Perceived Benefits of Social Media usage among Agricultural Extension Workers in Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2020-03
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Abstract
This study assessed the perceived benefits of social media usage among agricultural extension workers
in Kwara State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 120 field extension
workers of Kwara Agricultural Development Project (KWADP) which were selected through
multistage random sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, mean
and mean ranking were used to analysis the data. Findings revealed that the majority (77.5%) of the
respondents were male with a mean age of 35.05 years. Majorities (82.5%) were married and 43.3%
were BSc holders, having a mean of 7.13 years of work experience. Facebook (90.8%), WhatsApp
(86.7%) and 2go (55.8) were prominently used, while Twitter (46.7%), GooglePlus (44.2%),
Blackberry Messenger (40%) and Wikis (15.05%) were least used by the respondents. The perceived
benefits of social media included wide spread of agricultural information, source of current
agricultural information, quick dissemination of agricultural information, increased social
interaction, easier access and usage of agricultural information, reduction in travel time to ADP zonal
headquarters, opportunity for feedback, reduction in paperwork, personal entertainment, cost-effective, professional networking and gaining profiles within the public space. It was recommended,
among others, that agricultural extension workers should be encouraged to open multiple social media
accounts to enhance their works and enjoy other numerous benefits of different social media platforms.
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Keywords
Social media, KWADP, perceived benefits, extension workers, Kwara State