and use the Internet in an effective, practical and healthy way [Error! Reference source not found.] Therefore, studying impacts of social media on students' political thoughts, proposing solutions to promote positive impacts and addressing negative impacts is an urgent need From the theoretical and practical rationale presented above, I opt for the research topic: “Impacts of Social Media on Political Thoughts of University Students in Hanoi in the Current Period” Research objectives - Clarifying theoretical and practical issues regarding impacts of social media on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi - Proposing a number of directions and solutions to promote positive impacts and address negative impacts of social media on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi in the current period Research tasks - Presenting an overview of domestic and foreign research works related to the topic, an assessment of the results of these works and a determination of further research directions - Clarifying theoretical issues regarding students' political thoughts, social media, and the role of social media in today's society - Surveying into the current state of political thoughts held by university students in Hanoi in the context of social media impacts, and causes and tasks/issues to be addressed - Proposing directions and solutions to promote positive impacts and address negative impacts of social media on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi in the current period Research subject and scope 4.1 Research subject Theoretical and practical issues regarding impacts of social media on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi in the current period 4.2 Research scope - Space: Social strand universities in the area of Hanoi city covered by the research topic: Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Hanoi National University of Education; Academy of Journalism and Communication These institutions have been enrolling students representing the basic disciplines of Hanoi’s block of institutions: natural sciences-technology, social scienceshumanities; economics, pedagogical science and political science, and communication - Period: The research covers a period from October 2018 to June 2022 - Content: Because the topic is in the field of ideological work, the thesis focuses on educational solutions for political thought education for students Methodology and research methods 5.1 Methodology - An approach based on the principles and methodology of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, viewpoints and guidelines of the Party and State, and related sciences namely: Philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, public relations, etc., is used in analyzing and assessing impacts of social media on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi in the current period 5.2 Research methods - Document review - Detailed survey, synthesis and analysis - Sociological investigation (with Anket questionnaire through Google Form): - In-depth interview (with university leaders and officials) - Group discussion and online forum 5.3 Information processing methods The topic will use such methods as: analysis, synthesis, modeling, generalization, historical logic, statistics, comparison, comparison of data, data, sociological surveys, etc New contributions of the thesis - Helping Party committees and local authorities of all levels, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Hanoi as well as student unions of universities to review their entity's activities in carrying out political thought education for students as well as study and apply certain solutions in addressing negative impacts of social media on political thoughts of Hanoi-based university students in the current period, thereby contributing to the successful implementation of the ideological work of the Party - This is a new and urgent research direction for our Party's ideological work At the same time, this research will also contribute to the recommendation of solutions to implement Resolution 35-NQ/TW dated October 22, 2018 of the Politburo on “strengthening the protection of the Party's ideological foundation, and the fight against the wrong and hostile views in the new situation” Thesis structure In addition to the introduction, conclusion, list of references and appendices, the thesis is structured into chapters and 13 sections CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH WORKS RELATED TO THESIS TOPIC 1.1 Research works on social media and impacts of social media on social life 1.1.1 In the world Social media have been formed and developed since the 90s of the twentieth century With the explosive development, social media have become one of the fields of interest to leading scientists Prominent among them is Howard Rheingold's book The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier (1993) which is seen as a sociological investigation with discussions on computer-based communications and communications via social groups, and the evolution of information science Eric K Clemons with the research paper “The complex problem of monetizing virtual electronic social networks” [54] According to the author, social media have been born since the appearance of the Internet in the form of a collection of people/organizations/other social entities connecting to one other through computer-based networks In 1996, Rob Shields also published his work Cultures of Internet, Virtual Spaces, Real Histories, Living Bodies [64] The research shows that Internet users have many different reasons such as to: debate, give personal opinion, trade, plan, create, love, etc., and have different properties such as: interpersonal relationship, sociability, comfort, cultural exchange, etc Thomas L Friedman, in The World Is Flat (2006), emphasizes the role of media as one of the most fundamental factors that make the world “flat” through digital signals, Internet programs, mobile phones with numerous new functions, and many other forms of information storage and transmission Sophie Tan-Ehrhardt’s 2013 paper “Social networks and Internet usages by the young generations” [68] points out habits of young people when using social media and the Internet, comparing these habits with real-life behaviors as well as views of the young generation about social media and the Internet At the same time, the research paper also emphasizes the importance of social media and the Internet in modern society Both the paper “The Use of Alternative Social Networking Sites in Higher Educational Settings: A Case Study of the E-Learning Benefits of Ning in Education” by Kevin P Brady, Lori B Holcomb and Bethany V Smith [57] and the 2010 paper “Social Network Theory and Educational Change” by Choi [51] focus on