Frequency Of Social Media Use Research Articles

Associations Between Social Media Engagement and Vaccine Hesitancy

There has been a surge in vaccine hesitancy following the Coronavirus pandemic. This study measured the prevalence of and identified factors associated with vaccine hesitancy and social media use. An online survey was administered (n = 1050) between May and July 2021. Chi-square tests were used to examine bivariate associations with vaccine hesitancy (partially vaccinated and unvaccinated participants). Logistic regression was used to identify associations between social media use and vaccine hesitancy. Chi-square tests showed women (69.7% vs 28.2% men, padjusted = .002), African American participants (52.3% vs 17.8% white, padjusted < .001), high school diploma (54.4% vs 38.6% college degree, padjusted < .001), political unaffiliated (15.8% vs 14.5% republican, padjusted < .001), Muslim (10.0% vs 0% Jewish, padjusted < .001), and never married/single (53.9% vs 17.0% married, padjusted < .001) were more likely to be vaccine hesitant. Controlling for all demographic variables (age, race, gender, and education), more frequent use of social media for reading news was associated with lower vaccine hesitancy (OR 0.35, 99% CI 0.20, 0.63, p < 0.001). However, using social media as a source of vaccine information without any other trusted source (health department, doctor, CDC,) was associated with higher odds of being vaccine hesitant (OR 2.00, 99% CI 1.15, 3.46, p = 0.001). People who use social media without referencing trusted sources may be particularly vulnerable to disinformation or vaccine hesitant persons are more likely exposed to non-trusted social media sites as their only information source.

ANALISIS SENTIMEN KOMENTAR NETIZEN TWITTER TERHADAP KESEHATAN MENTAL MASYARAKAT INDONESIA

In today's modern era, everyone can easily exchange messages, share activities carried out in the form of images or videos using social media. Frequent use of social media can be bad for physical and mental health. Health is very important, by being healthy everyone can do activities such as studying, working, exercising, etc. Twitter as one of the social media that is widely used by the Indonesian people is used as a place to get comments that will be analyzed to find out the opinion of the Indonesian people about their mental health, this is the purpose of the analysis that has been carried out. The results obtained after analyzing the sentiments of Twitter social media users' comments on the mental health of the Indonesian people are from 2369 comment data that have been analyzed, as many as 50.8% negative, 45.1% positive and 4.1% neutral. So, it can be concluded that the sentiment analysis of social media users' comments on the mental health of Indonesian people tends to be negative. The Naïve Bayes method is used when carrying out sentiment analysis and the accuracy results are 0.7961165048543689 or rounded up to 79%.

An Experience Sampling Study on the Association Between Social Media Use and Self-Esteem

Abstract. We know little about longitudinal associations between social media use and important psychological variables such as self-esteem. Using experience sampling methodology, this study examined the relationship between social media use and self-esteem in a new and ecologically valid way. Participants ( N = 200) responded to notifications sent to their smartphones several times a day for 2 weeks and reported social media use as well as current self-esteem. Multilevel analyses revealed distinct gendered patterns: Low initial self-esteem among women predicted more frequent social media use, whereas low initial self-esteem among men was related to less frequent social media use. Moreover, recent social media use predicted lower current self-esteem for women, but not for men. Low stability of self-esteem was related to more social media use, independent of gender. The findings support the notion of a reciprocal relationship between social media use and self-esteem for women, where self-esteem level may motivate women to use social media more frequently and social media may be a source of lower self-esteem. Social media use seems to have a less detrimental effect on men.

Temporary change in personality states among social media users: effects of Instagram use on Big Five personality states and consumers' need for uniqueness.

Research suggests that certain personality traits influence the frequency of social media use. However, the potential effect of social media use on personality states merits investigation as well, in light of the personality dynamics approach. We conducted an experimental study in which 325 Instagram users were asked to count selfies and emoticons on their Instagram profiles (experimental condition) or their phones (control condition). Subsequently, all participants responded to questions from the Big Five personality inventory and scale to measure the need for uniqueness in consumption. Instagram users had a higher neuroticism state and a higher need for uniqueness compared with the controls. In terms of the other Big Five states, we observed no differences between the study conditions. Our study explores the novel direction of the relationship between social media use and personality, suggesting that using Instagram can temporarily change personality states.

