| Abstract: |
This study examined the influence of social networking on learning behaviour of undergraduates of Universities in South East of Nigeria. Media ecology and social learning theories served as theoretical underpinning, while survey was the research design. The sample size was 378 empirically drawn from a population of 95,866 undergraduate students of the five Federal Universities in South East Nigeria namely: University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State; Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZK), Awka, Anambra State; Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, Imo State; Michael Okpara University (MOU), Umuahia, Abia State and Federal University Ndufu Alike-Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State. Findings show the respondents are well exposed to social networking sites, and the positive influence of the technology on respondents outweigh the negative. The study recommends introduction of social media education as a general study (GST) to promote responsibe use of social networking among the students and make the gains more enduring. University authority like UNN should formulate guidelines and regulatory measures against irresponsible use of social networking sites by any undergraduates. |
