IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Background of the study: The age in which teachers were considered as repositories of information has become obsolete. The rapid pace of global progress can be attributed to the continuous advancements in technology. Significantly, technology encompasses the domains of information and communication, which may be characterised as the manipulation and manipulation of various forms of information (including texts, photos, graphs, and instructions) through the utilisation of electronic and communication devices, such as computers, cameras, and telephones (Oleabhiele, 2015).
The advent of the Internet revolutionised the landscape of information dissemination, significantly impacting the domains of sharing, speed, storage, and retrieval of information across many formats, irrespective of geographical constraints. The advent of the Internet has given rise to various web technologies, among which social media networks have gained significant prominence in facilitating information dissemination and interpersonal connection. The phenomenon of social media has permeated several aspects of society, exerting both beneficial and detrimental effects. The advent of social media has brought about significant transformations and impacts on several aspects of communication, learning, research, and education as a whole. Social networking sites (SNS) have emerged as highly popular and contemporary online tools for facilitating global communication (Aghazamani, 2010).
According to Davis et al (2012), social media technology (SMT) encompasses web-based and mobile apps that enable individuals and organisations to make, engage with, and distribute new or pre-existing material in digital environments through interactive communication channels.
This platform facilitates the creation of profiles by individuals and organisations, enabling them to share and exchange information pertaining to a wide range of activities and interests. One intriguing characteristic of social media is its versatility, since it can be accessed not just through desktop or laptop computers, but also via mobile applications and smart phones, rendering it highly accessible and user-friendly. Various social media platforms, accessible through both online browsers and mobile applications, exemplify the aforementioned category. Prominent examples encompass Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Whatsapp, Instagram, as well as blogs, among others.
The mode of communication employed on the internet and social networking platforms differs significantly from face-to-face interpersonal communication. According to Kaitlin (2010), individuals engage in communication on these platforms by utilising various means such as instant messaging (IM), chatting, as well as updating their status or posting Twitter updates to interact with friends and convey their thoughts and emotions. According to Kaitlin (2010), social networking websites have an impact on the manner in which individuals obtain information and news. These websites provide various channels for accessing information and fostering the emergence of a wider range of news sources.
The utilisation of various social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and WhatsApp, among secondary school pupils, has been linked to a significant decline in academic performance (David, 2014). This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that contemporary students allocate a greater portion of their time to socialising with peers, as opposed to actively participating in scholarly pursuits such as conducting research or engaging with academic literature. An increasing consensus among Nigerian researchers suggests that the proliferation of social media platforms has emerged as a disruptive technological phenomenon, impeding the academic progress of students in higher education. One notable academic, Oluwatoyin (2011), conducted a survey involving 1,860 Facebook users enrolled at Lagos State University. The findings revealed that a significant proportion of students, approximately 90%, were unable to achieve a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) above 3.50. This was attributed to their excessive engagement with social media platforms, which consumed a substantial portion of their time that could have been allocated to homework and studying, potentially leading to improved academic performance.
The role of social media in education encompasses several aspects, as elucidated by Al-Khalifa and Garcia (2013). These include serving as a platform for the dissemination of ideas and viewpoints, as well as facilitating the formation of student communities for the purpose of collaborative endeavours.According to Ndaku (2013), there is a notable disparity between the amount of time students allocate to social networking sites and their engagement in academic pursuits, resulting in a discernible impact on their academic achievement.
There has been extensive discourse across multiple platforms and media outlets regarding the societal implications of social media, with a particular focus on its influence on education. Several research have indicated that engaging in social media networks might have negative effects on students' academic performance, resulting in worse marks and a lack of time for studying (Banquil et al., 2009; Kirschner and Karpinski, 2010; Ndaku, 2013). In contrast, Pasek et al. (2006) asserted that the presence of a culture peculiar to a particular online platform can have both advantageous and disadvantageous implications for the development of social capital. Their study revealed that the use of Facebook does not exhibit a positive correlation with lower academic performance among students. In fact, the findings indicated that those who engage with Facebook tend to achieve higher grades. In their study, Kolek and Saunders (2008) observed that there was no significant association between the grade point averages (GPAs) of student users and their engagement in social networking platforms, such as Facebook. According to Ahmed and Qazi (2011), social network sites (SNS) facilitate and encourage interactions between students and professors. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the influence of social media usage on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in education district I of Lagos State.