TWITTER USE AND PERCEPTION AMONG STUDENTS
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TWITTER USE AND PERCEPTION AMONG STUDENTS
(A CASE STUDY OF AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY, ADO EKITI)
CHAPITRE ONE
1.01 INTRODUCTION
The internet introduced a new dimension to the media scene. It signalled the start of technological development and socialization, as well as a greater thirst for information about everything. This eventually evolved into social media, which is essentially information about individuals.
The internet has elevated the process of information distribution, transforming it from a simple medium of socialisation or information seeking to something much more. With this advancement, consumers are driving content in unprecedented ways (Dominick et al., 2013). This has resulted in a shift in more than one media; there will be more to come as new trends develop on a regular basis.
According to Shapiro, as referenced by Croteau and Hoynes (2003), the introduction of new digital technology implies a potentially fundamental shift in who controls information, experience, and Covenant Journal of Communication.
Students’ use of social networks has lately increased due to easy access to internet-connected devices such as smart phones, iphones, blackberries, tablets, ipads, and computers. (Griffiths, 2011). Addiction to social networking sites has skyrocketed in recent years. The dangers of its consequences on the academic performance of over-involved students are concerning.
Academic performance, as measured by student grades (Jenkins, 2006), is a major problem at Benue State University, Makurdi. Students who spend too much time on social media become dependent on them, and their academic performance suffers as a result. School grades are thought to suffer when too much time is spent on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, as critical study time is squandered. (Sherry et al., 2008).
As a result, research on the effects of social network usage on university students’ academic performance is required. Overuse of social networks undoubtedly has some negative implications that may outweigh the potential benefits and have serious ramifications for the academic performance of its victims.
Students devote significant time to commenting, updating, reading, and sharing posts on social media. Turkle et al. (2007) argue that there is a statistically significant negative association between students’ time spent on social networks and their academic achievement.
According to Adelabu (2011), the prevalence of social networking sites and the impact they have on the lives of young people provides compelling evidence of the global impact of today’s Internet. Some see this new media as a threat, while others see it as the path to nirvana.
People use the internet for a variety of purposes, some of which may be addictive. Griffiths and Kuss, (2011). The widespread popularity of social networks on the internet may be cause for concern, especially given the increasing amount of time teenagers spend online. Social networking sites are virtual communities where users can build public profiles, engage with real-life friends, and meet new people based on common interests.
They enable individuals to build a public or semi-public profile within a confined system, Zhang, (2008) articulate a list of other users with whom they have a link, and read and traverse their list of connections as well as those produced by others within the system. (Hoynes et al., 2003).
Individuals can network and share media material on social networking sites, embracing the key web 2.0 traits within the context of their own structural characteristics. (Jenkins, 2006). The internet has unfathomable potential to influence, connect, and mobilise young people. As the internet has gained complete control of their life, some young people have lost control of their social media usage and are experiencing difficulties in social, vocational, and personal circles.
According to Idakwo (2011), the introduction of social media has had an impact on schoolwork and social contact. Undergraduates spend more time on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks via cellphones, which are already ubiquitous among these young people.
Many young people can’t go two or three hours without checking and updating their profiles on these social networks, even if it means neglecting other things like schooling and career development. MorahanMartin and Schumacher (2000) define internet addiction as “excessive internet use and failure to control this use, which severely harms a person’s life.” (Dominick et al., 2013).
The prevalence of social networking sites and the impact they have on the lives of young people provides compelling evidence of the global impact of today’s Internet. Some see this new media as a threat, while others see it as the path to nirvana. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Given the apparent student activity on Facebook, Blackberry Messenger, and WhatsApp, it became critical to determine what Twitter was used for and the dynamics of such usage. Furthermore, the research was inspired by audience engagement in several programming on the, which revealed that only a small percentage of students utilise Twitter when compared to answers provided by other platforms. As a result, the purpose of this study will be to determine how students use Twitter. (A case study of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti).
SUMMARY OF THE PROBLEM
Social networking sites have evolved from a few-user phenomenon to a phenomenon with billions of users. The rise in popularity of social networking sites has raised concerns among school administrators, communication experts, and socio-psychological researchers about the benefits and risks that undergraduates face as they use online social networking to meet their social and information needs rather than oral or face-to-face communication. Sherry, (2012), the founder and director of the MIT initiative on technology and self, asserted that the convenience that social networking sites provide users for communicating with one another can harm their interpersonal communication.
Furthermore, social networking sites force users to regard one another as “objects” to be accessible just for the aspects that the users find useful, comfortable, or humorous. Furthermore, according to John J. Cacioppo, a neurologist at the University of Chicago, addiction to social networking sites can generate emotions of loneliness and enhance sentiments of insensitivity to detachment. (Cacioppo, 2009).
As a result, a method of identifying and responsibly using the right social networking site must be devised. This study is focused with the trend of Twitter use, the benefits students gain from it, the dangers linked with it, and how to avoid such dangers. (Moeller et al., 2010).
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study’s overarching goal is to discover how undergraduate students at Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti perceive and use Twitter. The following are the study’s particular objectives:
To investigate how undergraduate students at Afe Babalola University perceive and use Twitter.
To investigate the purpose of Twitter usage by Afe Babalola University undergraduate students.
To determine the advantages of using Twitter.
Identifying the risks linked with social networking services.
To provide solutions for mitigating the risks associated with Twitter use.
QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
The following questions will guide this paper:
What motivates kids to use Twitter?
How do students gain access to Twitter?
What is the most popular Twitter activity among students?
To what extent do Afe Babalola University undergraduate students utilise Twitter?
What are these students’ motivations for utilising Twitter?
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of this study are likely to benefit students and the administration of the University of —- by revealing the extent to which students use Twitter. This will assist them understand how to keep students’ interest on social networking platforms. This work will also be of great help to the field of library and information sciences because it will add to the existing literature.
And will also contribute to the existing scholarly research on social networking. The data could also be used by academic advisers and counsellors to provide professional guidance to university officials on how to restrict social network usage among undergraduate students at Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti. Again, the study’s findings will provide information that will allow the ministry of communication technology to understand what results from students’ use of social networking sites.
Following the successful completion of this research, the ministry will have a better understanding of how to restrict social network usage; it will be highly relevant to many individuals across Nigeria.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is confined to students at Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti’s perspective and use of Twitter. Geographical scope: it includes the perception and use of Twitter by undergraduate students at Afe Babalola University, the benefits of using Twitter, the purposes of using Twitter, and the risks associated with Twitter use. (Boyd et al., 2007).
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