1.1 Introduction
Social media is a form of effort for people, especially students, to get to move close to each other on the internet or social contacts by making connections through individuals (Dourish, 2001). Social media becomes one of the main sources for people to obtain information. This media is divided into two types, namely print and non-print media. Print media obtain information through printed mails, newspapers, magazines and dailies. Whereas, non- print media obtain information from radio, television, and social media like Twitter. Media remains a tool, which renders any help to people across the globe to influence their opinion, attitude, and knowledge. Recently, social media has become a means for people to connect with society and establish a relationship with others (Nicole & Boyd, 2017).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Social media has come to stay. It is a recent technological development that has caught the attention of people, organization, government and civil society. Social media is becoming more prominent in social interaction and activities. According to Abdulahi, Samadi, &Gharlehi (2014), in the early 2000s, the web became much more personal as social networking websites were introduced and embraced by the masses. The interesting part of social media is the numerous facilities and features it offer the people in their daily life. People these days depend on life in the social media for them to manage their life. According to Shabir, Yousef & Safdar (2014), social media is most recent form of media and having many features and characteristics. It has facilities on same channel like as communication texting image sharing, audio and video sharing, fast publishing, linking with all over world, direct connecting. It is also cheapest fast access to the world so it is very important for all age of people.
New media are very common with people especially journalists. This is because of the massive and undeniable contributions which have been received. The contributions have influence that way people understand and give meaning to new media. New media consist of social media and new hardware technological development. When social media is used interchangeably with new media, it is for deeper understanding of the concept. The link between them is the place of internet. It is therefore important to recognize internet revolution as the major contributor to the new media. This is because from the internet all other new media platforms take it base.
According to Adegilero-Iwari and Ikenwe (2014), internet in a whole is the new media where as other have coined the term new media for containing group of tools or technologies available on the internet. New media has described copiously. New media is a generic term for the many different form of electronic communication that is made possible through the use of computer technology. It include web site, streaming audio and video, chat rooms, email, online community, web advertising, DVD and CD-ROM, media virtual reality environment integration of digital data with the telephone, such as interest telephony, digital camera, mobile computers, mobile app, Memory cards, Bluetooth e.t.c.
Moreover, Logan (2010) sees new media as a term that refers in general term as digital media having interactions, incorporative two-way communication and involves some form of computing as opposed to old media which in their original incarnation did not require computer technologies; now in their present configuration do make use of computer technology. According to Croteau and Hoynes (2003), new media radically break the connection between physical place and social place making physical location much less significance for our social relationship.
Michael (2010), social media is a group of internet based applications that builds on the ideological and technological foundation of web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated contents. Social media are becoming ever- more viable platforms for communication and media service. Olusesam, Sanusi, Jide and Oloyede (2014), characterized that social media can give opportunity for users to add value to the application as they use it through the edit box interface, to exercise control on the data, to interact on a more advanced software level and by creating a web of friends and interaction by socializing and gradually moving members from the physical world to the online world.
The social media sites such as twitter and facebook is the most common use social media among young people in the world. According to Kamaku and Mberia (2014) the social networking sites such as twitter and facebook have become a raging craze for everyone nowadays. Media use is an integral part of the daily life of adolescents; there are a number of risks associated with social media use.
Recent studies have shown that teenagers are the age brackets that use the social media most. This is as a result the social interaction features in social media and the use among teenagers is increasing day to day with high rate all over the world. According to Shabir et al (2014), majority of youth is shifting speedily from electronic media like as television viewers and radio listeners to the social media among all age of group. Youth rate is very much to shift into social media so its influence is much on youth.
Therefore, in Auchi Community where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to assess the social media influence on the moral behavior of teenagers in Nigeria.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that social networking sites have become a very important aspect in young people life. Internet use has grown considerably in the last decade and majority of young adult uses the internet daily if not more so, (Lenhart and Madden, 2007). According to Davies and Cranston (2013), social media offers young people several benefits and opportunities, including access to information, extended social networks, social skill practice, identify expression, informal learning opportunities interest-based gropus, development and maintenance of friendship and fun. Social media has been described as an important part of a young person’s life and a platform for experimentation, creative self- expression, and identity formation, (Cortesis, 2013).
The increased use of social media by teenagers across the world has several risks and consequences. They include privacy concern such sharing too much information, posting of false information about themselves or others, exposure to fraudster and addiction to internet or social media use that might impact negatively on their social, psychological and emotional well-being, (Gwenn and Katherine, 2011).
Apart from the above challengers, the study will focus on the implication of social media use on the moral bahaviour of teenagers using the above issue as yardsticks. The study is positioned on teenagers in Nigeria because the use of smartphones by teenagers is recent as such few studies have been directed to the period and age within a suburban community in Delta State.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to assess the social media influence on the moral behavior of teenagers in Nigeria. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the extent do teenagers in Auchi Community access Facebook social media.
- To find out the ways do teenagers in Auchi Community the Facebook social media.
- To ascertain why do teenagers in Auchi Community access Facebook social media.
- To determine the gratifications that teenagers in Auchi Community derive from using the Facebook social media
- To examine the ways do using Facebook social media site influence the moral behaviour of youths in Auchi Community from 2019-2021
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- To which extent do teenagers in Auchi Community access Facebook social media
- In what ways do teenagers in Auchi Community access the Facebook social media?
- Why do teenagers in Auchi Community access Facebook social media sites?
- What are the gratifications that teenagers in Auchi Community derive from using the Facebook social media?
- In what ways do using Facebook social media sites influence the moral behaviour of youths in Auchi Community?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: Facebook social media site does not influence the moral behaviour of youths in Facebook Auchi Community from 2019-2021
- H1: Facebook social media site influences the moral behaviour of youths in Facebook Auchi Community from 2019-2021
1.7 Significance of Study
This research work is important because it centers on issues in mass communication. Social media has been an important concept for discussion in public places. Therefore the findings of this research will open up further research idea for other scholars. Also, parents will be able to understand the inherent negative factors of the social media as well as knowing the implications so as to protect their wards.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the assessment of social media influence on the moral behavior of teenagers in Nigeria. The study covers Facebook Usage by Youths in Auchi Community from 2019-2021.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Teenager: This is young adult that are between the age 10 to 18 years. There are also referred to adolescent.
Influence: Influence is regarded to any factor that is capable of affecting the ones behaviour. It is the determinant variables with result.
Social Media: This is the social interactive media where users have connection with each other in sharing of information for social gains. Social media is means of connections among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks
