Social Media Influence on Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students in Universities in Ilorin Metropolis Nigerian

Abstract

Social media, an online technology platform that connects people from different locations, has become an integral part of people's lives worldwide. It has a strong influence on how students learn and perform. This study investigated the social media influence on academic performance of undergraduate students in Universities in Ilorin and specifically found out the available and accessible social media sites to the students, ascertained the frequency of use of social media sites among undergraduate students and investigated its influence on their academic performance. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study from two Universities, a simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 60 students from each school and a researcher-designed questionnaire was used to elicit responses from the students. The findings of the study revealed that available social media sites are highly used by the students. Also, it was revealed that the influence of social media on academic performance of undergraduate students in Ilorin is high and that there is no significant difference in the influence of social media on academic performance of undergraduate students based on gender and age. It was recommended that more social media applications that enhances learning and students’ academic achievements should be encouraged, while the students endeavour to have a balanced view of the use of social media as well as the time spent on these sites. Also, trainings should be organized for lecturers in the use of the evolving social media sites/apps for effective virtual lecture delivery.