The Impact of the COVID-19 "Infodemic" on Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in the world of information and digital literacy. The amount of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 that has circulated through social media (SM) since January 2020 is notably significant and has been linked to rising levels of anxiety and fear amongst SM users.AimThis study aimed to assess SM practices during COVID-19 and investigated their impact on users’ well-being.MethodsAn online survey was distributed between June 10 and July 31 2020 via different SM platforms in the United Arab Emirates and other Arabic-speaking countries. Adults above 18 years of age who spoke Arabic or English were invited to complete the survey which covered multiple domains, use and practices related to social media platforms and mental health questions, including the WHO-5 Well-Being Index.ResultsOut of 993 participants, 73% were females, 76% were non-Emirati, 91% were university graduates, and 50% were employed in various occupations, of which 20% were health care professionals. Participants indicated that they acquired COVID-19 related information primarily from social media and messaging applications of which WhatsApp was the most used. Most participants reported sharing information after verification. The mean well-being score was 12.6 ±5.6, with 49% of participants reporting poor well-being (WHO-5 score <12.5). Adjusted linear regression showed that Facebook usage was negatively associated with well-being scores. Additionally, high time use was associated with poorer well-being. When adjusting for other factors, including low confidence in information around COVID-19 and poor knowledge overall, SM usage was significantly associated with poorer well-being.ConclusionThe study sheds light on the use of SM during the pandemic and its impact on well-being throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic. Social media practices during emergencies and disasters may impact public well-being. Authorities are advised to step in to minimize the spread of misinformation and more frequent use of social media as it may influence well-being. Public health specialists, information technology and communication experts should collaborate to limit the infodemic effect on communities.

The prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the age of infodemic

ABSTRACT Background Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication and media environments are potential drivers of vaccine hesitancy. It is worthwhile to examine the relationship between social media use and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Objective This study aims to understand the prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Methods Questionnaires were administered to 463 participants in mainland China. Factor analysis, correlation analysis, and linear regression models were utilized to examine the prevalence and influencing factors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in China, as well as the relationship between social media use, media trust, health information literacy, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Results Lack of confidence and risk were identified as factors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Age, occupation status and income levels were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. In addition, we observed that frequency of social media use, diversity of social media use, media trust and health information literacy were significantly correlated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion Increased frequency and diversity of social media use, media trust and health information literacy can mitigate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and promote COVID-19 vaccination.

Frequent Social Media Use and Its Prospective Association With Mental Health Problems in a Representative Panel Sample of US Adolescents

PurposeThis study examined the relationship between frequent social media use and subsequent mental health in a representative sample of US adolescents. Also investigated were sex differences in multiyear growth trajectories of mental health problem internalization relative to social media use. MethodsFour waves (2013–2018) of nationally representative, longitudinal Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health data were analyzed. A total of 5,114 US adolescents aged 12–14 years at baseline had repeated data across all waves. Statistical analysis involved testing a series of sequential-weighted single-group and multi-group latent growth curve models using R version 3.6.2. ResultsOf the 5,114 respondents, 2,491 were girls (48.7%). The percentage of frequent social media use was 26.4% at Wave 1 and 69.1% at Wave 4 for boys compared to 38.3% and 80.6% for girls (p < .001). Boys showed an improving (−0.218, p = .005) but girls showed a deteriorating linear trend (0.229, p = .028) for mental health at the full multigroup latent growth curve model. Social media use accounted for mental health conditions across Waves 1–3 for boys (ps<.01) but only at Wave 1 for girls (p = .035). With the addition of the social media use variable alone, model fit dramatically improved, and residual variances in growth patterns (i.e., random effect) became nonsignificant for boys. Substantial sex differences existed in baseline status, directionality, and shape of mental health growth trajectories as well as interplay of social media use with other factors. DiscussionFindings of the study suggest that frequent social media use is associated with poorer subsequent mental health for adolescents.

The Prevalence and Predictors of Depressive, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms Among Tepi Town Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Ethiopia.