analyzing the advantages and benefits brought about by social media, especially in the context of the strong development of information and communication technology In the book The Psychology of the Internet (2015), Patricia M Wallace takes experiments on how people behave when interacting and communicating online, and explains the influence of the online environment on human behavior in surprising ways [62] Specifically, he says that interacting on the Internet could eliminate nonverbal gestures and the “cold” nature of online communication could lead to numerous problems In 2019, Nicholas Bowman and Cathlin Clark-Gordon conducted a study on Facebook addiction among students at the University of Bergen, Norway [61] The authors took a survey into the Facebook addiction of college students Research results show that young people are more addicted to Facebook and women are more addicted to Facebook than men People who are psychologically insecure and less concerned with security tend to be more addicted because it is easier to communicate on Facebook than to meet in-person 1.1.2 In Vietnam While the Internet in general and social media in particular were introduced and used in Vietnam not long ago, the country is witnessing a very rapid development and dissemination of the technology In recent years, research works on social media and social media impacts have also attracted the attention of many researchers Prominent among them can be the 2015 research work “Mạng xã hội với sinh viên” (Social media for students) by Tran Huu Luyen [28] The research work has been used as a monograph on social media, which sheds light on the reality of social media use of 4,205 Vietnamese students studying at some typical universities and their self-assessments In 2020, Nguyen Lan Nguyen carried out the thesis topic “Ảnh hưởng việc sử dụng mạng xã hội Facebook đến học tập đời sống sinh viên nay” (Impacts of using Facebook on the study and life of students in the current period) The thesis points out the outstanding aspects in the current state of students' use of Facebook regarding their learning process, family and friend relationships as well as extracurricular activities and job opportunities, etc [32] Some other research works focus mainly on features and methods of transmitting information on social media, namely: the regular participation in some social media sites of young people; the delivering and receiving of information in the field of culture and entertainment on famous social media sites, etc The 2012 work “Trao đổi thông tin mạng xã hội giới trẻ Việt Nam từ năm 2010 đến năm 2011 – thực trạng giải pháp (khảo sát mạng Facebook, Zingme Go.vn)” (Exchanging information on social media of Vietnamese youth from 2010 to 2011 – current state and solutions (survey on Facebook, Zingme and Go.vn)) by Hoang Thi Hai Yen also focuses on clarifying the general theoretical issues of social media, researching the current state of information exchange among Vietnamese youths on social media from 2010 to 2011 through surveying information and users on social media sites, namely Facebook, Zingme and Go.vn [48] There have also been some other research works on the use of language on social media, impacts of social media on friend-making, learning and entertainment activities of students: Le Thu Quynh in 2014 with the topic “Trào lưu mạng xã hội Việt Nam” (Social media trends in Vietnam) (Survey into typical social media sites in Vietnam in the current period: Vietspace, Cyworld Vietnam and Yahoo! 360) [21]; Ngo Lan Huong in 2013 with the topic: “Mạng xã hội với việc truyền tải thông tin lĩnh vực văn hố - giải trí” (Social media with the transmission of information in the field of culture - entertainment); Nguyen Minh Hanh in 2013 with the topic “Báo mạng điện tử với việc khai thác sử dụng thông tin diễn đàn, mạng xã hội” (Electronic newspaper with the exploitation and use of information on forums and social media) [15] Besides, there have also been research papers published in journals, namely: “Thực trạng sử dụng mạng xã hội trực tuyến số gợi ý sách” (The current state of using online social media and some policy implications) by Trinh Hoa Binh in 2015 [1], “Thực trạng sử dụng mạng xã hội thanh, thiếu niên Việt Nam nay”(The current state of social media use among young people in Vietnam) by Nguyen Thi Lan Huong in 2019 [22]; “Mặt tích cực mạng xã hội” (The positive side of social media) by Hanh Chi in 2020 [13], “Tác động mạng xã hội Facebook sinh viên nay” (Impacts of Facebook on students in the current period) by Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa and Nguyen Lan Nguyen [18], “Nâng cao tính tích cực mạng xã hội cho giới trẻ” (Improving the positivity of social media for young people) by Do Thi Anh Phuong in 2021 [33] Thus, an overview of research works and papers in the world and in Vietnam regarding the topic shows that there have been a number of research works and papers on social media as well as social media impacts on students The above research works and papers have elucidated some positive impacts and at the same time pointed out negative impacts on social life in general and on students in particular These research results are very important suggestions, guiding us in researching impacts of social media on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi in the current period 1.2 Research works on students' political thoughts and impacts of social media on students' political thoughts in the current period 1.2.1 Research works on political thoughts and students' political thoughts 1.2.1.1 Political thoughts The work “Một số vấn đề công tác tư tưởng” (Some issues regarding ideological work) by Dao Duy Tung, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1999 [38] The author points out the great position, role and task of ideological work in the process of the Vietnamese revolution, lessons and guidelines for ideological work, contents and methods of ideological and political education; summarize practices in preventing and combating the influences of bourgeois, feudal, and petty bourgeois thoughts and improving the quality of ideological work In 2000, Elizabeth Prazar conducted the research “Cutuzenship Education: Anti-Political Culture and Political Education in Britain”, Journal of Political Studies, Volume 48, Issue I, 3/2000, United Kingdom [53] The paper points out the necessity of education on politics, citizenship and democracy for students in British culture with the view that people are free to receive political theories Huu Tho and Dao Duy Quat in the “Tiếp tục đổi mới, nâng cao chất lượng hiệu công tác tư tưởng – văn hóa tình hình mới” (Continuing to innovate and improve the quality and effectiveness of ideological - cultural work in the new situation) of the