the effects of whatsapp on Interpersonal relationships amongst students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Social media is regarded as the most commonly utilized method of communication. It is being used by individuals belonging to all walks of life. No doubt it has been widely accepted by the general public because of its effectiveness in communication

Social media platforms are very numerous, They are media platforms that allow users to meet online via the Internet, communicate in social forum like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and other chat sites, where users generally socialise by sharing news, photo or ideas and thoughts, or respond to issues and other contents with other people. Common examples of social media are the popular social networking sites like whatsapp, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Flicker, etc.

Social media are technologies that facilitate social interaction, make possible collaboration, and enable deliberation by stakeholders across boundaries, time and space. These technologies include: blogs, wikis, media (audio, photo, video, text) sharing tools, networking platforms (including whatsapp, Facebook), and virtual worlds (Bryer and Zavatarro, 2011).

Social Media is an interactive media format that allows users to interact with each other as well as send and receive content from and to each other generally by means of the Internet. They can likewise share their contemplations and individual data which include everyday happenings, pictures, recordings and web-links. Individuals can also promote their businesses and products.

The rise of social media sites as another platform on the internet has gained popularity over the last decade. The sites have attracted millions of users worldwide (Boyd, & Ellison, 2007) due to this fact many people are changing the outlets where they search for news, information, business and entertainment. These social media sites let those who use them create personal profiles, while connecting with other users of the sites. Users can upload photographs and post what they are doing at any given time. In this day and age, WhatsApp is currently the leading instant messaging application globally after they hit the target of 1 billion people in their user base especially among young adults. (Pempek, Yermolayeva, & Calvert, 2008).

Digital communication platforms have gotten more and more ingrained in daily life in recent years, having a significant impact on interpersonal interactions and relationship maintenance (Holkar, 2022).

The development of digital communication technology has had a profound impact on how people connect with one another in a variety of settings. WhatsApp is a platform that is very popular among users because of its many capabilities, which include text messaging, voice calls, video calls, and the capacity to send messages to numerous recipients at once (Church & De Oliveira, 2013).

 

According to Backlinko (2023), with more than 2 billion active users worldwide as of 2024, WhatsApp has established itself as a vital tool for daily communication. Broadcast messaging, one of its primary functions enables users to send a single message to several contacts at once, promoting effective information transmission.

WhatsApp broadcast message function, which enables users to send a single message to numerous contacts without starting a group conversation, has become a popular tool for rapidly and effectively sharing information without requiring one-on-one discussions (Liu, 2024). There are several uses for this feature, such as sharing announcements and updates with groups and alerting them to upcoming events.

Whatsapp  has transformed the way youth build and maintain relationships, offering both opportunities and challenges. While platforms can enhance connectivity and provide a sense of belonging, they can also lead to superficial interactions, misunderstandings, and conflicts. Additionally, the curated nature of whatsapp often promotes unrealistic expectations of relationships, which can negatively affect youth’s real-life interactions. This study explores the impact of whatsapp  on youth’s interpersonal relationships, examining how digital communication influences their ability to form and sustain meaningful connections

 

1.2     Statement of the Problem

The rise of whatsapp  networking platforms has facilitated communication by great margins with easier and faster message transfer and with near 100% confidence in your message reaching the intended recipient ,this has made whatsapp  a trusted tool for the majority of the general public as the primary means of communication with people worldwide as compared to any other means of communication (Ortiz-Ospina, 2018).

However the usage of whatsapp itself is not a matter of concern but the fallout of it may require the attention of singular individuals and nations at large. Many countries  in the world have seen the potential destruction that whatsapp may have in their culture and the moral degradation associated with it which has resulted into strong censorship of this platforms and its contents while also limiting the time of usage of it for each individual on the basis of their age

Whatsapp platforms can be viewed as a coin where the both there is the good and the bad asociated to it, whether the good outweighs the bad or the other way around is very subjective and up for debate and further studies, The researcher is intending examine the effects of whatsapp social media platform may have on interpersonal relationships among students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna.

 

1.3     Objectives of the Study

This study was intended to assess the effects of whatsapp  on Interpersonal relationships amongst students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna.

The following were specific objectives:

i.                   To identify the interpersonal relationships amongst the students formed by the use of whatsapp ,

ii.                 To assess the positive impacts of whatsapp  on Interpersonal relations/relationships amongst the students

iii.              To assess the negative impacts of whatsapp on Interpersonal relations/relationships amongst the students.

 

1.4   Scope of the study

The study is concerned with the effects of whatsapp  on Interpersonal relationships amongst students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna. Hence the study is mainly be concerned with the students who in great margins are in the category commonly known as “the youth” and inevitably the primary users of whatsapp  and are also engaged in any form of Interpersonal relation be it friendship, family relations/relationships, romantic relations/relationships or even work colleagues.

 

1.5   Significance of the study

The study was expected to exhaust an array of literary sources backed up by analysis of primary data to provide a clear understanding and shed more light on the effects (whether positive or negative) posed by whatsapp  on interpersonal relations/relationships amongst students, the following contribution are expected to be presented to the general bodies of knowledge:

 

To the general public, the study is intended to add more depth to the effects of whatsapp  on their daily lives in terms of Interpersonal relations/relationships and possibly provide more awareness on the quality of relations/relationships formed and raised under whataspp , also the study is intended to make the students more responsible on how and why they form their Interpersonal relations/relationships online.

 

To the scholarly community, it is my desire add more knowledge in the general body of knowledge as to where my peers will have a stepping stone on the ongoing study on the paradigm shifts which are ongoing in the world of technology, Internet and social media platform (whatsapp) .

 

To the social media  companies; social media companies need to reflect on the potential consequences their platforms may pose to the general users and not only focus on the profits and expansion of their fanbase thus this study can be used as the mirror for the myriad of reasons of improvement in their conducts, usage algorithms and individual usage.

 

1.6   Research questions

1)                What type of interpersonal relationships do students form, and what type is most prevalent?

2)                What are the positive effects of whatsapp on Kaduna Polytechnic, Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) students’ relations/relationships? specifically, their levels of interpersonal communication.

3)                What are the negative effects of whatsapp on on Kaduna Polytechnic, Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) students’ relations/relationships? Specifically, their levels of interpersonal communication and quality of social bonds formed.

 

1.7   Definition of key terms

The following definitions are derived from very concrete sources and are aimed at creating uniformity and clarity in understanding and create a common premise of for such said words throughout the proposal (or thesis)

 

Students: A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally a person who takes a special interest in a subject.

 

Social Media/ Social Network Site: “is any digital tool that allows users to quickly create and share content with the public” (Hudson, 2020) It is an umbrella term used to cover an array of platforms including but not limited to Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Tik-Tok and Dating sites (Tinder, Grindr, Manhunt and so many others)

 

Interpersonal Relations/relationships: Some sources suggest that Interpersonal relations/relationships are social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people which are differentiated by one another through assessing the degrees of closeness between individuals.

 

Some sources suggest that Interpersonal relations/relationships are social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people which are differentiated by one another through assessing the degrees of closeness between individuals.

 

Whatsapp (officially WHATSAPP MESSENGER) is an American Social media, instant messaging (IM), and Voice – over-IP (VoIP) served owned by technology conglomerate meta. It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages and share images, documents, user locations and other contents.