See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/360630785

STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF INSTAGRAM'S INFLUENCE ON CELEBRITY

MARRIAGES: A STUDY OF YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

Research · January 2022

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25647.41124

CITATIONS READS

0 104

1 author:

Gbemisola Odejide
University of Lagos
1 PUBLICATION   0 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Gbemisola Odejide on 16 May 2022.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF INSTAGRAM’S INFLUENCE ON CELEBRITY
MARRIAGES: A STUDY OF YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

BY

GBEMISOLA SIMBIAT ODEJIDE

160902109

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MASS

COMMUNICATION,UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS.

OCTOBER ,2021.

1
CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

The advent of internet has brought different ways to communicate; one of the methods of
communication that has been developed is Social media. Social media provides a platform that
allows computer mediated communication that spans across time and space boundaries,
connecting people from around the globe (Hogan, 2010); social media has changed the way we
meet and interact with each other, thereby enhancing communication.

The social phenomenon known as public perception is the difference between an absolute truth
based on facts and a virtual truth shaped by public opinion, media coverage or reputation
(Adamu, 2016). Public perception is not necessarily accurate or based on something other than
the truth. The public at large can often receive enough information on social media to form a
general opinion about a public figure without relying on unfounded rumor as suggested by
Adamu (2016).

Social media has been defined by numerous scholars, authors, and researchers. The 15th edition
of Merriam Webster dictionary defines social media as ‘’websites for social networking and
micro blogging through which users create online communities to share information and ideas,
personal messages and other content’’. Social media websites refer to web-based services that
allow individuals to construct a public profile within a bounded system; these sites include
Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp. According to Kaplan and
Haenlein (2010) ‘’social media is a group of internet-based applications that build on ideological
and technological foundations, that allows the creation and exchange of user generated content’’.
Chen Xu and Whinston (2011) proposed that with the rise of social media and online
communities, individuals can easily share and access information. Rian Solis (2017) describes
social media ‘’as a shift in how people discover, read and share information, news and content’’.

Social media as a term combines the new media technology and method to which people can
share content, opinion, exchange ideas and insight into world issues and generally discuss the
evolution of media itself. According to Amobi (2014), ‘’social media are internet based highly

2
interactive platforms or channel using universally accessible techniques for the exchanging and
sharing of information and other forms of social interactions which users use to generate
content’’. According to Lauren Santos (2018), technology as well as social media is pulling away
the normal social interaction because people think that they are getting social interaction by just
scrolling through people’s without having interpersonal communication with the people on social
media.

The advent of social media has brought several advantages into the society as well as changing
the way people live, interact and work. Regardless of the numerous advantages of social media,
such as the improvement of communication and the provision of relevant information for
academic research and work. It also has its cons or disadvantages, which ranges from
dissemination of fake news to it being used for dubious businesses. We all know that the use of
social media has left a major significant in our society at large from starting revolutions to
triggering riots. But most importantly, social media helps in keeping in touch with family and
friends who are far away from us.

Of the entire numerous social networking sites, for the purpose of this study: STUDENTS’
PERCEPTION OF INSTAGRAM’S INFLUENCE ON CELEBRITY MARRIAGES: A
STUDY OF YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS, I would be focusing on
INSTAGRAM. Instagram is an American photo and video-sharing social networking service
owned by Facebook incorporation. It was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and it
was launched on the 6th of October 2010(www.wikipedia.org). It is a mobile application for
Smartphone which is available in the Application Store (App Store) and Google Play (Bergstrom
& Backman, 2013). According to Stec (2015), Instagram is a photo-sharing mobile application
that allows users to take pictures, apply filters to them and share them on the platform itself. Per
the company website, Instagram has over 400 million active monthly users who shared over 40
billion pictures, with an average of 3.5 billion daily likes for 80 million photos shared daily on
the site (Instagram 2016). Instagram reaches the younger generation and appeals to diverse
societies more prevailingly than other social networking sites (Abbot et al 2013: Salmon, 2013).
It has been reported that youngsters today spend more time on Instagram than any other social
networking site, thus making them the largest group of Instagram users (Duggan et al 2015).

