PROPOSAL PRESENTATION ON: PLACE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PRESENT

I.C.T ERA (A CASE STUDY OF FACEBOOK USERS OF ADESEUN OGUNDOYIN

POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS)

INTRODUCTION

The concepts of a developmental “divide” in ICTs for education is not proprietary to the digital

age the 1970s; a few of the better endowed African schools were already undergoing a minor

audiovisual crisis.

They were using fragile, cumbersome and costly equipment that necessitated time consuming

repairs, and there was also a compatibility problem between the different components.

However, the underlying reason for the scholastic failure of these new technologies was that this

audiovisual breakthrough took place at the margins of pedagogy ‐ creating a pedagogical divide

between the powerful Learning tool and educational actions. As Michael (1981) explains,

education practitioners and policy‐makers did not know what to do with new and unfamiliar

tools. To add against this background, the first computers began to look into the problem,

educators were unsure as to which overall strategies to use integration across disciplines,

independent work, individual or collective works, and so on. Advances in educational

applications of audiovisual technology were hindered by both the fears and hopes it raised in

filtrate African schools

Computers made theirfirst appearance in certainschoolsin North Africa at the end of the 1960s,

mainly for management applications. It was only in the 1970s that they were used in

educational institutions in North America and Europe. In Africa, the first computers arrived in

educational institutions per se at the end of the 1970s for instance, with the LOGO project in

Senegal in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Communication is a basic human need and for that reason, man has always found a means of

meeting this need. The media, which is an umbrella term for various means of communication,

has become an integral part of human life around the world. The earliest forms of personal

media, speech and gestures, had the benefit of being easy to use and did not necessarily need

complex technology.

The weaknesses of not being able to communicate to large audiences led to the development of

mass media, such as writing. With these developments, the role of the media in the society

became more and more significant. John Dewey emphasized the role of media for education as

James Agee and Walter Lippmann also highlighted the functions of the media for entertainment

and information. New Media New technologies can lead to new types of media and the ability to

use a given form of media is related to the ability to use its related technology.

Today, technology has made more universal, the ability to produce media. Printing, radio and

television are some examples of mass media in that they are intended to reach vast audiences.

But these forms of media previously could not be produced readily by the average person.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

It is recorded that at least four million, seven hundred and fourteen Nigerians are on Facebook,

with a good number of them being young. (Facebook statistics, 2012).

However, there is no comprehensive knowledge of their activities as well as how this form of

media can impact on various aspects of life this thesis examines the relationship between social

media and its usage by Nigerian youths. The study specifically focuses on the usage habits of

young Nigerians and how social media has affected their communication and socialization

habits.
The future of communication has been predicted to depend to a great degree on electronic

modes. Academics, business men and professionals in various fields propose various uses of

social media and new media generally. These and many more decisions will be made based only

on available data concerning these media

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. The purpose of this report is therefore to provide evidence-based insights into the social

media phenomenon which can be used to inform current understanding of usage and

behavior in Nigeria,

2. To help identify some of the current and potential future issues around people’s use of

social media.

3. It seeks to understand how people are using social networking sites as well as their

attitudes to this form of communication.

4. To understand the use of social media by people in Nigeria especially the youth.

5. To understand the attitudes towards social networking sites and the wider issues that may

arise from this.

6. To explore any effect of this form of media on the social skills of the Nigerian youth

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i. To what extent do people make use of Facebook?

ii. How much time do people spend on Facebook?

iii. Of what use is Facebook to Nigerian?

iv. Of what activities do people engage in on Facebook?

v. To what extent does Facebook as a social media beneficial to people?

vi. What is the impact of Facebook on the lives of people in Nigeria?

Fundamentally, it is essential we understand current usage and behavior and identify potential

problems so that they can bead dressed. This can be seen in the amount of academic studies on

social media within the last seven years.

However, Danah Boyd has gathered a collection of research about social net working sites that

lists approximately one hundred and fifty research papers, three books, and seven research

reports published in the years 2003-2010. (Boyd, 2010) None of these papers covers Africa. This

shows a lack of research that concerns the African region and especially Nigeria where this form

of media is greatly used.

Therefore, the overall motivation for conducting this study is to contribute to research about

social media in Nigeria. This research should also create a platform for further research in this

field and how it affects business processes as well other spheres of life.

This research should provide useful data for market researchers, marketing and product

development professionals as well as educators as to how they can maximize social media for

optimum benefit in their various fields

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This investigation focused specifically on the Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, and

student’s habits of usage of facebook.com in this present era of ICT in Nigeria.

One of the very limitations is that the validity of the results or findings will be depending on the

honest of the respondents in providing the needed information.

Due to constraints of time and money, it will be difficult to carry out the research work

extensively. And this can lead to the limiting of the scope.