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Influence Of Social Networking On The Academic Performance Of Caritas University Students
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While social network sites have implemented a wide variety of technical
features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an
articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system. Profiles
are unique pages where one can "type oneself into being" Sunder (2003,
p. 3). After joining a social network site, an individual is asked to
fill out forms containing a series of questions. The profile is
generated using the answers to these questions, which typically include
descriptors such as age, location, interests, and an "about me" section.
Most sites also encourage users to upload a profile photo. Some sites
allow users to enhance their profiles by adding multimedia content or
modifying their profile's look and feel. Others, such as Facebook, allow
users to add modules ("Applications") that enhance their profile.
After
joining a social network site, users are asked to identify others in
the system with which they have a relationship. Most social network
sites require bi-directional confirmation for Friendship, but some do
not. These one-directional ties are sometimes labelled as "Fans" or
"Followers," but many sites call these Friends as well. The term
"Friends" can be misleading, because the connection does not necessarily
mean friendship in the everyday vernacular sense, and the reasons
people connect are varied (Boyd, 2006).
These sites also provide a
mechanism for users to leave messages on their Friends' profiles. This
feature typically involves leaving "comments," although sites employ
various labels for this feature. In addition, social networks often have
a private messaging feature similar to webmail. While both private
messages and comments are popular on most of the major networking sites,
they are not universally available.
Beyond profiles, Friends,
comments, and private messaging, network sites vary greatly in their
features and user base. Some have photo-sharing or video-sharing
capabilities; others have built-in blogging and instant messaging
technology. There are mobile-specific social network sites (e.g.,
Dodgeball), but some web-based sites also support limited mobile
interactions (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, and Cyworld). Many networking
sites target people from specific geographical regions or linguistic
groups, although this does not always determine the site's consistency.
Orkut, for example, was launched in the United States with an
English-only interface, but Portuguese-speaking Brazilians quickly
became the dominant user group (Kopytoff, 2004). Some sites are designed
with specific ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, political, or
other identity-driven categories in mind. There are even sites for dogs
(Dogster) and cats (Catster), although their owners must manage their
profiles. This then brings to mind the fact that everyone needs to
interact both humans and animals alike.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The
introduction of information technology in Nigeria is a welcome
development. The use of internet for educational purposes is also of
immense benefit especially in the area of being globally relevant and
current. However, when it becomes a substitute for good means of social
interactions and academic study among young people, it should give cause
for concern.
Students nowadays spend the better part of their time
in school on information technology devices such as palmtops, iPods and
blackberry. On close enquiry, one usually finds out that they are social
networking with friends and rarely getting information on their various
school courses. Often times, information sought is subject to the use
of technological media especially for pleasure, to while away time and
to interrelate with friends and pals on Facebook, twitter e.t.c. The
question this research seeks to answer is; how has social networking
influenced students with regards to their academic performance?
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