Social media addiction and effect on academic performance among library and information science students in universities in Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of social media addiction on academic performance of undergraduate students in universities in Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative research method. Online questionnaire was developed by the researchers using Google form to collect data from 1,239 LIS students in Nigerian Universities. The study found that WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are the commonly used social media tools by the students of Library and Information Science in Nigerian universities. The students mostly used the social media tools for the purpose of entertainment & fun, and social communications (e.g birthdays). The study also revealed that the majority of the students agree and strongly agree to the statements which show their level of social media addiction. The majority of the students agree that the time they spend on social media affect their school grades. The findings of the paper will inform the management of universities, lecturers, university authorities, healthcare practitioners, library staff, library directors, researchers and parents to take rectification measures to avoid facing the perils of social media addiction. The high prevalence of social media addiction among students therefore calls for university authorities to develop a policy on the use of social media among students.