In discussing the influence of Instagram on celebrity’s marriage, it is important to state that the
use of Instagram generally by celebrity couples has a massive impact in their lives. Most times,

3
celebrity couples do not have time for interpersonal communication and intimacy due to the
distractions they get from their followers or fans on Instagram. A result of this is that a
considerable number are lured into extramarital affairs due to the Lack of attention, intimacy and
show of love by their spouses, which could cause an absence of communication. The absence of
communication in a marriage could strain the relationship between the couple (William Appiah
& Dorothy Appiah); this is an irony considering that the use of Instagram is supposed to enhance
communication. While there are no official statistics on how Instagram is affecting marriages in
Nigeria, there have been many stories of love gone sour arising from social media influences. A
recent celebrity marriage crisis between the actor Gbenro Ajibade and his wife, Osas Ighodaro.
Gbenro Ajibade took to his Instagram page on February 17, 2019, where he slammed his spouse
Osas Ighodaro for leaving their daughter in the hands of strangers, to attend a party with friends
(www.pulse.ng), This may be one of the reasons a Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
advised singer Bankole Wellington and his wife to stay off social media to avoid controversy.
(an article written by ‘Jayne Augoye of premium times, November 21,2017’).

A statement credited to Gaskins Jnr (2017) who is a motivational speaker, self-help author and
life coach says; “talk to your partner and stop letting inboxes, likes and retweets ruin what you
are trying to build.’’ This statement is particularly true because nowadays people put too many
thoughts into which picture of their spouses should be posted on various social media platforms
rather than putting in more efforts to better their relationship. It is easy for married celebrity
couples to get lost in the sea of likes, retweets, and other feelings of accomplishment –making
people believe that they are endlessly happy in their relationship. Celebrities couples try as much
as possible to please their fans beyond imaginations, as well as being a good role model to their
followers and fans, as this is good for business. Failure to do these things can lead to loss of
endorsements, where fans no longer consider them as role models. Therefore, it is vital for this
study to evaluate the influence of social media (Instagram) on celebrity marriages.

Statement of the Problem

Despite the numerous benefits of Instagram, it still has its setbacks especially on MARRIAGES.
Instagram comments is believed to be an instigator of marriage dissolution due to the number of
dissolved marriages, especially celebrity’s marriages. Celebrity’s couples no longer have

4
meaningful communication with their spouses, rather they spend time with their phones viewing
the comments from their followers on their posts and the number of followers they have. They
are so focused on having a good reputation in the public arena and gaining more followers than
spending quality time with their spouses. Although no concrete evidence has been made
available to ascertain Instagram as a hindrance for celebrities’ couples to show affection and
spent quality time with one another.

Past research done by various scholars speaks of the influence of social media on marriages, that
of Saleh &mukhtar (2015) who researched on social media and divorce case study of Dutse LGA,
Jigawa state’ ’shows that social media could lead to infidelity and possibly divorce.

The ways celebrities choose to show their relationship through social media (Instagram) will
most likely be used by others in the future. Most times, fans get themselves involved in the
marital issues of the celebrities by making comments that could worsen the situation with the
intention of defending their favorite celebrity. Hence, this research work will examine how
Instagram influences celebrity marriages and the perception of yabatech students of it.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are:

1. To examine the level of Instagram usage amongst Yaba-tech students.

2. To examine the frequency of Yaba-tech students’ exposure to celebrity marriages on
Instagram.
3. To examine Yaba-tech students’ perception of Instagram portrayal on celebrity marriages.
4. To examine Yaba-tech students’ perception of Instagram influence on celebrity marriages.

Research questions

In view of these objectives, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of Instagram usage amongst Yaba-tech students

2. To what frequency are the Yaba-tech students exposed to celebrity marriages on
Instagram.
3. What is the perception of Yaba-tech students on Instagram’s portrayal of celebrity
marriages?

5
 4. What is the perception of Yaba-tech students’ on Instagram influence on celebrity
marriages?

Significance of the study

The significance of this study was to help indicate the influence of Instagram on the marriages of
highly visible members of the society in Nigeria (celebrities) and the perception of yabatech
students on it. This study exposes the undue pressure of perfection that is placed on celebrity
couples. Also, this study will advance the frontier of knowledge in the field of mass
communication and serve as a reference material for future purposes when conducting similar
study.

