Social Media Utilization And Students’ Academic Performance
[A CASE STDUY OF ALIMOSHO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, LAGOS STATE]

2.2.2.7 Parental Involvement and Social Media
    Parent-child conflicts have also become more of an issue since the sudden escalation of online social networking (Greenfield and  Subrahmanyam, 2008). According to them, research has shown that students who have a strong sense of communication and closeness with one (or more) parent or guardian have a better chance at academic success. With adolescents hooked on the internet and other forms of technology and their language changing with new acronyms and code words that can only be learned through this technology, the gap between parents and children has gotten larger. Many parents do not understand their children, and cannot find a way to relate to their virtual worlds. This, in turn, causes distress in the household and may ultimately lead to a barrier between parent, child, and communication about school work and grades (Greenfield and Subrahmanyam, 2008).
2.2.2.8 Benefits of Social Networking
    Social media has transformed the world of communication as information exchange now takes a second. Though many arguments can be made about the possible risks of adolescent social networking, it is important to point out the benefits of these websites as well. Many schools have started to use these sites to promote education, relationship among students, keep students up to date with assignments, and offer help to those in need  (Boyd, 2007).  According to him, in general, the internet and social networking sites can be a positive influence on adolescents. Social networking sites provide an outlet for teens to express themselves in their own unique ways. In addition, SNSs serve both as a meeting place for teens to interact with other like-minded people and as showplaces for a teen’s artistic and musical abilities (Boyd, 2007). Finally, high school students use these sites as tools to obtain information and resources for graduation preparation and future planning. For example, students applying for college visit profiles of that college’s students to view pictures and read blogs of past students to determine whether the college would be a good fit (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).  Contrary to the period when students rush or queue at the library to use a particular textbook to source for information because the textbooks could not go round, students irrespective of their number can now access, source and share information at the same time through the social media to enhance study.
    Social media, as a computer mediated tool that allows people or company to create, share, exchange information, career interest, ideas, pictures, video via a network, has created a lot of opportunities for students and bridge the gap of communication. At least, students would be using two or more of Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Black berry messenger, Whatspps, Google plus, Skype, 2go and a host of others to meet their yearnings for information, relationship, friendship and other benefits. In the olden days, people went out to Post Office to send letters and had to wait for many days after before receiving reply. But today, the reverse is the case as people go online to chat, send messages with pictures, audio and videos etc, and get reply instantly with the power of social media.
2.3 Students’ addictiveness to social media
    On the internet, students engage in a variety of activities some of which may be potentially addictive (Kuss and Griffiths, 2011). The mass appeal of social media on the internet could be a cause for concern, particularly when attending to the gradually increasing amount of time students spend online. Students spend more time on Whatsapp, BB chat, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites through smartphones. Many students cannot go for two-three hours without checking and updating their profiles on these social networks even at the detriment of other activities such as educational and career pursuit. Morahan- Martin and Schumacher (2000) explain social media addiction as the excessive use of the internet and the failure to control this usage which seriously harms a person’s life. In an article on the Daily Trust newspaper, Itodo (2011) quoted in Oshavire (2015), the writer posits that there seem to be an alarming rate of social networking obsession among students today; a trend that could affect their academic, social and spiritual lives negatively if not properly controlled. Many concerned parents have expressed grave concern that they could hardly get the attention of their children and wards, as they seem to have been carried away by the fascinating world of social networks. Some youths are such social freaks that they have now carved out for themselves a world of fantasy and illusion for detached from reality.
    It has been observed that if the dangerous trend of social media network ‘obsession’ is left unchecked; it could further affect an already collapsing education system in Nigeria. The reason students are performing poorly in school these days might not be farfetched. While poor quality of teachers can quickly take the blame, one might think harder if the phrase “Facebook frenzy” has not been heard of. It is a common sight to see a youth chatting in sensitive and highly organized places like church, mosque, classrooms and lecture venues. Some are so carried away that even as they are walking along the high way, they keep chatting. Attention has been shifted from visible to invisible friends, while important ventures like study and writing are affected in the process. This phenomenon has become a source of worry to many who believe in knowledge and skill acquisition (McQuail 2008). According to Jeong (2005) internet addiction is significantly and negatively related to students’ academic performance, as well as emotional attributes.