Index

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study, which is a descriptive survey research, is to ascertain the limitations placed on undergraduate students' use of social media in postsecondary institutions. The study's focus is Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. The population of the study consists of all undergraduate students in the curriculum studies/Instructional Technology department of the faculty of education at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. 200 pupils made up the study's sample. Candidates were chosen through a simple random sampling process. The instrument used for the study to collect data from respondents is the Constraints to the Use of social media on Undergraduate Students in Tertiary Institution (CUSMUSTI), a structured questionnaire with 30 item questions with a reliability co-efficient of 0.74. Mean and standard deviation were used to statistically respond to the study questions, and the Z test was used to statistically assess the hypothesis. The study found that older teens who use social media in a passive way, such as by just scrolling through other people's images, report lower levels of life satisfaction and are more likely to propagate untrue rumors. It is recommended that young and old people should create more time for sleep so that their mental health can improve.

Keywords: Classroom, Communication tool, Depression, Digital immigrants, Digital natives, Social anxiety, Social media.

DOI: 10.55284/gjss.v8i2.731

Citation | Kasumu, Rebecca Oluwayimika (2022). Constraints to the Use of Social Media on Undergraduate Students in Tertiary Institution. Global Journal of Social Sciences Studies, 8(2): 62-69.

Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Funding : This study received no specific financial support.

Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

History : Received: 25 August 2022 / Revised: 6 October 2022 / Accepted: 19 October 2022 / Published: 1 November 2022  .

Publisher: Online Science Publishing

1. INTRODUCTION

Teachers and students both utilize social media as a communication tool. Teachers have started to get familiar with this trend as numerous kids already use a variety of social media platforms and they are now utilizing it to their advantage. In order to extend classroom discussion, teachers and professors are doing everything from posting homework assignments, examinations, and quizzes to help students with their assignments beyond the classroom. Social networking sites are also utilized to promote communication between teachers and parents. Parents can more easily and conveniently ask questions and express concerns on these websites without having to meet in person. Social networking sites' growth may potentially be influencing how students use technology in general. Long consideration on how an accurate representation of how effortlessly people of all ages, particularly those born before and after 1980, use technology, Prensky (2001) distinction between "Digital Natives" and "Digital Immigrants" has gained widespread acceptance. Using social networking in the classroom as a teaching tool enhances learning and opens up new and fascinating channels for communication between students and teachers. Because the websites are well suited for the purpose, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter provide users with handy platforms to share ideas, discover answers to queries, and engage in discussion. Social networking encourages debate, leads to fruitful conversations, allows for the exchange of ideas, and enhances student involvement. Tutors can use social networking technology for better purposes. With the help of social media, it is possible to improve communication skills while also increasing student participation. In comparison to a classroom, students will feel more at ease expressing themselves on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. Social media is a terrific supplement to traditional classroom learning, and both teachers and students can benefit much from it. Twitter and Facebook can help students and professors communicate better. They can also be used to bulk-send messages, updates, and course schedules to the whole student body. Additionally, students are able to comment on the lesson.

Students have new research and learning options because of social networking in the classroom, software for social networking enables people to connect over a shared interest or idea. Anyone who writes about politics, computing, or Greek literature can be brought together by a school using blog software. Social networking can influence students' perspectives on schooling as well as their social lives. Students who lack the confidence to participate in class discussions can still express their opinions without having to face their peers by posting questions and sharing their ideas simultaneously. They will have more freedom to express their opinions regarding the teachings discussed as a result. A few examples of the interactive social media and community-based platforms that are becoming common in classrooms are Skype, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, wikis, Blackboard, and Moodle, according to Blankenship (2011). Social networking sites used to be considered a diversion that had little educational value. By blocking certain social media sites, teachers could safeguard their children from time wasters, bullying, and privacy breaches, June (2014).  For instance, because many teachers and educators see Facebook as a frivolous, time-wasting distraction from academics, it is typically outlawed in junior high or senior high school computer labs, (Clark & Melancon, 2013). The prevalence of social networking sites has made cyberbullying a significant issue. According to Livingstone and Magdalena (2004) in order to avoid this problem, many school districts and boards have limited access to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter inside of schools. Since social networking platforms usually have a lot of personally identifiable information posted openly, many people think that providing personal information is a route into privacy theft. In order to protect students from this, schools have taken action. According to some, schools, sexual predators, cyberbullies, and cyberstalks are drawn in by the release of personally identifiable information and the straightforward communication platform offered by social networking platforms. Muñoz and Towner (2011) however, contrary to popular belief, 85% of adults and 70% of young people who use social media believe that these sites' users are typically kind to one another. Recent research indicates that the way social networking services are restricted has changed, the opposite is happening more frequently as online networking services' potential is realized. According to certain theories, social networking sites being blocked in schools prevents pupils from developing the necessary abilities, David and Michelle (2012). When it comes to giving pupils the finest educational opportunities possible, banning social networking is not only wrong but also almost reckless (Waddington, 2011).

