Introduction. Social networks are essential in many facets of life, including education, in the current digital age. English language acquisition is one of the most essential domains where social media has an impact. Students are increasingly using social media platforms for engagement, motivation, and real-world language application as English becomes a more important global language. The effectiveness of social networks as a means of encouraging students to learn English is examined in this study.

The Internet allows people to unite in communities based on interests and topics for communication. They post various photo and video files, create blogs, etc.

All this has a common name - a social network. Social networks have become one of the most important means of communication between people. The goal of social networks is to make the world more open. Currently, social networks have a great influence on many areas of our lives, in particular on education. In this regard, we will consider the most popular social networks among students, we will try to focus on the main advantages and disadvantages of their use in the educational process.

   In order to increase the motivation of students at agricultural universities, the teacher must take a clear approach to choosing assignments. Assignments generated on the basis of social networks must meet the basic requirements. These include the following: 1. Diversity. Social networks involve the use of various types of assignments (online conversation, online discussion, viewing modern authentic professional materials, reading adapted and non-adapted specialized literature) and exercises, a variety of forms of organizing educational activities (assignments can be completed in small and large groups, individually, by forming a team).

D.O. Koroleva conducted a study to assess how actively Russian high school students and future students use mobile technologies and social networks. According to her data, the most popular social network among young men and women is Vkontakte, 91% of respondents indicated it, Instagram is in second place - 50%, then Facebook - 28.5%. 3% of students do not have accounts in social networks (see fig.) (5). Vkontakte profile is used as the main communication for 86% of students, 73% of respondents noted that they have only one account in this social network, two or more accounts for 23% of respondents. It should be noted that 70% of respondents use mobile devices, as well as social networks to search for information during lessons (university classes).  (see it in Pic.1)

Vkontakte profile is used as the main one for communication by 86% of students, 73% of respondents noted that they have only one account in this social network, two or more accounts by 23% of respondents. It should be noted that 70% of respondents use mobile devices, as well as

social networks to search for information during lessons (university classes).

G.B. Saifutdinova and A.S. Mironenko describe the experience of using social networks as a means for organizing independent work of students (G. Saifutdinova, A. Mironenko, 2017). Thanks to the social network, when completing assignments, students are allowed to contact their teachers with questions and comments directly during the preparation. In our opinion, the consultation can be conducted in a foreign language, by the language studied by the students. For example,an English teacher can allow students to consult with him exclusively in English.

       Thus, the use of social networks in the educational process promotes the exchange of information, increases the motivation of students in educational activities, stimulates the development of creative abilities and cognitive interest.

The main distinctive feature of learning a language with the help of a social network is the possibility of contact with a native speaker or with a person who also needs to practice the language. It should be noted that when studying foreign languages ​​by university students, the list of social networks can be expanded. Communicating in international social networks, you can not only find new friends all over the world, but also significantly improve your level of proficiency in a particular foreign language. The most popular social networks are: Busuu, Sharedtalk, My Language Exchange, English, Baby!, Lang8, Ling, Livemocha, Interpals and others. It should also be noted that the social network Facebook is popular among American students, allowing students from any corner of the world to keep in touch with each other, communicating in an international language - English.

How social media impact Learners’ Motivation. The impacts of social media on motivation toward English were made possible through the connective, interactive, and collaborative features of social media.  These characteristic features are discussed in the following paragraphs. The concept of connectivity was highlighted across all the media. It is one of the essential characteristics of social media that has positively influenced English learners’ motivation.  Social media is a hub of networks with various English learning sites, accounts, channels, pages, posts, statuses, stories, and real-life teachers and experts as well as proficient and native English speakers. It is a nebulous environment of constantly shifting and updating core elements with up-to-date information.  As a result of the theoretical analysis of the above-described works and our own accumulated pedagogical experience in the use of social networks in teaching a foreign language to students of an agricultural university, we concluded that the use of social networks creates an excellent platform for expanding the boundaries of foreign language

study in and out of class. Social networking sites play an important role in improving and developing education both at the level of students and at the level of teaching staff.

