Use of Social Media by Agricultural Undergraduate Students in Selected Universities in Nigeria

Abstract

The study analysed the usage of social media sites by undergraduate agricultural students in selected Universities in Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 425 undergraduate agricultural students in Nigeria. Data were obtained with questionnaire and were presented using percentage, and mean. Results revealed that the majority (57.1%) of the students were female with an average age of 24 years. The majority (83.5%) also accessed one to two social media sites on daily basis, and the sites most visited by the students were WhatsApp (100.0%), Facebook (97.8%), Instagram (76.9%) and Google+ (74.7%). Results also revealed that the majority of the students visited social media sites to just connect with friends (x̄ = 3.68), get the latest information on global trend in governance ( x̄= 3.63), for educational research and collaborative purpose ( x̄= 3.57), and keep themselves occupied when bored ( x̄= 3.41). To inculcate in undergraduate agricultural students a sense of collaboration and networking needed in this era of interdisciplinary research, lecturers should further encourage the students to intensify on the use of social media sites for research purposes and to connect with other researchers rather than just connecting with friends.

Keywords: Social media, Agricultural Undergraduates, Nigeria