Scope of the study

The scope of this research is to evaluate the influence of Instagram as it relates to Nigerian
celebrity marriages. This study will help find out the influence Instagram has on celebrity’
marriages and students of yabatech perception about it. The study will be limited to Nigerian
celebrities and Instagram, as the latter is believed to be a frontier instigator of marriage
dissolution especially celebrity marriages.

6
Operational Definition of Terms

There are some terms used in this project to give a detailed explanation and better understanding
of this study. They include the following:

Perception: The ability to see, hear or become aware of something or the way in which
something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.

Influence: This means the power to change or affect someone or something. It can alos be seen
as the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen.

Instagram : This is a free,online photo-sharing application and social network platform .

Celebrity: This is someone who is famous,especially in areas of entertainment such as

films,music,writing or sport.

Marriage: This is the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a
personal relationship.

7
REFERENCES

Abbot et al., 2013; Salomon, (2013). Beliefs about the use of Instagram: An Exploratory study

Adamu, L. S. (2016a). The media’s role in quelling violent conflict among youths as foot
soldiers: A content analysis of news report on Boko Haram suicide bombers and Civilian Joint
Task Force-CJTF. International journal of Innovative Research and Development, 5(1): 79-82.

Adamu, L.S. (2016b). Causes of conflicts in the Southern Zone of Plateau State. The Journal of
Media &Communication, Faculty of Communication Technology, Cross River State University
of Technology. Calabar, Cross River State,4.

Amobi, (2014). Assessment of online video preferences of University students in Lagos state.

Bergstrom & Backman, (2013). Beliefs about the use of Instagram: An Exploratory study.

Chen, J., Xu, H., & Whinston, A. B. (2011). Moderated online communities and quality of user-
generated content. Journal of Management Information Systems, 28(2), 237-268.

Duggan et al, (2015). A Tale of Four Platforms: Motivations and Uses of Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and Snapchat among college students.

Gaskins, T. (2017). Make it work: 22 time-tested, real-life lessons for sustaining a healthy, happy
relationship.

Hogan, (2010). The Presentation of Self in the Age of Social media: Distinguishing
Performances and Exhibitions Online.

Kaplan and Haenlein (2010). Users of the World, Unite! The challenges and opportunities of
Social media.

Saleh M. and Mukhtar J. I., (2015). Social media and Divorce case study of dutse L.G.A. Jigawa
state. IOSR Journal of Humanities and social science. Vol 20, issue 5, Ver. II

Stec, (2015): A Tale of Four Platforms: Motivations and Uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and Snapchat among college students.

8
www.wikipedia.org : History of Instagram.

William & Dorothy (2017). Social media new menace to meaningful relationships: “how to
manage the distractions and effect of social media on relationships”.

9
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

 Instagram

Instagram is a social website that everyone knows. Even the most remote areas of the world have
at least heard of it and are probably using it daily. It is a free, online photo-sharing and social
platform that allows users to edit and upload photos and videos through a mobile app. It is a
website that does not only give you information but interacts with you while giving you
information. Instagram is an American photo and video-sharing social networking service owned
by Facebook incorporation.

Instagram was first introduced to the internet world of social media back in October,2010 and
since then its growth has been phenomenal .it was not long ago when most people were unaware
of this social media site. Now, millions of people flock to Instagram every day to make a
connection with others using visual communication. Users can share their lives with others using
videos and photos. It is a media sharing platform that is completely unique when compared with
the other social platforms. A user snaps a photo, and the image can be customized using a filter
to make the photo look amazingly professional and artistic.

Instagram is a word derived from a combination of term “instant camera” and the word
“telegram”. It quickly grew from 1 million users in 2010 to 10 million users the next year. As the
momentum grew, Facebook took notice and purchased the Instagram app for $1 billion in April
2012. After Facebook acquired Instagram, the number of users and photos on the site
skyrocketed. Following the purchase, the number of monthly users went up to 80 million and by
the start of 2014 there were almost 150 million Instagram monthly users.

According to Systrom (2010), Instagram started to develop when Kevin Systrom and Mike
Krieger decided to focus on the HTML5 check-in application named Burbn, which allows the
function of location check-in, earn points upon meeting friends and post photos. However, they

10
decided to focus on the application’s photo function after some confusion on the application and
soon they renamed Burbn to Instagram.

