Use of Social Media in Mobilising Support for Abductees in Nigeria: A Study of Epe School Kidnap (Published)
This work examines social media usage to support abductees in Nigeria, beaming its searchlight on the case of the 6 Epe school boys, who were kidnapped at The Lagos State Model College on May 24, 2017. This study seeks to know various ways the social media contribute to the freedom of abductees in Nigeria and how potent the social media could be in mobilising support for them. The survey method was adopted, and questionnaire was used to collect data. For this study, 528 questionnaires were given to respondents in the 66 streets on Eredo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), in Epe Local Government of Lagos State. 521 of the questionnaire were returned. Eredo has a population of 18,590, and 3% of the population was used. Purposive sampling method was chosen for this study. This is adopted in order to select the members of the population that are fit to give the correct answers to the research questions. The findings of this study reveal that the contributions of Nigerians and social media outcry made the government and its agencies to take speedy action on the abduction of the Epe school boys. This study finds out that the social media has the power to reach a large number of Nigerians faster than other media of communication. This study therefore recommends that the Civil Society organisations in Nigeria and Human Right Groups should explore the advantages of the social media to reach the people and the government alike. The study also recommends that Nigerians still need orientations on how to maximize the power of the social media.
Keywords: Mobilizing, Nigeria, Social media, Usage, abductees
The contributions of Social Media as sources of information to the Newspapers in Tanzania (Published)
The attention of this study was to examine the contributions made by social media as “sources of information” to the newspapers in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined the extent through which social media had contributed news stories for the selected newspapers in the country. The study also sought to determine the social media which had often contributed news stories to the selected newspapers. Lastly, the study, pursued to determine the contents and nature of the stories retrieved from the social media by the selected newspapers. This was a content analysis study which utilized documentary review of the three selected newspapers. Three newspapers of Mwananchi, Daily News, and the Citizen were purposefully selected for the study. A recording manual was designed and used during the documentary review and the unit of analysis included: hard news stories, soft news stories, column, editorial comment, features and sports stories. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data since the study carried qualitative data. The findings suggest that social media have played a significant contribution in providing news stories for the newspapers in Tanzania. It further suggest that, in all social media used, Twitter is the number one social media which provides more news stories to the newspapers in Tanzania. Lastly, the findings suggest that most of the news stories retrieved from social media were political stories, entertainment, and sports.
Keywords: Contribution, Newspapers, Social media, Tanzania, as sources of information
Analysis of the Use of Social Media Advertising among Selected Online Businesses in Nigeria (Published)
This study sought to analyse the use of social media advertising among selected online businesses in Nigeria. It studies the frequency of use of SMA/SMM (social media advertising/marketing) among businesses in Nigeria, the most preferred social media platform as well as the benefits and challenges inherent in the adoption of SMA by online businesses in Nigeria. This was done using the Survey method, surveying a total of hundred (100) businesses and the study was hinged on Technological determinism and diffusion of innovation theories. Findings revealed that online businesses in Nigeria have embraced social media advertising. It was also revealed that a number of challenges militate against the adoption of SMA by online businesses in Nigeria, salient among them is Lack of technical know how. Based on the findings, it was recommended that businesses embrace Social media advertising as it has come to stay, furthermore a model “the RIAER” was proposed to serve as a guide in implementing social media ad campaigns.
Keywords: Advertising, Online Businesses, Social Media Advertising, Social media
Investigating the Influence of Social Media on Sociability: A Study of University Students in Nigeria (Published)
This article investigates the influence of social media on the university students’ sociability in Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 250 students at BIU and 350 students at DELSU through heterogeneous samples in different faculties and departments of respective institution. The data derived were subjected to descriptive statistics with simple percentage, chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. Findings revealed that age, year of study, family income plays decisive role in respondents’ ability to exploit the benefit of social media utilization for sociability. Further, majority of the respondents were observed to use Facebook as major platform for friendship sociability, with mobile media (feature phone with internet connection and smartphone) as a medium of constructive sociability behaviour and respondents’ friendship size of above 200 demonstrate the strength of respondents’ sociability practice. The study also found that the respondents’ frequency of interaction with friendship groups cut across different time frame with communication relations and socio-pleasure as a means of strategic sociability fulfilment. Future research should focus on why university students use social media for romantic sociability since evidences are emerging on the relations of social media sociability and romantic behaviour of young people.
Keywords: Abraka (DELSU), Benin City (BIU) and Delta State University, Benson Idahosa University, Nigeria, Social media, sociability