1.1. Problem of the Study

The issue is not social media itself, but rather how people use it in place of real conversation and face-to-face socialization. Social media pals could be strangers and may not even be real friends. The fear of missing out has emerged as a recurring motif and frequently motivates frequent visits to social media platforms. Mental health may be impacted by the fear of missing out on something if one is not online. Social media platforms give users the chance to compare themselves to others and gain other people's approval for their appearance, which can lead to issues with body image. Spending more time on social media can raise your chance of experiencing inappropriate content, social anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying due to the potential for addiction, the study's goal is to look into how social media usage affects undergraduate students in higher institutions.

1.2. Aim and Objectives of the study

The study's goal is to look into the limitations that social media has on tertiary institution undergraduate students. In particular, the study wants to:

1. Inspect the limitations of social media on undergraduate students in tertiary institution.
2. Investigate the extent of undergraduate usages of social media in daily basis.
3. Identify the social media sites undergraduate students use always.

1.3. Research Questions

1.  What are the social media limitations on undergraduate students in tertiary institution?
2. How often do undergraduate students use social media in tertiary institution?
3. What are social media sites undergraduate students use always in tertiary institution?

1.4. Hypothesis

1. There is no discernible difference in the social media limitations at higher institutions between male and female students.

2. METHODOLOGY

The purpose of the study, which is a descriptive survey research, is to ascertain the limitations placed on undergraduate students' use of social media in postsecondary institutions. The study's focus is Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. The population of the study consists of all undergraduate students in the curriculum studies/Instructional Technology department of the faculty of education at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. 200 pupils made up the study's sample. Candidates were chosen through a straightforward random sampling process. The instrument used for the study to collect data from respondents is the Constraints to the Use of social media on Undergraduate Students in Tertiary Institution (CUSMUSTI), a structured questionnaire with 30 item questions. Using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, the reliability co-efficient of 0.74 was discovered. Mean and standard deviation were used to statistically respond to the study questions, and the Z test was used to statistically assess the hypothesis.

Research Question 1: What are the social media limitations for undergraduate students in tertiary institutions?

3. RESULTS

Table 1 's entries show that students recognized social media's limitations as a whole. This is due to the fact that every item's mean was higher than the 2.50 criteria mean. An aggregate mean of 3.80 indicates that older teenagers who use social media passively, such as by merely perusing other people's images, experienced losses in life satisfaction and potentially disseminate untrue rumors.

Research Question 2: How often do undergraduate students use social media in tertiary institution?

According to entries in Table 2, students believed that their use of social media was at its maximum. This is due to the fact that every item's mean was higher than the 2.50 criteria mean. An aggregate mean of 3.39 indicates that social media can help users locate friends and classmates from elementary, middle, high school, college, work, and the military; companies can post jobs and look for possible applicants; and users can spend less time reading books.

Research Question 3: What are social media sites undergraduate students use always in tertiary institution?

Table 3 entries showed that students approved all social media sites as the ones they always use for school-related purposes. This is due to the fact that every item's mean was higher than the 2.50 criteria mean. The following websites are preferred by undergraduate students, according to the total mean of 3.57: Tik Tok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, LetsChat, Bet9ja, Messenger, and Telegram.

