NIGERIAN YOUTHS AND SOCIAL MEDIA: HARNESSING THE POTENTIALS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Abstract

One of the breakthroughs in information and communication technology in the 21st century was the discovery and emergence of the new media which have facilitated the creation of the different platforms for social interaction. The potentials of the new media are seamless and boundless in terms of interactions, interrelationships, and information sharing and exchanges. The only limitation to the utilization of the potentials
of the platforms is illiteracy in terms of the hardware, software and usage. The question is, to what extent has the Nigerian youths converted the potentials and possibilities of the social media to platforms for networking academic materials for scholarship and academic excellence? The study examined the extent of usage of one of the most popular social media platforms, facebook, by the Nigerian youths in their academic pursuit. It found that about two-thirds of the Nigerian youths that use Facebook platform use it for other reasons than exchange of academic materials. And, recommends that the youths should be encouraged to harness the potentials of the platform for scholarship.