Understanding positive and negative uses of social media among University undergraduates: Sociological perspectives
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Date
2015
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Volume Title
Publisher
The College of Education, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
This paper is theoretical in scope as it highlights the positive and negative uses of social media among University Undergraduates in Nigeria. In a bid to understand the dimensional usage of social media, this paper draws from sociological perspectives, asserting that no sociologist would approach the study of social life without making a choice from the pool of perspectives available. Thus, this paper employed an eclectic approach in recognition of the postmodern era of the global society which entails that theoretical analysis using old sociological theories would not suffice but postmodern theories for a postmodern world. The tripartite theories analysed in this paper are to assist in forging understanding on the global phenomenon of social media and its implication on education and also serve as the underpinnings for the literature review on social media studies. This paper concluded that social media is a symbol of evolution in university education and society at large, dangling between innovation (transformation of Nigerian education) and stability (preservation of Nigerian education). The implication is that university education and society are walking on a tight rope between system that maintains stability, preserving its educational system and integrating values driven by social media which may akin to anarchy if not efficiently channeled.
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Keywords
social media, undergraduates, sociological perspectives