BackgroundAs a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, many countries have imposed movement restrictions and implemented lockdowns. However, evidence from a variety of nations showed that the COVID-19 outbreak and its associated quarantine measures triggered a wide range of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, and stress in the general population. As a result, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among Tepi town residents during the pandemic lockdown.MethodologyA community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among residents of Tepi town from September 15 through September 25, 2020, and residents who have lived in Tepi town for at least 6 months were included. We have employed the depression, anxiety, and stress scale 21 (DASS-21) to evaluate depression, anxiety, and stress. The Chi-squared test of association and logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among residents of Tepi town. For all statistical analysis, we used (IBM) SPSS version 25.ResultsAccording to the current study, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 37.7%, 39.0%, and 44.2%, respectively, among residents of Tepi town. Estimated odds of having depression, anxiety, and stress were as follows: for being female 6.315, 4.591, and 3.155; smoking 1.787, 1.883, and 1.787; sleep problem 2.613, 2.254, and 1.721; chewing Khat 2.156, 2.053, and 2.110; quarantine for 14 days 2.251, 1.902, and 1.960; and frequent use of social media 3.126, 1.849, and 3.126 times more likely as compared to their corresponding reference group respectively. The odds of developing depression and anxiety respectively were as follows: for alcohol consumption 2.438 and 1.797 times higher than their corresponding reference group respectively. Those exposed to COVID-19 were 3.870 times more likely to develop depression symptoms. Estimated odds of having anxiety and stress symptoms for fear of COVID-19 were 1.776 and 1.835; social interactions altered were 3.197 and 2.069, moderate levels of hope were 2.687 and 2.849 respectively. The odds ratio for those taking traditional preventive medicine, and having family members infected with COVID-19 were 2.475 and 1.837 times more likely to experience anxiety symptoms respectively.ConclusionIn this study, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms was found to be high among residences in Tepi town. Being female, chewing Khat, smoking, being quarantined for 14 days, frequently using social media, and having sleeping problems were all found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, whereas alcohol consumption and family members infected by COVID-19 were considerably linked to depression and anxiety symptoms. Fear of COVID-19, influence on social interaction and having a moderate level of hope were substantially related to stress and anxiety symptoms, while taking preventive medicine was found to be a significant factor in anxiety symptoms among Tepi town residences. Interventions should be made to improve the mental health of Tepi residents.

Online Trolling: The Impact of Antisocial Online Content, Social Media Use, and Gender.

The present study aimed to observe the relationships between online trolling, exposure to antisocial online content, frequency of social media use, and gender, using the GAM as a theoretical framework. Four hundred twenty-nine Brazilian internet users (mean = 25.07 years; SD = 7.59; EP = 0.36), most of whom were women (71.8%), participated in the survey. Bivariate correlations indicated a positive relationship between online trolling, exposure to antisocial online content (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), Facebook use (r = 0.21; p < 0.01), Twitter Use (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), and gender (r = 0.15; p < 0.01). An explanatory model including these variables was tested, and obtained a significant model fit (GFI = 0.99; Comparative Fit-Index = 0.99; Tucker Lewis Index = 0.97; Root Mean Square Residual = 0.02; RMSEA = 0.02 | CI = 0 .01-0.07 |). Were also observed indirect effects for exposure to antisocial online content through Twitter use and Facebook use on trolling (λ = 0.03; CI = 0.01-0.05; p < 0.05). It is possible to conclude that the research objectives were fulfilled, emphasizing the role of situational variables in the understanding of online trolling.

A Survey on Online Political Participation, Social Capital, and Well-Being in Social Media Users-Based on the Second Phase of the Third (2019) TCS Taiwan Communication Survey Database.

This study focused on the frequency of social media use. Through investigating and verifying the correlations between social media use frequency, online political participation, and social capital, we derived two models of socialization that affect citizen well-being and, accordingly, proposed strategic suggestions for democratic society construction and network management. This study drew upon the 2019 Taiwan Communication Survey database and used structural equation modeling (SEM) as a statistical method to explore the causal relationship between these four variables (social media use, online political participation, social capital and well-being). The data analysis yielded an overall good fit with the overall fit indicators: χ2 = 214.417, df = 84, p = 2.293, RMSEA = 0.028, GFI = 0.998, CFI = 0.986, SRMR = 0.066, and CN = 993.411. Future communication scholars who wish to explore issues related to new media users can draw on this model for subsequent research.

