THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE USE OF TRADITIONAL MASS MEDIA AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS.
ABSTRACT
The influence of social media was examined and how it affects the usage of traditional mass media among youths. Also its effect on communication and socialization habit. Further more, the media relationship with its immediate audience, suggests that media weaken or delimit the audience capacity to act autonomously.
This study considers the uses and gratification theory whose emphasis on the audience is active in reception of the media. Also it suggests no passitivity within the audience. This study combines both quantitative and qualitative methods of revealing the empirical data at the interpreted conclusion . 200 questionnaires were administered toward this study. Selected youths of Kwara state polytechnics were contacted to ascertain how they often make use of social media. Also it set to understand their attitude toward the social media and its impact on their lifestyle. The research work was intended to consider the influence of social media on the use of traditional mass media among youths of Nigeria. It however recommended that this study was able to expose various insight into the uses of social media by Nigerian youths. Also government policies should be employed so as to regulate any negative impact and enhance maximum benefits of the social media to the youths and the society.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv-vi
Abstract vii
List of table viii
Table of content ix-xii
CHAPER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study 1-5
1.2 Research objectives 5-6
1.3 Research questions 6-7
1.4 Significance of the study 7-9
1.5 Scope of the study 9-10
1.6 Statement of the problem 10-13
1.7 Operational definition of terms 13-15
1.8 References 16
CHAPTER TWO
LITRATURE REVIEW
2.1 Mass media and the society 17-18
2.2 Social media 19-22
2.3Relationship between mass and social media 23-24 2.4 Differences between social and mass media 25-27
2.5 Effect of social media on youth 27-29
2.6 Uses of social media 29-31
THEORETICAL FRAME WORK
2.7 Social media theory 31-33
2.8 The emergence of social media 33-37
2.9Uses and gratification theory 37-40
2.10 Marshall MCLuhan’s theory of globalization 40-43
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES
3.1 Introduction 44-46
3.2 Population of the study 46-47
3.3 Instrumentation 48-49
3.4 Validity and reliability of instrument 49
3.5 Data analysis procedure 49-50
3.6 Data collected benefit 50-51
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT PRESENTATION
4.1 Introduction 52
4.2 Analysis of data 52-65
4.3 Summary of the finding 66
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION.
5.1 Summary 67-71
5.2 Recommendations 71-74
5.3 Conclusion 74-76
Reference 77-78
Appendix I 79
Appendix ii 80-84
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Social media as sources of communication and connection across the world. It tends to improve the psychology of human being. It helps to ensure that the update of event and motivational traits swings among every socialized individual. This is implemented through communication.
Communication is a basic human need and for that reason, man has always found a means of meeting those needs. The media which is an umbrella term for various means of communication had been show case as an integral part of human around and across the world. The weakness of not being able to communicate to large audience led to the development of mass media in Nigeria such as writing the earliest forms of personal media, speech and gestures has the benefits of being easy to use and did not necessarily need complex technology.
The development of communication technologies have profound the role of the media in the society has being more significant. Also in relevant to cultural and civilized education. According to “John Dewey” the role of media is to educate. “James Ages and Walter” also highlighted the function of the media as a source of trapping information around the globe and as a means of entertainment.
However, it’s a form of electronic communication which facilitates interaction based on certain intervals and characteristics. Social media is a medium for social interaction using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses water base technologies to transform and broadcast media monologues and social dialogues.
It supports the democratization of knowledge and information and transforms people from content consumer to content producers. social media are element o of new media and according to “Dammy Shea” in the Huffington post accessed 20th June 2012 social media have become the highest activity on the internet. The rapid growth of social media activities that has been observed over the last two to three years as in distractive of its entry into main stream culture and its integration on the daily lives of many individuals.
In parallel with this, social media have also gained considerable attention form the academic and business world. The new technology has led the types of media and their ability to use diverse forms of the media in relation to the world demanding means of the communication and connection. Also gratification and crowd sourcing as engagement techniques for human right organization.
Mass media have become part of the society even so much as the additional media in all parts of the world. In few years the term “new media” might not be very suitable because these forms are becoming part of our daily lives and the fusion with traditional media could be referred to has alternative media some theories which applicable to traditional media might be apply to new media as well, humanity has always lived through times of great change. Every age it has passed through has been on beliefs and new technologies, responding to the needs of individuals anxious to adjust to new forms of socialization.
In view of this, there is ever-continuing convergence between the social media which are believed to be changing how people use the mainstreaming media and roles ascribed to them by their users. Based on this the research is aimed at investigating how the social media are interacting with the traditional ones and the possible nurture of influence they have on the media consumer.
1.2OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This study intends to:
examine the importance of social media among Nigerian youths to be able to assist in the smooth usage of newly impacts as well as the social media towards the connectivity in the globe.
