EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON READING, VIEWING AND LISTING HABITS OF POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS: CASES OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, EDE AND OFFA

Abstract The widespread use of digital technology in daily life has caused significant changes in student behaviour, especially concerning time spent on educational activities. An increasing concern is the withdrawal of time spent studying to spend time using social media rather than studying. The goal of this study is to critically examine the multi-dimensional impact that social media plays on the reading, viewing and listening habits of polytechnic students, using Federal Polytechnic, Ede and Federal Polytechnic, Offa as case studies. The study sought to examine the existing levels of social media usage, the impact of the social media on the student’s behaviour towards consumption of information and the effects on study habits and academic discipline. This study used a descriptive research design in order to examine the relationship of variables in their natural setting. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. 200 copies were retrieved and used for the final analysis. The way analysis was performed was descriptive statistics being simple percentages of the dataset. The findings highlight the urgent need to promote balanced use of social media and the effective and pedagogically sound use of digital technologies in educational settings. Moreover, the data analysis revealed that respondents made extensive use of social media every day. Students reported spending about 4 to 5 hours on social media. Some of them also reported using it up to 24 hours a day. This large amount of time is spent on it which is greater than that spent on mainstream academic subjects indicating an area for school intervention and student self-regulation.