In 2013, it was estimated that Instagram had 100 million users and approximately 4 billion
photos were uploaded and displayed (Abbott et al., 2013). In 2014, it was reported that around
75million people were using Instagram daily and approximately 16 billion photos were uploaded
and shared with other users (Smith, 2014). As of 2018, Instagram reported more than 1 billion
monthly active users worldwide, reporting daily active users at 500 million (Statista, number of
Monthly Active, 2018). This brings the possibility of achieving Instafame, the condition of
having a relatively large number of followers on the app.

In 2014, Instagram was the fastest growing platform for social interactions on the internet with
150 million users heading to the site every month. Now, Instagram boasts 800 million active
users and 500 million active daily users. It can be said without hesitation that this social
networking platform has far exceeded any expectations that we may have had for it at the very
beginning (www.candybitsocial.com)

Instagram is dedicated to the mobile experience and part of its growth was fueled by the rapid
adoption of smartphones with high-functioning cameras. Although it now provides a web site
where users can view posts, images still cannot be posted from a web interface without a
workaround.

Instagram reaches the younger generation and appeals to diverse societies more prevailingly than
other social networking sites (Abbot et al., 2013: Salmon, 2013). It has been reported that
youngsters today spend more time on Instagram than any other social networking site, thus
making them the largest group of Instagram users (Duggan et al 2015). Many have concluded
that Facebook is losing its “youth appeal” and the popularity of Instagram has recently surpassed
the popular SNS Twitter with 300 million users monthly.

What sets Instagram from other social networking sites is the way it is characterized by its photo-
sharing and enhanced photo-editing features allowing users to share high quality images and
videos with the use of filters and hash tags (Sheldon et al, 2017).

It is also worth noting that former president of America, Barrack Obama mentioned Instagram in
his 2015 State of the Union Address, to which he wished astronaut Scott Kelly good luck in his

11
upcoming mission to space and said “make sure to Instagram it” to the entire nation (as cited in
Kremer,2015, para. 8; Payne,2015).

Lup, Trub and Rosenthal (2015) found that Instagram posts tend to be positively biased, as users
engage in positive forms of self-presentation and select positive aspects of their lives to display.
While the literature remains sparse, Lup et al. (2015) posit that Instagram posts are generally
more positively biased than Facebook posts. This is likely the result of photo editing and
enhancing features that create a culture of polishing and perfecting among users.

In February 2017, Instagram announced that users would be able to upload up to ten pictures or
videos to one post, with the content appearing as a swipe-able carousel. The feature originally
limited photos to the square format but received an update in August to enable portrait and
landscape photos instead. In May, Instagram updated its mobile website to allow users to upload
photos and to add a “lightweight” version of the Explore tab. Later in May, Instagram added an
“Archive” feature letting users hide posts in a private storage area, out of visibility for the public
and other users, this move was seen as a way to prevent users from deleting photos that don’t get
a desired number of “likes” or are deemed boring. In April 2018, Instagram launched its version
of a portrait mode called “focus mode” Which gently blurs the background of a photo or video
while keeping the subject in focus when selected.

Features

Explore

In June 2012, Instagram introduced “Explore”, a tab inside the app that displays popular photos,
photos taken at nearly locations and search. The tab was updated in June 2015 to feature trending
tags, places, curated content, and the ability to search for locations. In April 2016, Instagram
added a “Videos You Might Like” channel to the tab, followed by an “Events” channel in
August; featuring videos from concerts, sports games and other live events followed by the
addition of Instagram stories. This was followed by the addition of Instagram stories in October.

In November 2016, the tab was expanded after Instagram live launched to display an
algorithmically curated page of the “best” Instagram live videos currently airing. In May 2017,

12
Instagram once again updated the Explore tab to promote public stories content from nearby
place.

Video

Initially a purely photo-sharing service, Instagram incorporated 15-second video sharing in June
2013. The addition was seen by some in technology media as Facebook’s attempt at competing
with the then popular video sharing application Vine. In August 2015, Instagram added support
for widescreen videos. In March 2016, Instagram increased the 15-second video limit to 60
seconds. Albums were introduced in February 2017, which allows up to 10 minutes of video to
be shared in one post.