The study also creates ideology to explaining existing opportunities in the society by pronouncing the relationship between the mass media and social media. The study also generates observation of he users (mostly youths) of the social media on it prominent activities and official benefits.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION
For the purpose of this study, the following research questions are formulated.
i. What is the nature of function (s) ascribed in the social media by Nigeria youths?
ii. What influence dos the advent of social media have on the lives of youths?
iii. Does the social media serves as substitute to the traditional mass media?
iv. How does the social media attract youths to social activities and issues?
v. What measure should be put in place to ensure responsible usage of social media among Nigerian youths?
vi. What is the nature of communication exchange among the social media users?
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Traditional mass media play more significant roles in the society before the advent of social media. It generates motivational previews of events and its attractiveness to the consumer, so as to stipulate the theme of the story effectively. The use of television, newspaper, magazines and other mass media terms, has helped the public in notifying the intent of the government, public and societal opinion in the country.
However, it pictures real cultural Value to the audience and analyzes it to the viewer’s perspective in the society. Traditional mass media generates possible dilution of facts and fictions among the government and their subordinates. Also it presents good proximity to informative materials to the users that is, audiences have access to the media without technical contributions, such as community orientation and collectivism.
Obviously, the traditional mass media harness the government policies through democratic processes. Also they create ideology and uniqueness in the conveying news worthy events. The political parties contribute to the society through the mass media also they visualize their activities with the modest of the mass media.
In addition, mass media give room for locally made products advertisement through their medium such as news papers, magazines, radio, and television without any governmental interference. The public is being granted privilege to display their talents and opinion in the vacuum of the mass media within the outreach.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study’s intent is to clarify the use of social media among the youths of Nigeria in references to the modest of it relevance and the effect of it on the traditional mass media.
However, it focuses specifically on the usage habits of the youths of Nigeria towards social media thus the investigation suggests more moderate effects of the media in generating information form a network of relations and influences and with the individual’s interpretations and evaluation of the information provided within the globes.
In this regard, only the Nigerian youths and students shall be studied leaving the previous access of other members of the society as time constraint may not permit much intensive and comprehensive study on those left out. Also this study will be restricted to Kwara State youth majority the student of tertiary institutions and training centres.
1.6 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
As it is recognized that there is no life without communication, millions of people who exist, long for all societal information even at times the grass root. Mostly one million, seven hundred and fourteen Nigerians are on social network pages, with large numbers of them being youth.
However, there is no comprehensive knowledge of their activities as well as how these forms of media can impact on various aspects of life. The advent of social media reduces the conversant relationship between the mass media and the youths of Nigeria. The study specifically focuses on the usage habits of young Nigerians and how social media has affected their communication and socialization habits. Social media which develops the communication activities among masses as demoted the level of mass media outreach across the country. It automations deals directly with the users and their sources of tapping information’s without any influence of the mass media. It has thus increased the speed of its effort drastically. The future of communication has been predicted to depend to a great degree on electronic modes with the tags! Technological development. Academics, business men of social media of new media generally had abandon the initial modes of tapping, revealing, and encouraging suitable information.
Obviously, the advent of social media attracts many users which limits the effort of the mass media on the use of their appliances in conveying their information and aborted their ways of notification in the country. It reduces the commitment of the audience to the mass media offers. social media gives no rooms for community orientation and collectivism among the youths of Nigeria since it advent. Most youths spend much of their time relax activities on social networks which they derive pleasure in. Also limited time is being committed to social networks materials than initiative explorers. This has changed the interest of the public in the arbitrary things of the country and shifted their attention to the foreign developmental efforts.
Thus the use of social media has restricted the sources of generating fame to the mass media. Many users of social media find it easy to sort from the internet rather than purchasing a print copy or listen to the broadcast stations. The mass media visualized activities are being restrained due to commercial activities that generates income for mass media such as advertisement, public awareness which is now been transferred to the social media services.
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
For easier understanding and impartation of the study, the terms that are technically used in this chapter are as defined below:
i. Traditional mass media: These are diversified media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience at once by mass. Also it is a communication means, whether written, broadcasted or spoken, which is meant to satisfy the audience with rich informative events. Examples are television, newspaper, radio, magazines; “James Ages and Walter Leppmann” also highlighted the functions of mass media for entertainment and information.
ii. Technology: It refers to the making, modification usage and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, and craft for latest advancement in the society. According to “Jonathan Abrams” the creator of friend star concocted a perfect mix of popular features from easier social networking procedures which led to this opinion on technology. He analyzed it as the web blogs, games gadgets, instrumental devices and which brought about advancement across the globe.
iii. Social media: It refers to the making, modification usage and knowledge of tools which was implemented above to interact among people in which they create share and exchange information. Also “Danny Shea” in the Huffington post defined social media as a means of speeding up access to knowledge and a form of electronic communication which facilitates interaction based on certain interests and characteristics.
iv. Communication: It is applicable to both social and mass media. It deals with the act of conveying information with the motion of receiving response or reactions.
According to John O Bold win, in 2000 communication is a living strategy that gives the mass and the media ability to evoke paths: invention and discoveries of heralding revolution connectively, communication cycles creates mutual relationship among the world. Also it plays prominent role in the growth and development of the study.
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