Impact Of Social Media Trends On The Behavioral Pattern Of Youths

Project and Seminar Material for Sociology

Abstract

This study was designed to find out the effect of social media trends on behaviour patterns of youths in Lagos state. The study used ex-post factor design. Purposive and simple random samplings were used to select the sample. Youths from school and out of school were used for the study with a total population of 1,660 and a sample size of 310 youths were drawn and used for the study. Three research hypothesis were raised and tested. Pearson r, t-test, chi-square and ANOVA tools were used for the statistical analysis. The result shows that there is positive correlation between social media trends and behavior pattern. The comments of these friends are better to boost their self-images and enhance group behaviour.

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Social media is the integration of digital media, which includes combinations of electronic text, graphics, moving pictures and sounds in a structured computerized environment that allows users to interact with the data for appropriate purposes. The digital environment can include the Internet, telecommunications and interactive digital television. The Web is now part of the overall business of communication, sales and services. It changes business practices. Its technical limitations affect the amount of material and the speed of access to the material. The network depends mainly on the connections of the telephone line, so that the more they are good on a territory, the more the service will be reliable. The limitations inherent in transferring large amounts of digital information over telephone lines have affected the type and quality of media that can be used effectively, as well as the nature of the interaction enabled by the Web. There are ways to increase performance by improving technical limitations that depend on an available infrastructure that can provide more data faster and more reliably, called broadband.

It is clear that there is a link between social networks and their impact on behavioral change among young people. As a result, messages can reach audiences and target groups in real time and can generate changes and trends. Nowadays, younger generations grow up having good contact with different types of social networks. easily acquire digital culture and live in a digital world where only adults are naturalized citizens. ”

Tapscott (1998) talks about growing up in a digital environment by calling young people “network generation”. Children meet in a hybrid virtual space, learn in an innovative way, create new language and apply multicultural values (Tappscott, 1998). The main characteristics of the N-Gen culture are: independence, emotional and intellectual openness, inclusion, freedom of expression and strong points of view, innovation, maturity, pleasure of research, immediacy and sensitivity to the interests of the people. companies, authentication. and trust. (Tapscott, 1998 pp. 62-69).

1.2 Problem Statement

Livingstone (2008) believes that the online domain can be enthusiastically embraced as it represents their space, visible to the peer group rather than adult vigilance, an exciting yet relatively safe opportunity to do the job. . Psychological social adolescence. to build, experiment and present a project of self-reflection in a social context, as well as, for some, to circumvent the norms of communication and other risky behaviors. 4 Social networks generated by technology are a valuable tool, but today’s young people are misusing them.

The two main forms used by young people to access social networks are the cell phone and the Internet, which have significantly changed their way of life. Given the current visibility and ease of access that young people can get from these media, this study will determine the impact it has had on young people. Some of the issues that should result from this research include exposure to problematic materials, online victimization of youth, exposure to unnecessary marketing and online advertising, exposure to unsafe online behavior, identity theft problems, the emergence of the digital divide and the generation gap between parents. and young people. According to Ritchel, Matt wrote in the New York Times an article entitled “Wire more and more digital, distracting cabling.” On November 21, 2010, wasting time, building superficial and damaging relationships and possibly the cause, instead of alleviating, depression, loneliness, social isolation and withdrawal of users, among others. .

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social media trends on the behavioral pattern of youths, using the Lagos State as a case study.

Specifically the study seeks:

To determine how the youth in Lagos state use social media trends in their daily lives
To determine if the youth in Lagos state prefer social media as means of communication as opposed to traditional methods.
To find out the impacts social media has on behavior changes among the Nigerian youths

1.4 Significance of the Study

It is hoped that the results of this study will make up for the lack of sufficient information on the effects of social networks on young people and behavior change. The results of this study can also be Be useful for decision makers in various sectors of government. For example, in the

Educational program developers will be informed when they develop a program for the education sector. In the Ministry of Health, it will help doctors, especially those who are in charge of counseling Young people need to know what tools to use to communicate effectively with young people. The results of the These studies are likely to influence the academic research of other researchers likely to Interested in this area of knowledge and initiate appropriate mitigation measures.

