This study aimed to examine social media usage and its effects on students’ academic performance. The study adopted a survey design approach. The population for this study consisted of undergraduate students from two universities, thus, one private university (Valley View University – VVU) in Techiman in the Bono Region and one public university (Ghana Communications Technology University) in Takoradi, in the Western Region. The study used 5% of the population to arrive at a sample size of 381. The stratified and simple random sampling techniques were applied to select the students. A well–structured questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. The study established that social media had negatively affected their English writing skills, which is detrimental to their academic performance. The results showed that most students visited social media platforms daily and spent more time on these platforms. The study identified challenges like; lack of personal security and privacy, poor internet services, unreliable power, the cost of internet connectivity, and many others. The study made recommendations to the management of both universities to organise workshops and seminars and educate students on the dangers of excessive use of social media platforms.
Citation: Ameyaw Samuel, Afua Frempong-Kore and Bitherman Benedicta Krampah Akoto (2022) An Albatross On the Neck: Social Media Use and Its Effects on Students’ Academic Performance in Ghana: A Comparative Study, International Journal of Library and Information Science Studies, Vol.8, No.2, pp.35-52
Keywords: : Academic Performance, Ghana communication technology university, Social media, valley view university
