EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT STUDENTS OF KADUNA POLYTECHNIC, NIGERIA

Abstract

Social media use has become a phenomenon of the current generation. With the advent of the internet in the 1990s, social networking sites (SNSs) came into being. Social media usage has since increased rapidly worldwide. Despite the unhealthy impact of social media, it is also a pathway to develop vital knowledge and social skills among students. This study aims to shed light on the social media effect on the academic performance of students.A survey was conducted using a modified four point scale. A 19 item questionnaire titled “Social Media and Academic Performance of Students Questionnaire (SMAPOSQ) was used to collect data from the participants.Using Gracjie and Morgan (1970) sample table, a sample of 210 wasdrawn from the 465 population from regular ND1, ND2, HND1 and HND2 students of the Department of Office Technology and Management in College of Business and Management Studies ofKaduna Polytechnic. Out of the 210 questionnaires administered, 182 were retrieved and 180 were analyzed using the SPSS. The hypotheses was tested using the t.test while frequencies, percentages,standard deviation and mean scoreswere used to analyze theresearch questions. The resultsrevealed that social media does not always affect students academic performance negatively but positively. It was recommended among others that seminarsshould be organized by either College Directors or by head of departments to enlighten students on the possible implications of excessive use of social media and their effect on academic performance, Lecturers/instructors should channel assignments or discussions on social media platforms to help inculcate the habit of usingthese sites for academic work, and students should not allow social media become a source of distraction by self-talking themselves into cutting down the time spent using it.