New Media Usage for Communication and Self Concept among Journalism and Mass Communication Students in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

New and social media are gaining popularity as forms of communication which are popularising the concept of citizen journalism. A substantial number of researches have been conducted on the usage of new and social media for communication and self concept. However there has been a perceived dearth of studies on the communication use of these media by Journalism and Mass Communication students. Thus, the study was carried out to examine social media use among undergraduates and how it affects communication with others, and undergraduates' self-concept. Survey method of research was used to elicit information from undergraduates of two selected private universities in Oyo State - Ajayi Crowther University and Lead City University. The sample drawn for the study was 150 respondents. Questionnaire was given to each respondent to obtain information about personal use of social media, communication skills with friends and family, and effects on self-concept, with a view to ascertaining the use of social media networks for personal communication. The findings indicated that almost all the undergraduates are using some form of social networking websites. Respondents in this study indicated that the websites they use mostly are Facebook, Twitter and Black Berry Messenger. Communicating with friends and family on social media sites was very common among undergraduates in this study. It was also discovered that the benefit of the social media was a determining factor for selecting the choice of social media the undergraduates use, while also majority of the respondents use their choices of social media because they are easy and relatively cheap to use as communication media. The study therefore recommends that websites designers should design their sites such that the sites would attract users and consequently encourage the use of such media for responsible journalistic tipsterism. Furthermore, considering the wide usage of the social media by university undergraduates, further studies should be conducted with focus on how to make the most responsible use of the social media in the practice of socially responsible journalism.

Key words: New and Social Media Usage, Communication, Self Concept, Networking Sites