Influence of Social Media on the Academic Performance of the Undergraduate Students of Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the influence of social media on the academic performance of the undergraduate students ofKogi State University. The rationale behind the study is to find out whether the exposure of the students to socialmedia has effect on their academic performance. The paper is anchored on two theories; namely: socialinformation processing theory and media equation theory. The survey research method was adopted, employingthe questionnaire as an instrument of data collection. The findings show that undergraduate students of KogiState University, Anyigba, Nigeria, have access to social media and that their exposure to social media is to avery great extent. Findings also show that exposure to social media has effect on the students and that the effectis negative. Findings also show that facebook is the most used social media by undergraduate students of KogiState University. Based on the findings, the paper concludes that exposure to social media by the undergraduatestudents of Kogi State University has negative effect on their academic performance. To this end, the paperrecommends that the students should pay minimal attention to social media and focus more on their academicactivities.Key Words: Social Media, Academic Performance and Undergraduate Students of Kogi State University