EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IN LEARNING AMONG STUDENTS OF HERITAGE POLYTECHNIC, EKET
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Today, the world is celebrating its improvements in communication technology which has broadened the scope of communication through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Ufouph and Ayobami (2012) observe that the ICTs include internet, satellite, cable data transmission and computer assisted equipment. Interaction and Information technologies have reshaped our lives today, and nowadays, students in higher institution of learning have a massive use of smart phones and other portable devices. All these smart phones and other portable devices are equipped or ready for social media applications like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Google+, WhatsApp, Telegram and 2go, which are part of what is known as social web, best characterized by the notions of social interaction, content sharing and collective intelligence. “Social connections affect so many aspects of our lives, and is no argument that they can also be applied to education and learning” (King and Sen, 2013, p.622). The role of emerging social media may offer new opportunities to enhance learning experiences. Zepke and Leach (2010) opines that motivation and students dispositions will influence their ability to engage in interactive learning. “Students, often referred to as digital navies (Prensky, 2001), have spent most of their time on computers, game consoles, digital music players, cellphones, video cameras, as well as web itself”.
Social media platforms require daily interactions among students, thus bridging the “all-too-well-known” gap between the classroom and the real world. Schools aim to develop and to support methods to improve the effectiveness and efficiency if interaction and collaboration among students. Most of social media platforms have been developed in order to maintain, manage, and improve social interactions between people, where people can easily access, reuse or comment on content that is authored by others. The evolving learning environments are allowing students to learn anytime and anywhere (Wetzel, 2010). “Social networks may play an important role in raising awareness about the reliable resources of information among students and the society by providing alternative sources of knowledge” (Battrawi and Muhtaseh, 2013).
However, lack of regulation of the internet has led to its excessive use. McQuail (2008) asserts that the internet penetrates more homes. It is a common sight to see a youth chatting in sensitive and highly organized places like church, mosque, and lecture venues. Some are so carried away that even as they are walking along the high way, they keep chatting.
However, the manufacturing and distribution of equally sophisticated cellular phones and other social media devices has complicated situations, as youths no longer need to visit a cybercafé before they send and receive messages, go to libraries, nor pay attention to buying books. Attention has been shifted from visible to invisible friends on the social media platforms, while important ventures like studying and writing are affected in the process. This phenomenon has become a source of worry to many who believe in knowledge and skill acquisition.