National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2001 [42] have an in-depth analysis of the renovation and improvement of the effectiveness of ideological work in the new situation, focusing on reality-based and grassroot-based ideological work The work “Đổi nâng cao chất lượng, hiệu công tác tư tưởng” (Innovation to improve the quality and efficiency of ideological work) by Ha Hoc Hoi and Ngo Van Thao, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002 [19] analyzes theoretical and practical foundations of the renovation and renewal of ideological work in the context of the first decades of the 21st century, in response to the demand for innovation and improvement of the quality and efficiency of ideological work Ministry-level research topic, code B.08-23, chaired by Ngo Ngoc Thang: “Vận dụng tư tưởng Hồ Chí Minh giáo dục vào giáo dục lý luận trị giai đoạn nay” (Applying Ho Chi Minh' thought on education to political theory education in the current period), Hanoi, 2008 [40] The work summarizes Ho Chi Minh’s basic points on political theory education, examines the actual situation of applying Ho Chi Minh thought on education to political thought education in the current period 1.2.1.2 Students' political thoughts Nguyen Dinh Duc, in his Associate Doctor of Philosophy thesis: “Những yếu tố khách quan chủ quan tác động đến tư tưởng trị sinh viên - Thực trạng giải pháp” (Objective and subjective factors affecting students' political thoughts - Realities and solutions) (1996), points out the realities of students' political thoughts in the period before 1975 and the period from the renovation until now with mixed political manifestations, and proves that the choice of the socialistoriented development path is always the first choice Ho Tu Luc with the paper “Tư giáo dục lý luận trị trường đại học, cao đẳng” (New thinking on political thought education of universities and colleges), Ha Nam hoc bao (2nd issue no 18) in 2004 [29] In the paper, the author highlights the role of Marxism-Leninism in the formation and development of students' political consciousness The author also digs into the key issues: persisting in the unchanged guiding role of Marxism-Leninism, ensuring the right direction in higher education; under the direction of Marxism-Leninism, further promoting political theory education The book “Giáo trình Đào tạo, bồi dưỡng cán tuyên truyền” (Textbook for training and fostering propaganda cadres) (2005) of the Bureau of Personnel, Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China (translated by the National Political Publishing House, Hanoi) presents a set of issues regarding ideological propaganda Specifically, for theoretical work, the book sets out basic issues regarding tasks and requirements of political theory education For the MarxismLeninism theoretical teaching in universities and colleges, the book emphasizes that “now it is necessary to conduct in-depth investigation and research to direct the compilation and correction of Marxism-Leninism theoretical textbooks” [12] In his doctoral thesis in political science “Hiệu cơng tác giáo dục trị - tư tưởng học viên học viện quân nước ta nay” (Effectiveness of political-ideological education among students of military academies in our country in the current period) (2012), Luong Ngoc Vinh digs into the current state of political thoughts of students through such educational indicators as: results of political-ideological education among students; the actual situation of mobilizing political-ideological education resources among students; the correlation between results and purposes and use of resources in political-ideological education work among students of military academies in the current period [126; pp 86-104] With a modern approach, examining political thoughts on the level of electronic newspapers, Tran Doan Tien, in his Doctor of Philosophy thesis “Phê phán quan điểm sai trái tư tưởng trị mạng internet góp phần bảo vệ chế độ xã hội chủ nghĩa nước ta nay” (Criticizing wrong views on political ideology on the Internet, contributing to the protection of the socialist regime in our country in the current period), analyzes the manifestations as well as harmful effects of wrong views on political ideology on the Internet among young people today On that basis, the topic contributes to the orientation of awareness and correct action for youth-students to protect the socialist regime, successfully realize the goals of rich people, strong country, democracy, justice and civilization At the same time, by analyzing the current state of students' political thoughts, we have a better view on political perceptions of students in some universities and colleges in our country in the current period Ta Thu Hien, in “Giáo dục ý thức trị cho sinh viên – Nội dung phương pháp” (Educating political consciousness for students in the current period - Contents and methods) (2017), focuses on analyzing concepts, contents and methods of educating students on political consciousness From a philosophical perspective, Pham Viet Thang, in his paper “Giáo dục ý thức trị cho sinh viên dạy học môn lý luận trị” (Educating political consciousness for students in teaching political theory subjects) (2017), also digs into the analysis of connotations of main concepts of political consciousness education for students, characteristics of Vietnamese students, thereby determining the core contents of political consciousness education for students through teaching political theoretical subjects in universities in the current period The paper “Giáo dục ý thức trị cho sinh viên trường đại học nay” (Educating political consciousness for university students in the current period (2020) by Tran Viet Quang, Thai Ngoc Chau and Le Thi Thanh Hieu analyzes and clarifies the concept of political consciousness According to the authors, political consciousness education for students should go in line with the development of the country, emphasizing the role of political consciousness education for Vietnamese students in the current period Nguyen Tien Dat and Nguyen Viet Tien in “Xây dựng ý thức trị cho sinh viên trường đại học Việt Nam nay: Thực trạng Giải pháp” (Building political consciousness for students in universities in Vietnam in the current period: Realities and Solutions) (2021) propose a number of solutions to improve political consciousness for students in the current period 1.2.2 Research works on impacts of social media on students' political thoughts Luu Ba Loc, Pham Thuy An & Lam Thanh Thuan (2013) “Tác động mạng xã hội Facebook, Zalo sinh viên nay” (Impacts of Facebook and Zalo social media on students in the current period) Facebook is essentially a part of today's society It has been and will bring more and more interesting, highly interactive utilities as well as maximized functions