Predictors of WhatsAPP ‘Consumption’ among undergraduate students of Economics in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma

Abstract

This paper examined cognitive, affective social-integrative and tension-release needs as predictors of WhatsApp ‘consumption’ among undergraduate students of Economics in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. The population covered all the 808 undergraduate students in the Department of Economics from 100 to 400level in the 2014/2015 academic session. Proportionate sampling technique was used to draw. Out of 404 distributed questionnaires, 382 copies were duly filled and used for the analysis. The bi-variate correlation technique was used to establish the relationship between the variables on a correlation matrix table. Result showed that the correlation coefficient on the relationship between WhatsApp usage and the variables: cognitive (r=0.287); affective (r=0.751); socio-integrative (r=0.743); and tension-release needs (r=0.291) are all statistically significant (p <0.01). The magnitude of the correlation coefficient for affective (r =0.751) and socio-integrative (r=0.743) needs showed that respondents mostly used WhatsApp for meeting their affective needs (chatting and keeping in touch with friends loved ones) and socio-integrative needs (building social network ties). It was recommended that students of the institution should harness WhatsApp as a communication platform for more educative purposes as against meeting their affective and social-integrative needs.

Keywords: Cognitive needs, Affective needs, Social-integrative needs, Tension-release needs