To increase the motivation of students of agricultural universities, the teacher must

approach the selection of tasks. Tasks formed based on social networks must meet the basic requirements. These include the following:

1. Diversity. Social networks involve the use of various types of tasks (online conversation, online discussion, viewing modern authentic professional materials, reading adapted and non-adapted specialized literature) and exercises, a variety of forms of organizing educational activities (tasks can be completed in small and large groups, individually, by forming a team)
2. Problem-solving. Problems make students think and find ways to solve them. Modern methods of teaching foreign languages ​​have a wide range of communicative tasks and project work aimed at solving problems. The problem-solving approach can be used at various stages of learning. It helps to master the necessary vocabulary and grammar of the language being studied, develop speaking, and listening skills, etc.
3. Learning with pleasure. Only learning a foreign language with pleasure gives a positive result. The student must have a desire to learn, find positive aspects in this process, know their goals and objectives. Experience shows that pleasure in learning is achieved in various ways, one of which is the selection of entertaining tasks. Entertainment is one of the main reasons for using social networks in the educational process.

      When talking about the use of social networks in teaching a foreign language, we can highlight the following characteristics:

1. Flexibility.

This feature expands the possibilities of choosing what, when, and where to study. Flexibility is also the anticipation of new educational opportunities and readiness for the constantly changing requirements of modern society. The use of social networks in teaching a foreign language allows students to determine the prospects for self-development and self-study.

2. Communicativeness.

With the help of social networks, you can create a favorable learning environment for communication in English. Students do not need to go to the country of the language they are studying, they simply connect to the Internet and communicate with native English speakers. Social networking sites encourage students to interact with each other, express and share their thoughts, and be creative.

3. Convenience and accessibility.

Social networks provide easy access to educational materials (at any time and anywhere), make it convenient to view, update and edit them. In addition, they allow you to select the educational materials that are necessary for learning, facilitating their dissemination.

4. Efficiency.

Teaching English through social networks can make classes not only more effective but also more efficient. Many social networking sites offer users various applications that can be useful in learning English. Social networks overcome the limitations of space and time in the learning process. Social networking helps to reduce stress and increase student satisfaction. They can study at their own pace. In addition, they can discuss emerging problems at any time. Describing the main advantages of social networks in teaching a foreign language, we can also highlight some negative factors. Students are forced to use various technical means that make the social network accessible. This distracts them and shows the lack of social interactivity in real life. Computers and phones have become an integral part of our daily lives. But their frequent and uncontrolled use can affect the psychological and physical health of students. Learning with the help of social

networks should not take up the entire time of classroom lessons, but only be a part of it. This method of organizing learning should serve only as a measure of encouragement for students.

              Using social networks in teaching a foreign language leads to a decrease in

interest in completing traditional tasks on reading, translating a text, and presenting its content. Getting used to work in social networks, where the presented material may contain sound and other visual effects, one must constantly return to the usual methods and forms of work in the classroom. In addition, one disadvantage of using social networks is the lack of ICT competence in students of agricultural universities. When entering higher education institutions from rural areas, many of them have poor computer skills and other technical means. Therefore, the role of the teacher is to activate knowledge and skills in this area. These negative factors are becoming less and less relevant in a modern, fully computerized society.

 Effectiveness of the Platforms

From the investigation, it was discovered that YouTube was the most effective social media platform for students’ motivation and English learning. YouTube makes English learning easy, fun, and spontaneous due to its variety of information sources and distinctive characteristics that allow created videos to be shared, discovered, and viewed across the globe. The commonest of these specialized sources among language learners are song lyrics and movie subtitles. They boost the passion for daily learning, practice, and use of   English.   YouTube channels and content enhance basic language skills especially listening and speaking (Hasan et al., 2018).  Its flexibility in terms of time, place, mode, and choice motivates, while its plethora of scenarios with proper usage of language enhances pragmatics and cross-culturally understanding (Kim & Kim, 2021).  It virtually answers every question asked with a variety of opinions at little or no time and cost. Instagram had a significant impact on participants’ motivation to learn English but was lower than the impact of YouTube.  The platform is both interactive and connective. Interactive, by enhancing the establishment and maintenance of communication with friends and teachers, at home and abroad.  Connective, by providing various sources of information with up-to-date authenticated knowledge.

Conclusion

Motivation toward learning English as a global language is positively impacted by the use of social media. This study, therefore, recommends the integration of social media with proper guidelines into English. teaching and learning process by education policymakers and curriculum planners.  Also, connectivism should be adopted as one of the core teaching approaches and learning strategies.  This flows from the position that knowledge is essentially a network and learning in the contemporary hyperconnected society is a process of сonnecting specialized nodes.  In the light of this approach, teachers ought to be more open to diversified opinions as well as assume a facilitatory role in students’ learning process. On the part of the students, they should not only limit their focus of using social media to social connectedness and pleasurable wants but extend it more to cognitive connectedness and learning.