to people's lives The issue regarding social media impacts on lifestyle has also been mentioned directly or indirectly in various scientific conferences such as: “Mạng xã hội với lối sống trẻ thành phố Hồ Chí Minh” (Social media with young lifestyle in Ho Chi Minh City), “Truyền thông xã hội - Truyền thông cổ điển dư luận xã hội” (Social media - Classical communication and public opinion) and “Nghiện internet: Những thách thức xã hội đại” (Internet addiction: New challenges of modern society)… and some research works with a broader scope when examining impacts of new media on all aspects of socio-cultural life and the lifestyle of Vietnamese people in general in the context of industrialization, modernization and international integration Hoang Anh (2014) “Thực trạng sử dụng mạng xã hội facebook sinh viên trường Đại Học Sư Phạm Kỹ Thuật Tp.HCM” (Current state of Facebook use among students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education) This research shows a very high percentage of social media users, accounting for more than 90% of students, more than 80% of students only use Facebook, with the reasons for using Facebook being the enticement of friends, or the response to the movement (45%), only to see the attractiveness of the social media site (43%) Only about 10% choose this social media site for learning purposes Tran Thi Minh Duc and Bui Thi Hong Thai (2017), in “Sử dụng mạng xã hội sinh viên Việt Nam” (The use of social media among Vietnamese students) prove that social media are thriving in Vietnam Specifically, users are mainly teenagers and students Results of the survey on social media use among students show that out of a total of 4,247 students surveyed, 4,205 (accounting for 99%) use social media Le Thi Thanh Ha, Tran Tuan Anh & Huynh Xuan Tri (2017), in “Nghiên cứu nhân tố mạng xã hội tác động đến kết học tập sinh viên trường Đại học Công nghiệp Thực phẩm TP.HCM (HUFI)” (Research on social media factors affecting the learning outcomes of students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI)), examine, discuss, and present results and solutions for direct impacts of social media on students' learning outcomes In summary, an overview of the above research works and papers shows that, up to this point, theoretical and practical issues regarding the interaction among new media, social media and human life have been studied and summarized by a number of domestic and foreign researchers who have provided overviews of roles and impacts of social media on human life in general and countries in particular Especially, over the past ten years, in Vietnam, impacts and influence of the Internet and social media on young people have become a topic of great interest in many aspects: Current state, utilities, consequences, warnings and from various perspectives: positive, negative or neutral 1.3 Summary of results of research works regarding the topic and tasks/issues to be addressed by the thesis 1.3.1 Summary of results of research works regarding the topic Firstly, affirming the continuous increase and development of social media sites Secondly, affirming the increasing popularity of social media usage Many people already know how to use social media effectively Thirdly, analyzing some of the impacts of social media on social life in general The spread of information via social media is very quick and easy, creating an environment for the malicious use of social media with detrimental impacts on thoughts and spirit of social media users Regarding students' political thoughts and political thought education for students Firstly, the authors have inherited the Marxist concepts of political consciousness, thereby giving concepts and notions of political thought 11 Belief: is the choice of perception and information, one of the important factors influencing human behavior There are positive, negative, and limited beliefs Positive belief A belief that gives you a special feeling It makes you more motivated in accomplishing your goals, desires and intentions It guides you to right decisions and actions For example: You believe you will be a successful person, and you work hard for it Negative belief The kind of belief that occurs when you consider what you think is negative The fact that you admit or evaluate things in a negative way is also the kind of belief that makes you go to a dead end For example: When you have a firm belief that people are emotionless and the whole world is going to perish, it makes you bored with doing anything Limited belief Limited belief is a set of definitions that emerge in modern psychology It is used to refer to your thoughts, ideas, prejudices or biases towards events and things; standard attitudes about what is allowed and not allowed; and those thinkings that lead to actions and certain consistent directions A limited belief forces the subject to perform and strictly adhere to At the same time, those actions only originate and are performed by a certain subject It doesn't break the law; it's not done by other entities Motivation Motivation is what drives the desire to participate and act Political motivation is a psychological factor that reflects the subject's desire for political activities, directs, promotes and maintains the political participation of the subject in order to affirm his/her political ability Right or wrong political motivations determine the success or failure of political activities and the direction of human political personality development 2.1.2 Students and students' political thoughts 2.1.2.1 Concept of student * Students Students are citizens aged 18-25 who study and conduct scientific research at university and college level * Students have the following characteristics: First, cognitive activity and intellectual development Second, self-consciousness Third, tendency toward personality development 2.1.2.2 Students' political thoughts * Concepts of students' political thoughts and Vietnamese students’ political thoughts A students' political thought is a combination of political perceptions, sentiments, beliefs and stances, which are expressed through political attitudes and actions A Vietnamese students’ political thought is a combination of political perceptions, sentiments, beliefs and stances, expressed through the belief in the ideology and leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the adherence to policies and laws of the State, guiding them in the process of studying and training, actively contributing to the cause of building and defending the Socialist Fatherland * Manifestations of Vietnamese students’ political thoughts First, Vietnamese students manifest themselves as a pioneering force in practical activities Second, students' political thoughts are basically homogeneous, with correct perceptions