The Use of whatsapp 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).

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. WhatsApp serves as a highly popular and effective tool for communication among students, offering benefits like improved collaboration, resource sharing, and enhanced learning motivation, while also presenting challenges such as potential distractions, concerns about privacy and security, and issues with irregular internet access. It facilitates both educational interactions with peers and instructors and strengthens social connections.  (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 communicate, 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, In Nigeria, undergraduates spend more time on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites through smartphones that are now in abundance among them and most of them cannot go for two-three hours without checking and updating their profiles on these social networks even at the detriment of other activities such as educational development, career pursuit and interpersonal relationships (Idankwo, 2011).

 

 

1.2     Statement of the Problem

WhatsApp social network has become a veritable means of facilitating 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 everyone as the primary means of communication with people worldwide as compared to any other means of communication (Ortiz-Ospina, 2018).

The use of whatsapp social media platforms as grown fast that it has even attracted the attention of higher institution students; they are so engrossed in the platform that they have almost completely forgotten about their academic work, the students hardly use whatsapp to promote the learning process and academic pursuit.

 

The misuse of whatsapp social network to promote students learning process, academic pursuit and issues in interpersonal relationships has called for concern as this risk plays a vital role in the student’s academic performance to various degrees and at various times, hence the researcher intend to examine the usage of whatsapp social media among students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna and how it affect their interpersonal relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.3     Objectives of the Study

This study will examine the usage of whatsapp social media among students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna and how it affect their interpersonal relationship.

The following were specific objectives:

i.                   To know the extent which Whatsapp uses affect interpersonal relationships among the students of Journalism and Media Studies Department of Kaduna Polytechnic

ii.                 To determine the impact of Whatsapp use on interpersonal relationships among the students of Journalism and Media Studies Department of Kaduna Polytechnic

iii.              To ascertain the challenges faced by the students of  Journalism and Media Studies Department of Kaduna Polytechnic in their interpersonal relationships through the use of Whatsapp social network

 

1.4   Scope of the study

The focus of this research work is to primarily study use of whatsapp  amongst students of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL) , Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna. The study will comprises of the Higher National Diploma students in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies (ODFEL), Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna.

 

 

1.5   Significance of the study

The study of student’s use of Whatsapp Social Network will give us an insight into the different uses the students put Whatsapp social media to and the kind of benefits they derived from the usage.

The following contributions 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 students daily lives and interpersonal relationships.

 

To the scholarly community, it can identify the impact of the usage of whatsapp social media platform on their academic performance, learning, professional development, information dissemination, interpersonal relationships mitigate potential harms like misinformation and academic distractions

 

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

i.                   To what extent does Whatsapp uses affect interpersonal relationships among the students of Journalism and Media Studies Department of Kaduna Polytechnic?

ii.                 What is the impact of Whatsapp use on interpersonal relationships among the students of Journalism and Media Studies Department of Kaduna Polytechnic?

iii.              What challenges do the students of  Journalism and Media Studies Department face in their interpersonal relationships through the use of Whatsapp social network?

 

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.