ABSTRACT
This study surveyed
the use of social media by undergraduate Students of Ambrose Alli University.
The descriptive survey research design was used. The instrument used for data
collection was questionnaire. The population of this study consist of all
regular undergraduate Students of Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma Edo State with
a total number of twenty seven thousand, three hundred and eighty eight
(27,388) However a sample size of 350 students were randomly selected and used
for this study. A total of two hundred and seventy nine (279) copies of the
questionnaire were retrieved and analyzed with simple table and percentage. It
was found that students use social media to maintain relationship and for self
satisfaction was found to be the major reasons students use social networking
sites. The study also showed that Students used Whatsap, Blogs, YouTube,
pinterst and Facebook. Students used social media for group chatting, for
sending and receiving of emails, for effective interaction among students and
for creation of awareness on school activities. Students used social medial for
assignment, to learn from each other, for Research and for self-satisfaction
and Students used social medial because it help to share Knowledge on issues
related to examination, share Knowledge related to school result and knowledge
on social issues. The recommendations were that: institution should try to create
WIFI connection in most places on campus and have good internet connection. And
they should also try to create an electronic library to enable students’ source
for adequate materials in academic library.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Most
learning is a social activity which occurs in interaction with others, so it is
quite a logical step to integrate social media into learning experiences (Sie
et al., 2012). The more social the medium is, the greater the impact communication
partners have on each other’s behavior (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).
Social media is a means of
interactions among people of different ages in which they create, share and
exchange information and ideas in a virtual communities and network. Kaplan and
Haenlein (2010) defined social media as “a group of internet – based
applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web
2.0 and it allows the creation and exchange of user- generated content and
depend on mobile and Web based technologies to create highly interactive
platforms through which individuals and communities share, create, discuss and
modify user- generated content. Social media is playing an important role in
today’s online world. The traditional way of meeting each other is long gone
and now the world meets at social media websites. It is an instrument on
communication that gives information and interacts with its users while giving
the information. Social media is a powerful new form of communication and its
use cut across rank, profession, age etc. The modern social media surfaced in
the earlier 1990s and one of such sites was created in 1994 and was called the
“Geocities” which was known for certain characteristics. Facebook is another
key example of the social media with over one billion active users as at
January
2013. There
are different types that have support for educators (blogging, Edublogawards,
Teacher Tube, Twitter); delivery of content (MIT’s OpenCourseWare, iTunesU) and
social learning (Facebook, Google+, blogs, LinkedIn and You Tube). Collaborated
projects eg Wikipedia, blogs. Micro blog Twitters, Content communities such as
YouTube, Flickr, Myspace.com, meet Up, del.icio.us stumble Upon, Digg, Daily
motion and technologies.
Social media has influenced the
educational nationwide in Nigeria and beyond, it introduction has played a
significant role in the administration and teaching and learning in both
college and university. Social medial has change the traditional way of sharing
knowledge and information among students in the higher institutions in Nigeria.
The use of social media in knowledge sharing cannot be overestimated it has
helped to enhance access to information and learning with the use of networking
in fostering transformation and easing accessibility to information for
undergraduate.
A wide variety of characteristics and
capabilities have been defined for social media in the literature. However, for
the purpose of this study, those features of social media have been considered
relevant to knowledge sharing purposes. They have the capabilities of social
media that encourage, support, and enable undergraduate students to share their
knowledge easily and effectively through different mechanisms. These
characteristics of social media can be categorized into four features: Social
connections have become very important and have improved and enhance
accessibility of information and sharing of knowledge tremendously among
Nigerian Universities.
Social networking: these sites are
fast becoming very popular means of both interpersonal and public communication
in Nigeria. Social networking sites are modern interactive communication
channels through which people connect to one another, share ideas, experiences,
pictures, messages and information of interest. Boyd and Ellison (2007) define
social networking sites as:
‘‘Web based services that allow individuals to
construct a Public or semipublic profile within a bounded system (2) articulate
a list of other users with whom they share a connection and (3)view and
traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.
They
are interactive networks which information and communication technology (ICTs)
bequeath to the modern society through the instrumentality of the Internet and
the telecommunication gadgets. The social media makes it possible to expand the
networks and to increase the possibilities for communicating with wider
audiences on the globe in knowledge sharing.
Over the year, it has becomes a very useful tools for Nigeria Undergraduates
share knowledge through social media sites with various available gadget which
has enhance their carrier achievement in the various higher institution.