of politics and ideology Third, students are a force that is sensitive to new things, but their ability to filter information is still limited 2.2 Social media and social media impacts on students' political thoughts 12 2.2.1 Social media 2.2.1.1 Concept of social media A social media site (or social network service) is an online platform that people use to develop social relationships with others with similar thinkings and personal interests, connected in real-time or along professional activities While social media exist in various forms and models, modern social media in general have the following similarities: First, social media are built on the connection among people on the Internet Second, the two main components that make up a social media site are members and the connection among members Third, social media have a strong character of connectivity and sharing, going beyond the limits of geography, language, gender, country, etc Fourth, social media have the ability to spread in a community through interactions among members in that community All members of a social media site connect one another and each person is a link to create a large network in term of information transmitted 2.2.1.2 The formation and development of social media in the world and in Vietnam * The development of social media in the world Datareportal statistics, January 2022, show that there are currently over 4.62 billion social media accounts, accounting for 58.4% of the total world population According to experts, it is still too early to accurately answer the question of where the world's social media will go However, there is one fact that never changes, that is social media are global communication networks that help connect us all together * The development of social media in Vietnam In the context of globalization and international integration, social media in Vietnam have witnessed a quite strong development Besides popular social media platforms in the world, namely Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, etc., there are also Vietnamese specific social media platforms such as Zalo, Mocha, Gapo, etc., which are attracting a large number of users, with student age users accounting for a high proportion 2.2.2 Social media impacts 2.2.2.1 Positive impacts First, social media play an increasingly important role in strengthening the public's trust in the leadership of the Party, the State and the administration of the Government Second, social media help develop people's awareness, thinkings and life skills Third, social media encourage the development of community culture Fourth, social media contribute to the promotion of international integration in the cultural field in Vietnam 2.2.2.2 Negative impacts Along with the positive aspects, social media also have numerous negative impacts on individuals, social environment and community benefits First, social media have been becoming effective tools for hostile forces and cybercriminals to conduct ideological sabotage activities, “peaceful evolution” and other criminal acts Second, social media increase the risk of disclosure of state secrets Third, social media have negative impacts on cultural development Fourth, social media are becoming a tool and a favorable environment for criminals 2.2.3 Social media impacts on students' political thoughts 2.2.3.1 Concept of impact Regarding the approved thesis title, the concept of impact as used by the thesis is understood, examined and analyzed from the perspective of a noun, expressed by the phrase: impacts of… (For 13 example: … Impacts of social media on students' political thoughts) When used in the sense of a noun, the components that make up connotations of the concept of impact are expressed through the two-sided nature of impact: positive and negative 2.2.3.2 Connotations of impacts of social media on students' political thoughts Impacts of social media on students' political thoughts, taken together as a concept, are strong (positive and negative) impacts of social media on students' political perceptions, thinkings and stances; political beliefs, sentiments and motivations, and consequent changes in students' political behaviors * Positive impacts of social media on students' political thoughts are reflected in the following aspects: First, social media make an important contribution to the advancement of students' political awareness towards the leadership of the Party, the State and the administration of the Government Social media have been effectively used by state agencies and organizations to provide information and extend propaganda to all people, including youths and students Second, positive changes in political awareness and thinking will contribute to the development of students' political beliefs and sentiments Third, with correct perceptions, social media increase political beliefs and sentiments and promote positive behaviors among students * Negative impacts of social media on students' political thoughts are reflected in the following aspects: First, social media also increase the risk of students' political thought deterioration through the misrepresenting and slandering against Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh thought and the leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam Second, social media increase the risk of negative effects in the online community and confusion among public opinion Third, negative impacts of social media on students' political behaviors are reflected in the manipulation, seduction and dissemination of ideas that are directed against Vietnam’s political regime, institutions and ideological foundations In addition, with the virtual nature, social media are often used by criminal, economic, and drug offenders with such tricks as creating virtual accounts to make friends, get acquainted and then appropriate money and property; stealing passwords, seizing control of unauthorized accounts to collect personal information, especially confidential financial information, for malicious purposes 2.3 Necessity of promoting positive impacts and limiting negative impacts of social media on students' political thoughts 2.3.1 Promoting positive impacts of social media on students' political thoughts The emergence of social media has made it possible for everyone to interact and share information, creating a multi-dimensional information environment Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the spread of positive information in cyberspace, redirecting the attention of the public, especially young people and students to positive information; separate and isolate negative information categories, as embodied in such mottoes as “lấy xây để chống” (building is fighting) and “lấy đẹp dẹp xấu” (use the good to combat the bad), creating an environment