How useful is social media to academic activities?

Social media has evolved from a frivolous spare-time activity to an integral part of modern life. We use social media sites to do business, to find news about world events, to talk about vital issues with many different people, and as a valuable resource for academic study.
Here are a few examples from my own recent college experience.
I needed to gather a wide variety of demographic information for a social studies term paper. I created an online survey, posted it on social media, and asked my friends to share it. Within a week I had hundreds of responses from people all over the world.
A few of my classes involved group projects. We set up private groups on Facebook where we could communicate and share files. When information is posted to a group board, no one can say that they missed an update or didn’t get a copy of a file!
Social media and the Internet allow people to attend classes even if they don’t live anywhere near the school. Many of my classmates were logging in from other states and countries.
I’ve been a college student off and on for over twenty years. The academic environment today has changed a lot from when I first started. In the early 90s, students had to attend classes in person, use hardcopy textbooks (not to mention the endless stacks of paper hand-outs), and meet each other face-to-face when working together on projects. When I returned to school a few years ago, it was like a whole different world. Social media has really broadened the horizons for many students and teachers.