The interactive aura of the new
media confers an unprecedented popularity on them. Also the ubiquity of the
social networking sites within their short period of arrival is unparalleled in
the annals of media industry. Awake (2011) buttresses this point by noting that
‘‘social networking has become hugely popular. Similarly, it took 38 years for
radio to reach 50 million users, 13 years for television to attract the same
number and 4 years for the Internet to do so, but it took Facebook 12-month
only to gain 200 million users in sharing of knowledge which has become easy
and flexible. Social networking sites provide various interactive platforms
based on the intentions of their founders. There are for instance, social,
political, academic, businesses, sports and religious platform. In other words,
the social media site by their nature has the capabilities of educating,
informing, entertaining and inflaming the audience. Onomo (2012) acknowledged
this ability of the media by remarking that social media sites has become ‘‘a
widespread tool for communication and exchange of ideas, sharing of knowledge
in helping individuals and organizations with just causes to reach a
phenomenally vast audience that could hitherto not be reached by traditional
media.’‘
Social
connections have become very important and have improved the library profession
tremendously in Nigeria. According to Suraweera et al (2011) social networking
refers to a process of relationship building among a group with a common
interest. Social media emerged in Nigeria principally for the purpose of
socializing. The Facebook initially was used only for social discussions,
however over time, particularly by the turn of the 21st century the grouping of
individuals into specific groups emerged.
The
World Wide Web enables people to gain access to information, create content and
disseminate ideas more efficiently. It optimizes the social networks in which
individuals are connected through widening communication channels and lowering
costs (Barsky and Purdon 2006). Social networking sites first emerged for
Internet users to find long-lost friends and classmates, link with each other
and share profiles. An increasing number of individuals have become members of
one or more social networking sites leading to soaring membership numbers,
largely because these sites are free and easy to use. Lately, these social
networking sites have gained a foothold among companies, organizations, and
even politicians who want to reach out to their target populations (Read 2006).
The wide application of social networking in different contexts appears to have
included universities and libraries as well (Boyd and Ellison 2007).
Thus, since inception, social
networking sites like Facebook, twittser,2go, My Space, Skype etc. have
mesmerized millions of users, many of whom have been made to use these sites as
parts of their daily activities. Currently, there is a plethora of social
networks with various features meant to suit the different interests of their
followers. Some are accessed via computer alone while others can be used with
mobile phones. The first identifiable social networking sites was launched in
1997, six degree. It allowed its users to create profiles, list their friends
and in 1998, introduced the friends list where users had the freedom to search
for old and new friends. (Zeller 2008).
This however was devoid of the
provision for users to upload their profile pictures. Other social networking
sites like classmates were founded to aid social interaction among their users
but did not have many features like six degrees. Other social networking sites
like Friendster and myspace created virtual community, which would help its
members locate old and new ones, shape their personal profile via the Internet
and socially idea or opinion under the sun. Two years later, Jack Dorsey
Launched Twitter as an online blogging site, while the most recent 2go was
founded in 2008 by Michael S. Egan. Therefore, just like radio and television,
social networking has spread everywhere in Nigeria and are bound to be
sprouting as the new media for are still obscure. In other words, from the
analysis carried out by the researcher from the world Internet statistics
(2012) it was found that out of the total population of 170,123,740 Nigeria,
5,860,240 numbers of people used Facebook as of 2012. Comparing Burundi and
Chad with a similar population of 10,557259k and 199 75,648 respectively, the
data shows that 37,040 and 36, 940 number of people respectively used Facebook
as of 2012. Similarly, Florunso, et al (2010) reviewed that: In Africa, social media networking sites are
becoming widely Spread than it has ever been before and it appears that
people’s Perception of this technology is diverse. pp.326).
Furthermore, as a novel phenomenon,
it is necessary to examine how UNN students use the new means of communication.
This is because student’s contribution as youths can make or transform any
nation. Essoungou (2010), explain that the new communication technology is one
of few ways that young Africans can bypass the inefficiencies in the system
that allow the status quo to hold on. It lowers the barriers to entry for
everyone to get involved and be heard. A study like this shall help to
ascertain whether Students use of the media could be regulated or not. This is
obviously because the disposition of people of a given community could shape the
media in existence there, just like a cerebral media scholar, Anim (2007)aptly
notes that societies greatly influence the operations and functions of the
media that operate within those societies.’‘ The manner in which the social
media were used and the role they play in the recent uprising which rocked the
middle- East popularly referred to as ‘‘Arab Spring’’ could be deciphered as
credence to the above academic observations.
Knowledge has always seen as one of the key
strategic resources that can produce sustained long-term competitive advantage.
Knowledge is the ability of people and organizations to understand and act
effectively. Having knowledge supports to cope with daily routine works and it
can also set up everyone to deal with new situations and utilize when needed.
