AN ONLINE SPACE-TIME BUDGET AND PROPENSITY FOR CYBERCRIME BY STUDENTS OF TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the time budget on internet-based social networking and tendency for deviance interaction among students of various tertiary educational institutions in Jigawa state Nigeria (N=600), living in different accommodation system. The study purports to identify the common social networking platforms, and the time budget for interactions on them by the participants. The propensity for cybercrime in the social networking interactions with the mediating effect of low self-control was also tested, using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of descriptive analysis revealed that the participants mostly visit WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites. The visitation is higher among campus-based participants, followed by off-campus students, then the students that live with their families The night time is the most common moment for the participants engagement in internet-based social networking (N=239), followed by morning (N=65) then afternoon (N=64), and midnight interactions being the least (N=30). Significant number of the participants (N=202) however reported no specification for the most common time use of internet-based networking (they visit any time they wish). The inferential statistics using Pearson product moment correlation (PPMC) suggests nonexistence of association between indicators of an online interaction relating to substance abuse and property crime with measures of low self-control. However, an online sexual-related interaction (sexting) reveals weak positive association with measures of risk taking. Creating online educational development groups in social networking sites with presence of mentors’ leadership as guardians was suggested among others, to reduce the more time spent by students for illicit interactions, and instead the spaces be utilized for educational development purposes.