for the development of good information contents to take over and overwhelm negative information contents in cyberspace Effectively use social media for propagation, fighting, rejection purposes and regularly share and direct positive information, give bad warnings, remove social media accounts that post bad or violence-inciting information To this end, it is necessary to actively select, design and build relevant topics to lead public opinion; focus on the interactivity, closeness and use of various languages and forms preferred by netizens; create a unity in communication, from information in newspapers and 14 television to information on electronic newspapers, websites, portals, Facebook, and YouTube, etc., to form a flow of positive information that spreads quickly in the community, contributing to the orientation of awareness, creating a “resistance” for people, especially the young generation, against bad and toxic information on the Internet and social media, etc 2.3.2 Limiting impacts of social media on students' political thoughts First, educate students on political consciousness and thoughts to equip them with revolutionary and scientific worldviews and outlooks of Marxism-Leninism Second, educate students on political consciousness to get them imbued with and implement the Party's guidelines and views, the State's policies and laws, and be ready to fight for the defense of the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland Third, educate students on political consciousness to contribute to the right orientation for students to socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam, and at the same time contribute to the formation, advancement and improvement of students’ personality Fourth, educate students to be aware of and nurture national pride; to equip them with belief, will, resilience and extensive awareness in response to destructive plots of hostile forces Fifth, educate students on moral values, revolutionary ideals and lifestyles to contribute to the formation and improvement of a new socialist human personality and comprehensive human development Conclusion of Chapter Based on general impacts of social media on the social life of people in general and students in particular, we can identify connotations of impacts of social media on students' political thoughts, as expressed in both positive and negative aspects From the above theoretical basis, urgent tasks are set, namely: first, to realize the importance of political thought education for the young generation in general and for students in particular; second, to survey into the current state of students’ political thoughts in Hanoi in the current period, as well as the current state of social media impacts on Hanoi students’ political thoughts CHAPTER IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL THOUGHTS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN HANOI IN THE CURRENT PERIOD - CURRENT STATE AND ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED 3.1 Overview of the surveyed area 3.1.1 Overview of Hanoi - the Capital City Hanoi is first of all the political-administrative center of the country, and at the same time a major center in terms of economy, culture, education, science and technology, etc., and the capital city of Vietnam 3.1.2 Overview of universities in Hanoi Hanoi currently has 46 universities/academies and 24 colleges affiliated to 11 ministries, sectors and the City People's Committee, including 56 public institutions and 14 non-public institutions, many of which are leading universities of the country The research scope of the thesis covers 08 institutions in Hanoi, including: 06 universities under Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Academy of Journalism and Communication; and Hanoi National University of Education 3.1.3 Pros and cons of Hanoi students 3.1.3.1 Pros Hanoi students have a patriotic spirit, believe in and abide by the Party's line, guidelines and leadership, and the State's laws, preserve the national cultural identity in the context of international integration in the current period, have good qualities in term of ethics, mutual affection, mutual help, 15 affection, diligence, studiousness, honesty, solidarity, healthy lifestyle, and active participation in creative and voluntary activities for the community Many students possess revolutionary ideals and high will, as they are striving to become members of the Communist Party of Vietnam 3.1.3.2 Cons Currently, some activities and operations of Unions and Associations are still formalistic rather than practical Some segments of students are still politically indifferent, have not clearly defined revolutionary ideals and career ideals, are vague about political ideas, and deviate from ethical and aesthetic standards Some segments of students only care about their immediate benefits and personal interests, pay little attention to political and social issues, and rarely participate in social activities In addition, some students are also negatively affected by toxic and harmful activities of hostile forces, leading to wavering, vague and uncertain thoughts and a lack of ambition In the context of the fourth scientific and technological revolution, the opening up and strong integration of the country with the world, the explosion of information, the influence of social media with different positive and negative impacts, some segments of students have insufficient political knowledge and thought; some segments of students are lacking the ability to analyze and interpret complex political and social issues, leading to wavering and uncertain thoughts This has created opportunities for hostile forces to take advantage of Impacts of these factors on students are significant 3.2 Current state of social media use among university students in Hanoi in the current period 3.2.1 Most popular social media for university students in Hanoi in the current period Social media use among student age people always shows a high proportion For example, on Instagram, the proportion of social media users aged 18-24 is 29.7% This probably comes from the psychophysiological characteristics of adolescents and young adults: adaptiveness to new things, openness to communication and expression of themselves, etc On the other hand, signing-up and participating in a social media site is really not an obstacle for the majority of Internet users due to its convenience and simplicity So long as you have an email account in use, with a few steps, you can quickly create a Facebook, Twitter or TikTok account As most of instructions have been available in Vietnamese, it's not too difficult for young people to experience the default features For students in Hanoi, results of surveys into social media use among students show that out of a