SOCIAL MEDIA AS A TOOL FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

One of the breakthroughs in information and communication technology in the 21st century was the discovery and emergence of the new media which have facilitated the creation of the different platforms for social interaction. The potentials of the new media are seamless and boundless in terms of interactions, interrelationships, and information sharing and exchanges. The only limitation to the utilization of the potentials of the platforms is illiteracy in terms of the hardware, software and usage. The question is, to what extent has the Nigerian youths converted the potentials and possibilities of the social media to platforms for networking academic materials for scholarship and academic excellence? The study examined the extent of usage of one of the most popular social media platforms, facebook, by the Nigerian youths in their academic pursuit. It found that about two-thirds of the Nigerian youths that use Facebook platform use it for other reasons than exchange of academic materials. And, recommends that the youths should be encouraged to harness the potentials of the platform for scholarship. The transformation in the technology of information and communication generation, processing, storage and dissemination witnessed in the 21st century unprecedentedly opened-up new media platforms unmatched in history in terms of interconnectedness, interactivity, multiplicity and accessibility (McQuail, 2005:38). The new media, that resulted from the invention, encapsulated the characteristics of the old or traditional media, and extended the potentials and possibilities into which both the “old” and “new” media could be put into use. The new media, promoted by Internet technology, exhibit an integration and convergence of the existing media to extend the frontiers of the possibilities of the media of communication. The new media, which hallmarked the integration and convergence of computer and telecommunication technologies, revolutionized the face of human communication especially in the 21st century. The new information Technology “provides near limitless possibilities of increasing the quantity and enhancing the quality, speed, and availability of information in a complex but increasingly interdependent world …” (Soola, 1998:86). The new media, propelled and driven by the Internet, provide platforms for social interactions between and among users in such a manner that no older platforms/media can boast of. The new media display such potentials that the only limitation to the dynamism is ignorance or illiteracy in terms of the ability to use the hardware and/or software for maximum effects in the realm of communication, education, politics, economics, social or technology. The use of technology has historically been linked to the field of higher education and the use of Social Media has continued this trend. The use of technology in education has been studied at least as far back as 1974 (Gagne, 1974) but it began to resemble the current use and format in the late 1990s, with the introduction of Microsoft Windows platform (Martinez-Aleman and Wartman, 2009). The introduction of the personal computer made computer more user-friendly and accessible. This reduced the skill required to operate a computer and is said to have “ignited the use of personal computers on college campuses” (Lehartz, 2012). The link between technology and education necessitates paying attention to how students, in this case, students of Ahmadu. Bello University Zaria, use Social Media and how it impacts their education. The urgency and need to better understand the potential benefits and impact of New Media technologies in higher education, is like never before, particularly in Nigeria where research indicates as having the highest Internet and Facebook users in Africa (World Statistics 2012). The credence to the need of understanding the relationship between education and New media technologies in Nigeria has also been upped by the report on Nigeria’s Education Policy, which maintains in its 2013 report that “individuals in our society who do not possess the levels of skills, literacy and training essential to this new era will be effectively disenfranchised, not simply from the material rewards that accompany competent performance, but also from the chance to participate fully in the national development of Nigeria.” In this light, it is important not to foreclose the possible potential benefits of both informal and formal learning through Social Media or experimentation with teaching using Social Media in the classroom.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The term “Social Media” and “Social Networking” is often being used interchangeably without a clear definition. In general, the term “Social Media” seems to be most often used as a broader umbrella term that includes many Web 2.0 functions, including Social Networking. The term Social Media will be used in this study to address a broader category that contains social networking sites, blogs, YouTube and Wikatis. Social media has been able to integrate information across boundaries, which aid job creation and revenue generation. It is on this basis that the researcher intends to investigate the role of the social media as a tool for national development.

• OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to ascertain the impact of social media as a tool for national development. However for the successful completion of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following objective;

1. To ascertain the role of social media in national development
2. To investigate the relationship between social media and job creation

• To investigate the impact social media on economic growth in Nigeria

1. To investigate the effect of social media in revenue generation
   • RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

For the successful completion of the study; the following research hypotheses were formulated;

H₀: social media does not play any significant role in national development in Nigeria.

H₁: social media does play a significant role in national development in Nigeria

H₀²: there is no significant relationship between social media and job creation in Nigeria.

H₂: there is significant relationship between social media and job creation in Nigeria

• SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

It is believed that at the completion of the study the findings will be of great importance to the ministry of information and communication to harness the tremendous benefit that is accrued to social media and formulate policies that will aid the growth of the sector.

The study will also be of great benefit to the ministry of labor and productivity as the study will guide them  in harnessing the potentials of social media in the country. The study will also be beneficial to researchers who intend to embark on study in similar topic as the study will serve as a guide to their study. Finally the study will be beneficial to academia’s students and the general public.

• SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study covers social media as a tool of national development. But in the cause of the study there are some factors which militate against the scope of the study;

(a)Availability of research material: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study.

(b)Time: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

(c)Finance: The finance available for the research work does not allow for wider coverage as resources are very limited as the researcher has other academic bills to cover

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Social media

Social media are computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. The variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available introduces challenges of definition; however, there are some common features.

Network

A network is defined as a group of two or more computer systems linked together. There are many types of computer networks, including the following: local-area networks(LANs): The computers are geographically close together (that is, in the same building).

Computer

A computer is a device that can be instructed to carry out an arbitrary set of arithmetic or logical operations automatically. The ability of computers to follow generalized sequences of operations, called programs, enable them to perform a wide range of tasks.

Facebook

Facebook is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service based in Menlo Park, California. The Facebook website was launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes

1.8 Organization of the study

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), statement of problem, objectives of the study, research question, significance or the study, research methodology, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlight the theoretical framework on which the study its based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion and also recommendations made of the study.

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