1.5 Study Hypothesis

The study hypothesis is:

Hypothesis 1

HO1: The youth in Lagos state donot prefer social media trend as opposed to traditional methods
HO1: The youth in Lagos state prefer social media trend as opposed to traditional

Hypothesis 2

HO2: There is no significant impact of social media trend has on behavior changes among the Nigerian youths
HO2: There is a significant impact of social media trend has on behavior changes among the Nigerian youths

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study scope is study seeks to find out the impacts of social media trend among the youth on behavior change in Lagos state. Limitation faced by the research was limited time and financial constraint

1.7 Definition of Basic terminologies

Social media:

websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Behavioural change:

Behavior change (public health), a broad range of activities and approaches which focus on the individual, community, and environmental influences on behavior

social media influencer:

A Social Media Influencer is a user on social media who has established credibility in a specific industry.

1.8 Organization of study

The study is grouped into five chapters. This chapter being the first gives an introduction to the study. Chapter two gives a review of the related literature. Chapter three presents the research methodology; chapter four presents the data analysis as well as interpretation and discussion of the results. Chapter five gives a summary of findings and recommendations.

Chapter Five

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Summary

The study was intended to find the impact of social media trend on behaviour pattern among youths in Lagos State. To achieve this, the study was structured in to five chapters.

Chapter one dealt with background to the study where argument for justification to this study was presented. Objectives, research questions and hypotheses were raised. Assumptions based on the study and scope and delimitation were presented.

Chapter two covers the review of related studies, where numerous materials were accessed. The independent variable; social media and other dependent variables; self-image, group behaviour and academic performance, adolescence and developmental tasks of adolescents were all thoroughly defined and reviewed. Theory of social identity, Bandura’s social learning theory, signalling theories were used to offer the study a theoretical backing. Several empirical studies were also reviewed.

Chapter three presents the methodology used to carry out this study. Ex-post facto survey design and purposive and simple random sampling were used to draw 310 sample for the study. Krejcie and Morgan table was used for determining sample size. Four schools were selected purposively for the study. Data were collected, using two different instruments; the social media usage, self-image and social media group behaviour questionnaire and academic performance tests on English Language and Mathematics.

Chapter four presents results and discussion. Data collected were statistically analysed and result presented in a tabular form. Descriptive statistics of frequency was used for analysing demographic characteristics of respondents such as age, sex, hours spent per day on social media item responses while chi-square, t-test, Pearson’s r and ANOVA were used to analyse the six null hypotheses stated in the study. Summary of the findings and discussion were presented.

From the hypotheses stated, one established a relationship between social media usage and academic performance was retained.

Finally, chapter five presents summary of the study, where each chapter discussed was summarised in detail.

Conclusion is also presented based on the findings. And recommendations are also made for students, teacher, parents and policy makers who may be interested in the use of social media and its effect on the personality and academic performance of students.

5.3 Conclusion.

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are made;

This study has shown that social media usage influences self-image. It has been observed that the more the students engaged in social media the more it boosted their self-image. Also, social media usage increases group activities of students, the more time they spent the more activities they engaged in. However, social media usage did not influence academic performance of less passive users. In addition, positive feed backs on self-image influenced students to engage more on group activities on social media. There is also age difference in social media usage. And male student social media users were found of using social media than their female counterparts.

5.4 Recommendations

With regard to the outcome obtained in this study, the followings recommendations were made;

Students should be conscious of the time they spent on social media sites in order to have more time for their classroom activities and homework.
Teachers should encourage the students to expend some meaningful hours on social media sites so as to make friends that would help increase their self-image. The comments of these friends are better to boost their self-images and adjust to the social activities.
School authorities should encourage the students to judiciously use the available computer laboratory in schools for educational purpose.
Parents should encourage and monitor students to use educational social media sites that will help them to maximise their educational attainment and keep them away from harmful influences
Policy on access of students to social media should be such that encourages educational and useful information rather than uncontrolled access to the internet that may be harmful to students’ social and intellectual development.

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