Organizations that
need to thrive, compete, and operate in an ever evolving environment, cannot
leave the development of knowledge within the organization to chance. The
exchange of information and knowledge among employees is a vital part of
knowledge management. Actually, the organizations are faced with the challenge
how to get people to share their knowledge.
For several decades, the world's
best-known forecasters of social change have predicted the emergence of a new
economy where brainpower and knowledge, not traditional sources of energy and
machine power is the critical resource. However, this future is already here
and the knowledge economy has arrived. This evolving era is characterized by
rapid change and uncertainty, the increasing importance of knowledge and
knowledge management and the popularity of new information technologies that
have the potential to radically change the way organization do business.
The single most
significant technological development in the last 20 years has been the
Internet. The Internet makes it possible for individuals to connect,
collaborate and share knowledge, information, document, photo, video, etc.
continuously with anyone in the world. Furthermore, people are able to make use
of social media tools in order to increase range and richness of their
networks, gather information and nowadays, increasingly organizations are
finding ways of integrating social media into their business processes (Gaál et
al, 2014).
The
learning organization. a concept that has been around for some time, and rose
to popularity in the 1990s when Senge (1990) introduced his book The fifth discipline. the art and practice
of the learning organization. To this day it is seen as an important
concept for organizations. Organizations must learn because the environment
around them changes so quickly. Therefore, employees (and thus the whole
organization) have to learn to handle these changes
It
is the light of the above that this research work will seek to examine the use
of social media by undergraduate students in Ambrose Alli Univeristy Ekpoma.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
Over the years, social networking
sites have metamorphosed from few-user-based sites into phenomena that have
become niche for billions of users. The growth and popularity of social
networking sites have generated concerns among school authorities,
communication experts and socio-psychological researchers about the benefit and
potential risks facing undergraduates, as they engage in online social
networking to cater for their social and information needs rather than oral or
face-to-face communication.
Social media has influenced the
educational nationwide in Nigeria and beyond, it introduction has played a
significant role in the administration and teaching and learning in both
college and university. From researches and past literatures, many authors have tried to write about one aspect on the subject of the role of
social media by academic library in Edo State.
The literature was extensively
review. No work was found in literature
that covered the use of social media by undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli
University. Hence this study was carried out to cover this gap.
But
not much was has been carried out in the
area of social media as its been used by undergraduate in Edo
State. Although, several studies
has dealt on the benefits of social media
on library services. Almost
nothing is done on the aspect of social media use by undergraduates in Ambrose Alli University based on this, this study aims
to survey the use of social media
by undergraduate students of Ambrose
Alli University Ekpoma.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The general objective of this study
is to examine the use of social media by undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli
University.
The specific objectives of this study
were to:
1.
Determine
the extent to which the undergraduate students use social
media.
2.
Determine where students get access to social media.
3.
Identify the types of social media used by students.
4.
Identify
factors encouraging the use of social media by undergraduate students.
5.
Determine the purpose for which
the students use the social media
1.4 Research Questions
The following questions will are
raised to guide this study:
1.
To
what extent do undergraduate students use social media?
2.
Where do students have access to social media?
3.
What are the types of social media used by students?
4.
What
are the factors encouraging the use of social media by undergraduate students?
5.
What are the purposes for which the students use the social media?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses are
formulated for this study:
H01: Undergraduate students of Ambrose
Alli University does not make use of social media.
H02: There are no factors encouraging
the use of social media by Undergraduate students.
H03: Social media does not
significantly influence the performance of undergraduate students.
1.6 Significant of
the Study
It is expected that the output of this
research will benefit students and the administration of undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma as well as show the level of the
students’ use of social media sites. This shall help them to understand how
best to sustain the students attention on using social media sites. Also this
work will be of immense benefit to the field of Library and information
sciences as it will be on addition to existing literature. And shall also add
to the available academic literatures on social media.
Also the findings could be used by
academic advisers and counselors proffer professional advice to the university
authorities on how to regulate the social media usage among undergraduate
students of undergraduate
students of Ambrose Alli University
Ekpoma.
Also, the findings of this study would
provide facts that will enable the ministry of communication technology to know
what arises from students’ use of the social media sites. This will help the
ministry, to know how to control social media usage. Upon successful completion
of this research, it shall be very relevant to various people, across Nigeria.
1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study
This
research work is undertaken to examine the use of social media by undergraduate
students. But due to time, finance and other factors, the study will be limited
to Ambrose Alli
University Ekpoma Edo Statea as a case
study.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
The following operational definition of terms will be used in this study:
Social media are computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share or exchange
information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks. Social media is defined as "a group of Internet-based
applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated
content.
Social Networking: Boyd and Ellison (2007) described social networking websites as systems
that allow individuals to: (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within
a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a
connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made
by others within the system.
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