EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN AKWA IBOM STATE POLYTECHNIC

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ABSTRACT

This research examine the Effectiveness of Social Media on Student Academic Performance in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, the objectives of the study was to find out whether exposure of student to social media has effect on their academic performance and to achieve this objective, the following research questions were formulated: which social networking site do students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic have access to? How often do the students go online? How many hours do they spend on social network activities? How has the use of social media affected their academic performance? The research anchor on two theories namely; use of gratification theory and individual difference theory, a sample size of 250 was drawn out from the total population of 640 students in mass communication ND1 and ND2 Part-Time of 2014 and 2015 academic session  through accidental sampling technique. Findings also show that 2go is the most use social media by Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic Students. Based on the findings the study concluded that exposure to social media by the students has negative effect on their academic performance. To this end the study recommends that students should pay minimal attention to social media and focus on their academic activities.    

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

  1. Background of the Study

Alfred et al. (2006) says communication is a basic human need and for that reason, man has always fund a means of meeting this need either through interpersonal or mass communication. Unlike the past, the people of the world are today living in a global village because of the various breakthroughs in information technology.

According to Nnamdi Anumihe (2007) communication is social interaction that is actualized through the exchange of messages and their ascribed meaning. Language, which is the medium of interaction, consists of words, signs, symbols, gestures, which are products of perception arising from socio-cultural orientation. In other words the physical act of communication is made possible by input from various human activities transmitted in a form that is meaningful to the participants in the communication context, similarly, the study of communication is made possible by inputs from various disciplines.

Katz, (2009) opines that information that usually takes many days or weeks to disseminate now takes seconds or minute, it is now possible for people to make interpersonal areas of the country or from other countries with the use of social media without leaving their immediate environment.

Howard Greenstein, (2011) defines social media as online technologies and practices that people use to share content opinions, insight, experiences, perspectives, and media themselves. Social media is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to communit-based input, interaction, content – sharing and collaboration. Websites and applications dedicated to forum, micro blogging, social networking, social book marketing, social duration and wikis are among the different types of social media.

Napoleon, Egedogbe, in Girine American university, North Cyprus (2013) make known to use that since the introduction of social media sites some years ago, to communicate with friends and family has been easy once you have access to internet. The internet has given us the ability to connect  with people from around the globe with a few clicks of a button.