ABSTRACT
Social media is one of the platforms on the
internet visits by students of tertiary institutions on a daily basis with many
spend lots of time chatting, dating, posting and interacting with friends and
family while many busy gossiping and doing business. It is on this notion that
the research examines the influence of social networking otherwise known as
social media on the academic performance of Kwara State University, Malete. The
research is anchored on Technology Determinism Theory and Uses and Gratifications.
Cross sectional survey research as a quantitative method was adopted. The
method of data collection for this study is questionnaire in which 200 copies
of questionnaires were administered to two hundred students who were selected
using multi-stage sampling technique as probability sample method. From the findings, majority of the
respondents are on one social network platform or the other such as Facebook,
Whatsapp, Twitter, Badoo, Eskimi, Wechat, Instagram, etc and most of them login
on a daily basis spending not less than 1 hour, therefore, most students spend
less time on their academic work and more time on social networking sites these
social networking sites also tend to affect grade points of the students as
only 12.5% - 15.625% had excellent grades. It is recommended the use of social
networking sites can be adopted as tool for learning by to interact with
lecturers and students, offering assignment through the platforms not given
during the class, students can be reminded of assignments earlier given.
