INFLUENCE OF NEW MEDIA ON INFORMATION ACQUISITION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

INFLUENCE OF NEW MEDIA ON INFORMATION ACQUISITION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background of the study

There is growing concern about the potential effect of Internet use on students. Studies on Internet use and reading variables among students are not commonplace. The rapid growth of the Internet over the years has emerged as the foremost source of disseminating information quickly to a large audience, transcending the limitation of time and space. Basically, one could logically argue that the Internet offers two main benefits: Communication and Information. Information disseminated via the Internet has implications for how it is used in education. Since students are among the popular users of information from the Internet, the development of the Internet would be meaningless if it is not used appropriately in tertiary institutions. However, in spite of the benefits of the Internet for education and learning, there is a growing concern as to whether the increasing number of hours spent by students who surf the Internet, limits the amount of time and effort devoted to the actual reading and studying of the materials obtained from or outside the Internet. Communication is today more sophisticated and efficient with the advancement of technological support in the world. Pierce (1972) opines that communication is not the only essence of being human but also a vital property of life: Meanwhile, Fleming (2014) defines Communication as the act of conveying information for the purpose of creating a shared understanding. The word communication comes from the Latin word communis, meaning to share, and it includes verbal, non-verbal and electronic means of human interaction. Humans convey information through a variety of methods: speaking, telephones, email, blogs, Television, art, hand gestures, facial expressions, body language and even social contexts. Communication can occur instantaneously in closed, intimate settings or over great periods of time in large public forums, like the Internet. Now the student select information according to their interest and needs and believe in which they can contribute into content and share their opinions. Therefore, the technology convergence helped dying news sources and alive them again through news media like e-versions of newspapers, radio podcasts, online TV etc. Similarly the role of state fourth pillar is being undermined by new media. On this background the researcher wants to investigate the