total of 4,125 students (from universities in Hanoi) surveyed, 4,092 (99.2%) use social media 3.2.2 Duration of social media use among university students in Hanoi 97.4% of university students in Hanoi use social media every day with different durations Particularly, most of them use social media from to hours a day (29.8%) The percentage of students using social media from to hours a day is 16.7% Especially, up to 4.8% of students use social media more than hours a day, and up to 2.4% of students spend most of their time outside of essential work on social media Most students use social media on mobile phones (98.1%) and laptops (61.4%); a few others use social media on desktop computers, tablets, or smart watches (less than 20%) Regarding the location of social media use among university students in Hanoi, most students use social media at home (91.6%) or at restaurants and cafes (61.3%) However, there are still 39.7% of students using social media at university Regarding the time of students' Internet access, the results in chart 3.9 show that students use social media the most at the time before going to sleep, with 89.3% of students confirming that time Students use social media the second most in their free time (62.4%) and then time after meals (59.1%), time after waking up (41.7%) However, 24.2% of students still use social media while studying This is one of the alarming problems as, with a rate of nearly 25%, one out of every four students “do personal business” during studying hours and use social media This has significant impacts on students’ learning outcomes 16 3.2.3 Purposes of social media use among university students in Hanoi The percentage of students who use social media with regular intensity and use social media at university shows that there are some segments of students who are “addicted” to social media and large segments of students who use social media during studying time Purposes of social media use of university students in Hanoi are quite diverse, with main categories including: Updating news and trends, chatting, studying, discussing, exchanging and entertaining These purposes are held by a very high rate of students and quite similar Among these, entertaining and updating news and trends are the biggest purposes of social media use among students Next is chatting (78.7%), which also explains the fact that there are chatting features within many social media platforms that students use, namely Zalo, Wechat, Line The number of students using social media for studying, discussing, exchanging purposes is also quite large, accounting for 74.9% Next is friend socializing (accounting for 47.4%) Besides, 30.2% of students use social media to business, or buy and sell online 26.5% of students use social media to search for job opportunities In addition to the above mentioned purposes, as shown by the collected data, up to 36.9% of students surveyed say that they use social media to look for dating opportunities and 21.1% of students use social media as a habit, i.e using without any purpose While this number is not high, it shows that students have begun to show signs of being dependent on social media, which will make it very difficult for students to concentrate on other activities when they are not engaged in social media 3.3 Current state of social media impacts on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi 3.3.1 Political perceptions and beliefs and students’ actions in response to social media impacts For students in Hanoi in the current period, besides looking for information on print materials (most of which for studying purposes), large parts of students have switched to the habit of reading newspapers or searching for information on social media, by accessing information posted on fanpages of press agencies, or by clicking on links shared on social media, instead of going to homepages of newspapers This shift in the way of accessing and receiving information poses a problem for media practitioners Therefore, using social media to expand public access is not only an option This is becoming an inevitable path Currently, various press agencies are using social media as a channel to publish information, and to reach out and interact with the public News posted on social media have been receiving high levels of interaction In particular, various press agencies have also been quick to catch up with trends and develop their presence on emerging social media platforms In addition, universities in Hanoi are also actively and proactively taking advantage of social media features to provide information, propaganda and education; to understand the world and domestic situation, guidelines and policies of the Party and State aimed at directing and educating political thoughts for students Survey results show that a majority of students surveyed respond that social media have impacts on most aspects of political thought (over 60%) It is worth noting that there are some contents with a high rate of positive impact assessment, namely: Better understanding of socialist-oriented market economy guidelines (61.4%); Belief in the Party's lines and views (74.7%); Belief in socialism (60.2%) Thus, it can be seen that, according to students' assessments, social media have had certain positive impacts on their belief in their political thought orientation In addition, as discourses on socialist-oriented market economy still have many unclear issues, students' understandings and beliefs are not very high Only 61.4% of students self-assess that they understand more about the content of theoretical point of view thanks to communication and educational channels of Party agencies and institutions, including social media 17 Survey results also show that information, propaganda and education from mainstream social media sites with positive contents also have great impacts on students' attitudes and orient students’ actions Students' political perceptions and beliefs are also expressed in their desire to be members of the Communist Party of Vietnam Many students have made great efforts in studying and training, have the will to strive and overcome challenges, and have been admitted to the Party According to survey results, up to 55.04 percent of students asked want to strive to become Party members That is a promising sign The number of students striving to be Party members has increased significantly in recent years Survey results show that the fighting against wrong and hostile views on social media is carried out in many different forms, each of which has its own drastic measures, such as: blocking posts or sharing objectionable posts to drive people to the right perception (61.3%) Overall, it can be seen that students have certain specific actions, more or less, regarding the information they