The Impact of the Frequent Use of Social Media on Conspicuous Consumption: The Mediating Role of the E-WoM

The Impact of the Frequent Use of Social Media on Conspicuous Consumption: The Mediating Role of the E-WoM

Evaluating the Influence of Social Media Use in COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy of Residents of Owerri Metropolis

The study aimed to find out the level of vaccine hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria and determine whether social media is facilitating the spread of anti-vaccination messages about COVID-19 vaccines and the extent of vaccine hesitancy which is attributable to use of social media. The researchers used the cultivation theory to explain how frequent use of social media for information about the coronavirus pandemic has influenced users’ attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine. A survey was conducted which produced quantitative data from 300 respondents using the multi-stage sampling technique, with the questionnaire as the instrument to elicit data on how social media influenced respondents’ decision on getting immunized. Findings showed that hesitancy is high in Nigeria. It revealed that social media is facilitating the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. The researchers found out that hesitancy is attributable to social media because social media was the leading information source (45%) that enabled respondents to make the decision not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This study recommends that governments, the NCDC, the NPHCDA, the health industry and the media must use social media, alongside traditional media to propagate vaccine campaigns to negate the misinformation spreading online.

Social media use for health, cultural characteristics, and demographics: A survey of Pakistani millennials.

ObjectiveOver the last 10 years, an extensive body of literature has been produced to investigate the role of social media in health. However, little is known about the impact of cultural characteristics (e.g. masculinity, collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance) on social media use regarding health-related information, especially in developing countries like Pakistan. The present study employed Hofstede’s cultural characteristics framework and uses and gratification theory to examine how Pakistani millennials’ demographic attributes and cultural characteristics are associated with their social media use for health-related information.MethodAn online survey of 722 people aged 18–35 living in Pakistan was conducted in spring 2020 to examine the intensity and frequency of social media use, health-related use of social media, cultural characteristics, and demographic attributes.ResultsResults showed that cultural characteristics—masculinity, collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance—are strongly related with their perceptions of social media importance, usefulness, and perceived ease of access for health-related information even when controlling for demographic characteristics. Age and gender are also significantly associated with their perspectives on social media for health.ConclusionsWe found that communicating and sharing information is the most important motivation for Pakistani millennials to use social media in the area of health with WhatsApp and YouTube being most preferred social media sites for health-related issues.

Social Media Use and Emotional Well-Being: The Role of Physical Activity

There are mixed findings as to whether social media use (SMU) is positively or negatively related to well-being (positive/negative affect), and this relationship varies by age. The current study seeks to further explore this relationship by examining physical activity (PA) as a potential mediator at both a within (intraindividual) and between-person (interindividual) level across adulthood. The data are from the Midlife in the United States Refresher eight-day daily diary study (N=782, ages 25-75) with self-reported frequency of SMU, PA, and well-being (positive/negative affect). Multilevel structural equation modeling simultaneously tested how the relationships between the variables differed at both the between- and within-person levels. Between-person results showed that across the week, those who reported less SMU reported engaging in more PA, and more PA was associated with more positive affect. PA significantly mediated the relationship between SMU and positive affect for midlife and older adults, but not for younger adults. Effects for negative affect were not significant. Within-person results indicated that days with more PA were associated with more positive affect; however, PA did not mediate the relationship between SMU and positive or negative affect. These findings suggest the benefits of engaging in PA on one’s positive emotional well-being at both the between- and within-person levels. However, for midlife and older adults, more SMU across the week may take away time from engaging in PA, which in turn lowers their positive affect. Implications of the effects of SMU on PA and well-being across adulthood are discussed.

Healthcare utilisation and physical activities for older adults with comorbidities in the UK during COVID-19.

