THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON YOUTHS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Social media is a means of interaction among people in which they create, share and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Furthermore, social media depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms via which individuals and communities share, concrete, discuss and modify user-generated content.

 Today's society is faced with the continual growing problem of electronics and social media. What used to be considered precious treasure is now the cause of teenage obesity, lack of concentration, inadequate communication and above all a far less intellectual society. Cell phones, internet game, television all have taken over the youth in the society and corrupted them into unimaginative, unqualified, dull robots face book is merely a tool to drain the intelligence from teenagers until they are forced to speak in instant messaging jargon.  Social media integrates technologies, social interaction, and content creation to collaboratively connect on-line information. Through social media, people or group of people can create, organize, edit, comment on, combine, and share content, in the process of helping agencies to better achieve their mission goals.

 It is fair to say that human race have wholeheartedly embraced social media. Social media have changed the way we interact significantly, but it is possible that we are not taking enough time to step back and take stock of what is happening to us.

 As Ogbuoshi (2004) puts it that "1990s noticed the impact of the internet on day-to-day affairs and the creation now means for individuals to connect and communicate with one another and with data base worldwide and in the process, revolutionize our lives". In today's information age, the marriage of computer to contemporary media has facilitated sweeping changes to occur before the eyes of our youths and our traditional beliefs.