Use of social media tools among Nigerian undergraduates in three selected tertiary institutions in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of social media tools amongst Nigerian undergraduates in two tertiary educational institutions in Imo State. The survey design was adopted for the study. The questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The findings of the paper reveals that Nigerian undergraduates have knowledge of social media tools and are using the tools majorly for communication with friends and information sharing among fellow students. Facebook was discovered to be the mostly utilized social media tool among the undergraduates in the institutions studied. The position of the paper is that though undergraduates make use of the social media, they are not directing it towards their academic pursuits. In the light of this proper orientation, introduction of ICT literacy courses and subsidized internet access rate were recommended as possible solutions. The implication of the paper is that our various institutions of tertiary education have to play a significant role in re-directing the mind-set of the students to the fact that the various social media can be optimally utilized to actualize the academic goals which is the primary reasons why they are in higher institution.

Keywords: social media, undergraduates, tertiary education, Imo State