receive In particular, the interesting point is that up to 83.4% of students have used the “unfollow”, “block” or "bad report" functions on Facebook, reflecting their initiative and vigilance towards malicious and toxic information That proves the assumption that students themselves have also taken advantage of social media to share information and correct and positive perceptions, or participate in debates and the fighting against false and inaccurate narratives Regarding opinions of leaders, lecturers and student administrators Regarding the belief in socialism, while social media have significant impacts on students’ political thoughts, most of assessments of leaders, administrators of departments, officials and lecturers of the universities and leaders of Party committees, experts and scientists show that: students believe in socialism (88.5%) Regarding understanding of Marxism-Leninism: Most of the respondents say that students have a good understanding of Marxism-Leninism (58.6%), although their understanding is still not deep (41.4%); Regarding understanding of Ho Chi Minh thought: A majority of opinions say that students have a good understanding of Ho Chi Minh thought (69.0%) However, there are still up to 31.0% of the opinions saying that students in the current period still not understand exactly about Ho Chi Minh thought Regarding understanding of the Party's guidelines and policies: A majority of respondents say they have a clear understanding of the Party's guidelines and policies (56.3%) Regarding levels of moral and lifestyle training of students of Hanoi universities and colleges, statistics from responses of leaders and administrators asked show that: Only 31.0% think it's good Up to 69.0% think it's average There are also some opinions saying that the moral and lifestyle training of students, although happening, is not frequent and less effective Regarding the participation of students of Hanoi universities and colleges in defending guidelines and policies of the Party and the State: A majority of opinions say that students' participation in defending guidelines and policies of the Party and the State is only average, 72.4% The number of good reviews accounts for 24.1% There is a very small percentage of respondents believing that it is not good Regarding the fighting of university students in Hanoi against disinformation and propaganda activities of hostile forces on social media platforms: Only 31.0% of opinions say that students’ fighting against disinformation and propaganda activities of hostile forces is good 62.1% think it's average Only a very small percentage (6.9%) say it is not good Regarding opinions of Hanoi university students on mass gathering activities that have harmful impacts on political security, social order and safety (due to propaganda and manipulation 18 on social media) 68.9% say that students not support these activities 31.0% say that students have a normal attitude towards these activities However, there are still some opinions saying that some small segments of students are being drawn into some large gatherings However, as students are aware that these activities are illegal, most of them have not been drawn into these activities In some places, a few students participated in some small incidents, affecting public order However, for the most part, students participate because they are curious or not understand correctly 3.3.2 General assessment of social media impacts on political thoughts of university students in Hanoi 3.3.3.1 Positive impacts Firstly, social media contribute to the advancement of political perceptions, beliefs, motivations, and orientation of action for students Secondly, social media participate in shaping public opinions, adjusting students' political attitudes and behaviors; refuting false narratives, contributing to the protection of the Party’s ideological foundations, educating students on political thoughts, encouraging and orienting students to study, practice self-employment 3.3.3.2 Negative impacts Firstly, curiosity-inciting information, violence inciting information, “view” fishing sensational news aimed at inciting the trend of virtual living among young people, fabricated information aimed at smearing individuals and organizations are having negative impacts on social life, increasing the risk of poisoning students' lifestyles Secondly, in addition to official, processed information, students are often attracted to exploiting and sharing negative information Students who spend their leisure time using social media tend to be exposed to unverified information from unclear sources, false information and biased comments, and inattentive to exploitation and positive communication This is due to the mentality toward showing off one’s sensitivity and “fashion” to friends by accessing biased information Some students also show appearance of deviant behavior, posting on social media offensive images and contents that are inappropriate for the youth age and the nation's fine customs and traditions, and even fabricated and misrepresented information aimed at attracting the attention of the online community without being aware of possible negative consequences for themselves and the society Furthermore, social media abuse leads to the fact that some students are showing signs of dependence on social media with direct impacts on their emotions, moods, behaviors, attention capabilities and, still worse, the quality of life and learning outcomes This is manifested in different degrees of learning performance decline, the lack of will to strive, the laziness in mental and physical activities, the fall into a virtual lifestyle, and the investment of energy and money on “useless” things on social media, leading to deviations in lifestyle 3.4 Reasons for the current state and issues to be addressed 3.4.1 Reasons for the current state 3.4.1.1 Objective reasons First, globalization and the fourth industrial revolution led to the formation of an information society manifested the explosive development of social media Any Internet user today can own or join several accounts on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc Second, the positive influence that social media has brought about is undeniable and we are still taking advantage of social media every day Third, special properties of the Internet, namely the easiness in spreading and sharing information, the ability to reach large numbers of social media users, the easiness in “anonymizing” and erasing traces also constitute another reason for the current state 3.4.1.2 Subjective reasons First, hostile forces opposing the Party and State are actively taking advantage of social media to spread fabricated information, distort the truth, “turn white into black”, confuse right and wrong