DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES AMONG STUDENTS OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE DEPARTMENT IN THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, ILARO

ABSTRACT The study investigated digital literacy skills and use of social media for academic activities among students of the Library and Information Science Department at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State. Five research objectives and five research questions were formulated to guide the study. The descriptive survey method was adopted and questionnaire was used as the research instrument. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) copies of the questionnaire were administered, out of which one hundred and twenty-one (121) copies, representing 80.7% were retrieved and found valid for analysis. Data were analyzed using simple percentages, and result were presented in tabular form. The study revealed that the students of Library and Information Science at The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, frequently use social media for academic activities. The finding also showed that the students use social media for various purposes, such as academic activities, communication and personal development among others. Furthermore, the finding indicated that the level of digital literacy skills among the students is high. The study also revealed that the digital literacy skills have a significant effect on the use of social media for academic activities among the students. However, the student identified several challenges associated with the use of social media and digital literacy skills for academic activities. These challenges include distraction and decreased productivity, epileptic power supply, cyber bullying and the high cost of data subscriptions among others. Based on these findings, the study recommended that the institution should be more consistent in digital literacy training for all students. In addition, the Polytechnic should invest in improving internet connectivity, provide affordable data plans, and enhance the availability of computers and other digital devices, particularly in the virtual library among other measures.