A major concern with COVID-19 was the impact it would have on individual health, the routine use of healthcare services, and physical activities, especially for older adults with comorbidities. To address this, we studied the association between these variables for older adults during the pandemic. To explore what policy instruments might be effective in mitigating the negative impacts, we investigated the effects of a shielding notice for those identified as vulnerable by the government and social media given it has been an important source for disseminating information of COVID-19. We employed a UK sample with 3,807 participants aged ≥50 from an online survey administered during May and June 2020. Based on numbers of comorbidities, we separated the sample into a higher comorbidity group with those in the upper quartile of the sample (n=829) and a lower comorbidity group with the remainder (n=2,978). Statistical methods include chi-squared analyses and cross-sectional regressions. We found that individuals with higher comorbidities were more likely to have poorer self-reported health and mental health and to receive a shielding notice from the government compared to those without (p<0.05). Decreases in physical activities were associated with poorer self-reported health and the increases were associated with better self-reported health; on the other hand, the decreases were associated with poorer mental health, but the increases did not link to better mental health. Examination of the effects of policy instruments shows that a shielding notice was positively associated with primary care use. The notice generated greater reliance on telephone/video consultations compared to in-person consultations, but the impacts were less strong for people with higher comorbidities. Frequent use of social media raised the probability of increasing physical activities and reduced that of decreasing physical activities, implying social media being an effective tool in promoting physical activities during the lockdown and subsequent restrictions.

The Role of Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Frequency of Use in University Students’ Digital Skills Components

The literature provides rich evidence on students’ levels of digital skills as well as on their frequency of Internet and social media use. Several studies have examined the relationships between social media use and academic achievement. However, there are not any studies investigating the relationships between social media use and digital skills of higher education students. To fill this research gap, this study examines the links between the frequency of social media use and students’ digital skills. The survey was conducted with 155 university students in Greece. The instrument on six digital skills components was evaluated in terms of reliability and consistency. The research findings reveal a strong positive association between the use of YouTube and students’ digital skills on content evaluation and protection. Age and educational level differences were noted in several digital skills components, whereas age and gender were related to the frequency of Instagram use. The main conclusion is that the generic use of Facebook and Instagram does not affect students’ digital skills. However, combined literature evidence implies that when social media are used for educational purposes, they might influence students’ perceived levels of digital skills. Implications and limitations are discussed in the study.

Social media use and adolescent engagement in health risk behaviours: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundSocial media might influence adolescents' perceived social norms and subsequent engagement in behaviours with potentially negative effects on health (health-risk behaviours). We systematically reviewed studies investigating the relationship between social media and health-risk behaviours in adolescents (age 10–19 years). MethodsWe searched five databases (CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, and SocINDEX), four preprint repositories (SSRN, SocArXic, PsyArXiv, and MedRxiv), and Google Scholar from Jan 1, 1997, to April 30, 2020, for studies reporting social media use (time spent, frequency, and exposure to health-risk behaviour content) and engagement in health-risk behaviours (PROSPERO: CRD42020179766). No geographical or language limits were applied, but only English-language studies were included, due to translation issues. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We used random-effects meta-analysis; potential effect modification was explored with meta-regression and stratified analyses. FindingsOf 13 142 hits, 84 studies (n=571 175 participants) were included (79% [66 studies] cross-sectional): 55% (46 studies) with high risk of bias, 20% (17 studies) moderate, and 25% (21 studies) low. The most commonly investigated exposure was frequency of social media use (43 studies). Binary exposure meta-analyses showed that frequent social media use (versus infrequent) was associated with increased tobacco use (OR 1·8, 95% CI 1·4–2·3; n=236 300; four studies), alcohol use (1·5, 1·4–1·6; n=208 318; six studies), drug use (1·2, 1·0–1·5; n=59 823; three studies), gambling (2·8, 2·0–4·0; n=26 537; five studies), sexual risk (1·7, 1·4–2·1; n=46 483; eight studies), anti-social behaviour (1·7, 1·4–2·0; n=53 539; four studies), and multiple risk behaviours (1·8, 1·3–2·4; n=43 571; two studies). Increased time (2·3, 1·6–3·4; n=10 831; three studies) and exposure to health-risk behaviour content (2·4, 1·3–4·7; n=14 731; five studies) was associated with increased harmful alcohol use. Heterogeneity varied across different outcomes (I2 16–98%). Sensitivity analyses showed that effect sizes were generally larger for cross-sectional studies than cohort studies. For alcohol use, anti-social, and sexual risk behaviours, effects were mostly larger in studies adjusted for pre-specified critical confounders (age, sex, and socioeconomic position) and those at low or moderate risk of bias, while for gambling and tobacco use, larger effects were found in unadjusted studies, and those with higher risk of bias. InterpretationSocial media use is adversely associated with unhealthy adolescent behaviours, with exposure to harmful content potentially linked to increased risk. However, more robust longitudinal studies are needed. Given increasing use of social media by adolescents and targeting of social media by unhealthy commodity industries, action to mitigate risks is needed. FundingMedical Research Council, Chief Scientist Office, NHS Research Scotland, and Wellcome Trust.

