Abstract

Participation with technology for Social Purposes has become the mainstream communication method for many people in the past several years. In particular, youths in tertiary institutions have adopted these forms of communication as the paramount means to keep in touch with family and friends. The researcher examined the influence of Social Media on Nigerian youths (A case study of ESUT) to determine how it has affected them as regard crime rate, time spent and whether there are some advantages it has. The findings of this study both supported and conflicted with existing literature on these topics. These findings offer additional opportunities for research by other students who are interested in Social Media influences like this work.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the study

Social media is a means of interaction among people in which they create, share and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Furthermore, social media depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms via which individuals and communities share, concrete, discuss and modify user-generated content. Today's society is faced with the continual growing problem of electronics and social media. What used to be considered precious treasure is now the cause of teenage obesity, lack of concentration, inadequate communication and above all a far less intellectual society. Cell phones, internet game, television all have taken over the youth in the society and corrupted them into unimaginative, unqualified, dull robots face book is merely a tool to drain the intelligence from teenagers until they are forced to speak in instant messaging jargon. Social media integrates technologies, social interaction, and content creation to collaboratively connect on-line information. Through social media, people or group of people can create, organize, edit, comment on, combine, and share content, in the process of helping agencies to better achieve their mission goals. It is fair to say that human race have wholeheartedly embraced social media. Social media have changed the way we interact significantly, but it is possible that we are not taking enough time to step back and take stock of what is happening to us. As Ogbuoshi (2004) puts it that "1990s noticed the impact of the internet on day-to-day affairs and the creation now means for individuals to connect and communicate with one another and with data base worldwide and in the process, revolutionize our lives". In today's information age, the marriage of computer to contemporary media has facilitated sweeping changes to occur before the eyes of our youths and our traditional beliefs. The move to digital communication has resulted in new media environments that are often interactive in nature and allows multiple functions and tasks to be performed on a single piece of equipment such as home computer in television. Social media have provided an open arena where the youths are free to exchange ideas on various increase in social media web-sites, there seems to be a positive correlation between the usages of such media with cyber bullying, online sexual predators and the decrease in-face-to-face interaction. Likewise, social media seem to be influencing youths' lives in terms of exposing them to images or alcohol, tobacco, and sexual behaviors (Kaplan, 2010). According to Agichtein (2008) ‘’his issue is becoming even more prominent as the youths are starting to engage with such media sites at younger ages". Instead of giving the youths as toy at the dinner table to keep them quiet, parents are now resorting to iPods and other technological devices that are more advanced. Youths are thus learning how to operate technological devices at the ages where they are able to become experts as infants. Social media is generally an up and coming and phenomenon. One of the first social media sites was created in 1994, and it was called "Geocities". There is an increasing trend towards using social media monitoring tools that allow youths search, track and analyze conversation on the web about topics and events of interest, have more qualified and properly remunerated and most importantly acquisition of communication equipment. Nigeria does not manufacture microphones or radio and television receiver not to talk of transmitter, transformer or consoles, therefore, depends on the developed countries who produce these equipments. Since the 1990s, poor access to personal computers, poverty and high level of illiteracy constitute the barriers to high usage of social media in Nigeria as in other developing countries of the world, although these barriers to access to computer for communicative reasons are being reduced by cyber-cafes, which have increase tremendously over years 

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Communication is a vital engine of any society and the availability of an efficient, reliable and affordable communication system is a key ingredient for promoting rapid, socio-cultural, economic and political development of any nation. As human society evolved, the need for information and information processes system developed from informal to formal. Foreign countries are said to have developed and mastered products and services that developing countries like Nigeria import. In the recent years, the increasing advances in information technologies especially the internet system has quickened the pace of globalization of communication. Social media which is a means of interactions among people has been recognized for changing the way we the youths live for good at times for bad. Unfortunately, we have a growing trend of crimes committed among youths via social media. This study examines the influence of social media on Nigerian youths using. The researcher intends to investigate whether the increase in unwanted female youth's pregnancies is as a result of exposure to social media pornography among the youths, whether youths spend more time on social media network than other sites. The study will also find out whether social media is the primary method of communication to youths. Social media is a means of exchange of communication or interactions among people through which they exchange ideas, create and share information in a group, from person to person, in virtual communities and networks. Social media differentiates from traditional media in much aspect such as quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy and performance. The technology allows inter-personal communication as well as mass communication among users. The characteristic of social media technologies forces the user to take a step beyond the area of interest of traditional mass communication. Moreover, the interactive components of the technology make it difficult to distinguish between the sender and receiver. (Debora ,2012) identified face-book as a key example of a social media site and from research over one billion active users in October 2012 in Nigeria. It is observed from research that face book is now the primary method of communication by college students in the developing countries like Nigeria. Consumers spend more than six hours on social networking sites (Bassey, 2012). The influence of social media according to Jude (2011) has made most of the Nigerian youths to continue spending more time on social networks than any other category of sites.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objectives of the study are;

1.   To investigate whether the increase in unwanted female youth's pregnancies is as a result of exposure to social media pornography among youths

2.    To find out whether youths spend more time on social media network than other sites,

3.   To examine whether social media is the primary method of communication to youths

4.    To find out whether negative social media content can increase violent behavior of youths

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The hypotheses are stated in null and alternative forms.
Ho1: theincrease in unwanted female youth's pregnancies is not as a result of exposure to social media pornography among youths

HA1: theincrease in unwanted female youth's pregnancies is as a result of exposure to social media pornography among youths

Ho2:social media is not the primary method of communication among the youths
HA2:social media is the primary method of communication among the youths

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will give clear insight on influence of social media on Nigeria youth. The study will be beneficial to youths and the general public. The study will give clear effect of social media to youths. The study will serve as reference to other researchers that will embark on this topic.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study;

a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study       

b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

c) Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities 

 1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

SOCIAL MEDIA: Social media are computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks

YOUTH:Youth is the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood. It is also defined as "the appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

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