3.1. Hypothesis

Hypothesis HO1: The limitations of social media in tertiary institutions do not significantly change between male and female students.

Table 4 shows that the null hypothesis is rejected since the calculated value of Z (Cal) is higher than the tabular value. This indicates that there are considerable differences in boys' and girls' social media usage restrictions. Girls (3.7) score better than boys (3.4) because they utilize social media more frequently than boys do.

4. DISCUSSION

According to the study, older teens who use social media in a passive way, such as by just perusing other people's images, report lower levels of life satisfaction and are more likely to propagate untrue rumors.

The current study's findings concur with those of Michelle (2010) who discovered a change in the way social networking services are blocked. The opposite is frequently happening when the potential of online networking services is grasped. It has been claimed that by blocking social networking sites, schools are preventing pupils from developing the necessary skills.

The findings of the study concur with those of Fleming (2012) who discovered that the openness of online social networking comes with dangers related to diminished privacy and personal safety. Administrators are still debating and wondering how to address the special problems brought on by the prospective public broadcast of student data.

The study concurs with findings from Muñoz and Towner (2011) who discovered that social networking platforms frequently include a lot of personal information uploaded openly and that many people think sharing personal information is a window into privacy theft. It is thought that this release of personally identifiable information and the simple communication tool provided by social networking services invite sexual predators, cyberbullying, and stalking of students.

Research Question 2: How often do undergraduate students use social media in tertiary institution?

According to the study, social media can help users connect with friends and former classmates from kindergarten through high school, college, work, and the military; employers can post job openings and look for candidates; and users can spend less time reading books and more time using social media.

The present study's conclusions are consistent with those of Junco, Heiberger, and Loken (2011)  and Sponcil and Gitimu (2013) who discovered that the idea of incorporating a well-liked, cost-free technology into learning and teaching is beneficial for both male and female students. Additionally, they discovered that adopting social networking platforms can enhance informal learning, foster communication between students and teachers, encourage involvement from timid students, raise student engagement, and boost final course ratings.

The findings of the study concur with those of Oluwatoyin (2011)  who discovered that Nigerian university students who use social networking sites spend less time studying, which has a negative impact on grade point average.

According to Suhail and Bargees (2006) users of social networking sites who use them excessively experience several psychological, physical, interpersonal, and educational issues. Since females are perceived as being extremely emotional, they may be more likely to become engrossed in social networking sites and have a different attitude toward using social media for educational objectives, which could explain the difference in the outcome.

Research Question 3: What social media platforms do undergraduate students in higher education regularly use?

Tik Tok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, LetsChat, Bet9ja, Messenger, and Telegram are among the websites that undergraduate students favor, according to the survey.

The results of the current study concur with Pablo and Almudena-Nolasco (2019) Nolasco's findings that the incorporation of this technology into the classroom environment has received excellent student response. Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Whatsapp, Opera Mini, Wechat, and YouTube are regarded as credible learning platforms despite being known mostly for social networking activities.

The results of the study concur with those of Herbert and Nicholas (2015) who discovered that social networking sites like Facebook and others have a limited role to play in fostering student engagement and that institutionally based learning management systems can replicate many of the interactive features of these websites. The present study was conducted at schools where the use of technology and social networking is encouraged and covered in class, which may be why the results differed.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The researcher came at the following conclusions:

1. According to the study, older teens who use social media in a passive way, such as by just scrolling through other people's images, report lower levels of life satisfaction and are more likely to propagate untrue rumors.
2. Social networking platforms enable users locate friends and former classmates from kindergarten, primary school, high school, college, work, and the military; employers can post job openings and look for candidates, saving time from reading applicants' resumes.
3. Undergraduate students favor the following websites: LetsChat, Bet9ja, Messenger, Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

Considering the findings, the researcher suggests that:

1. adolescents should stop watching everybody else’s achievement on social media and build more time to do other things for themselves to achieve better things in life
2. young and old people should create more time for sleep so that their mental health can improve
3. Tik Tok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, LetsChat, Bet9ja, Messenger and Telegram should be used for educational purposes and less time on entertainment.

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