Correlates of Early Adolescents' Social Media Engagement: The Role of Pubertal Status and Social Goals.

Specific social media behaviors have been found to be differentially associated with adjustment outcomes; however, the extant research has yet to consider the motivations behind why adolescents engage in these specific behaviors. This study examined the role of two developmentally relevant motivational correlates (social goals and pubertal status) on four social media behaviors (self-disclosure, self-presentation, social monitoring, and lurking) and two time-based measures of social media use (daily number of hours on social media and frequency of social media use). Self-report data were collected from 426 middle-school students (54.2% female, 73.6% White, 11.5% Black, 4.8% Hispanic, 10.1% other ethnicity, and mean age = 12.91). Social goals and pubertal status were distinctly associated with different social media behaviors, with some relevant sex differences. Popularity goal was positively associated with all six measures of social media engagement, although the associations for self-presentation and social monitoring were stronger for girls. Sex differences in lurking followed the same pattern but did not reach significance. Acceptance goal was associated with fewer hours spent on social media for girls only. Early developers reported more self-disclosure and lurking behaviors, and marginally more social monitoring (girls only). These findings indicate the importance of identifying motivational factors, especially social goals, when considering early adolescents' social media behaviors.

Individual factors predicting reactions to online harassment among Finnish professionals

Online harassment and hate are personally and societally harmful phenomenona many social media users experience every day. Based on social psychological approach to online harassment and theories of coping behaviors, we investigated how professionals who use the Internet in their work react to online harassment. We collected survey data from Finnish university employees (N = 2492) and local politicians (N = 510). We used logistic regression modeling for the analysis. According to the results, frequent social media use was associated with active reactions to online harassment in both samples. Among politicians, concerns about becoming a future online harassment victim was consistently associated with both standing up against the attackers and recommending others to do so. Higher scores for anxiety and belonging to social media identity bubbles were found to predict recommendations for active reactions in both samples. Several further sample-specific factors were also identified. The results demonstrate that psychological and behavioral factors, as well as individual differences, play a meaningful role in reactions to online harassment among professionals. These influencing factors are necessary to understand the dynamics of online harassment situations and their aftermath, and as such need to be considered in prevention and intervention programs.

Impacts of social media Use on the Academic Performance of Students of Private Tertiary institutions in Ghana: The Valley View University Perspective

This paper examined the impacts of social media use on the academic performance of students of private tertiary institutions in Ghana using the Valley View University, Oyibi Campus, Accra, as a case study. A cross-sectional survey design method was adopted for the study. The population of the students was two thousand, one hundred and seventy – two (2,172). Instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. A total of 388 copies of a questionnaire were administered to the students based on probability sampling technique, 362 copies of the questionnaire were filled correctly and thus, were used for the analysis. The quantitative data obtained from the questionnaire were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). The findings revealed that entertainment and relaxation, posting pictures, and chatting with friends were students' motivators. It was found that the frequent use of social media had negatively affected the academic performance of some students. The study recommended to University management to motivate students to use the various social media platforms for academic activities rather than non-academic activities. The study also recommended that students should be advised to reduce the number of hours spent on the social media platforms.&#x0D; &#x0D; Citation: Ameyaw, S. (2021). Impacts of social media Use on the Academic Performance of Students of Private Tertiary institutions in Ghana: The Valley View University Perspective.&#x0D; International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.106-115.&#x0D; Received: January 13, 2021Accepted: September 1, 2021