IGTV

IGTV (Instagram TV) a vertical video application launched by Instagram in June 2018. IGTV is
an app within Instagram that gives users the ability to share videos that are up to an hour long.
IGTV allows uploads of up to 10 minutes in length with a file size of up to 650 MB, with
verified and popular users allowed to upload videos of 60 minutes in length with a file size up to
5.4 GB. The app automatically begins playing videos as soon as it is launched.

Reels

Reels are 15-second multi-clip videos that show up as a part of your feed or shared as a story.it
was launched on the 5th of August,2020. In contrast to Instagram stories, reels are multi-clip,
meaning you can cut and shoot and transition to different scenes all in one video, instead of it
being chopped up into a series of separate videos, like an Instagram story.

Instagram Direct

13
In December 2013, Instagram announced Instagram Direct, a feature that lets users interact
through private messaging. Users who follow each other can send private messages with photos
and videos, in contrast to the public-only requirement that was previously in place. When users
receive a private message from someone they do not follow, the message is marked as pending
and the user must accept to see it. Users can send a photo to a maximum of 15 people. The
feature received a major update in September 2015, adding conversation threading and making it
possible for users to share locations, hash tag pages and profiles through private messages with
text, emoji or by clicking on a heart icon. A camera inside Direct lets users take a photo and send
it to the recipient, with the sender receiving a notification if the recipient takes a screenshot.

In April 2017, Instagram redesigned Direct to combine all private messages, both permanent and
ephemeral, into the same message threads. In May 2017, Instagram made it possible to send
website links in messages and added support for sending photos in their original portrait or
landscape orientation without cropping.

Instagram stories

In August 2016, Instagram launched Instagram stories, a feature that allows users to take photos
and add effects and layers and add them to their Instagram story. Images uploaded to a user’s
story expire after 24 hours. The media noted the feature’s similarities to snapchat. In November
2016, Instagram added live video functionality to Instagram stories, allowing users to broadcast
themselves live, with the video disappearing immediately after ending.

In January 2017, Instagram launched skippable ads, where five-second photo and 15-second
video ads appear-in-between different stories. In April 2017, Instagram stories incorporated
augmented reality stickers, “clone” of snapchat’s functionality. In May 2017, Instagram
expanded the augmented reality sticker feature to support face filters, letting users add specific
visual features on their faces. Later in May, TechCrunch reported about tests of a Location
Stories feature in Instagram stories, where public stories content at a certain location are
compiled and displayed on a business, landmark, or places Instagram page. A few days later,
Instagram announced “Story Search”, in which users can search for geographic locations or
hashtags and the app displays relevant public stories content featuring the search term.

14
In June 2017, Instagram revised its live-video functionality to allow users to add their live
broadcast to their story for availability in the next 24 hours or discard the broadcast immediately.
In July, Instagram started allowing users to respond to stories content by sending photos and
videos, complete with Instagram effects such as filters, stickers, and hashtags. Stories were made
available for viewing on Instagram’s mobile and desktop websites in late August 2017.

In response to criticism that it copied functionality from Snapchat, CEO Kevin Systrom told
Recode that “Day one: Instagram was a combination of Hipstamatic, Twitter and some stuff from
Facebook like the Like button. You can trace the roots of every feature anyone has in their app,
somewhere in the history of technology”. Although Systrom acknowledged the criticism as
“fair”, Recode wrote that he likened the two social apps common features to the auto
industry: Multiple cars companies can coexist, with enough differences among them that
they serve different consumer audiences. Systrom further stated that “when we adopted
(stories),we decided that one of the really annoying things about the format is that it just kept
going and you couldn’t pause it to look at something,you couldn’t rewind. We did all that, we
implemented that”. He also told the publication that Snapchat didn’t have filters originally. They
adopted filters because Instagram had filters and a lot of others were trying to adopt filters as
well.

Stand-Alone Apps

Instagram has developed and released three stand-alone apps with specialized functionality. In
July 2014, it released Bolt, a messaging app where users can click on a friend’s profile photo to
quickly send an image,with the content disappearing after being seen. It was followed by the
release of Hyperlapse in August, a then IOS-Exclusive app that uses “clever algorithm
processing” to create tracking shots and fast time-lapse videos. Hyperlapse launched on Android
and Windows in May 2015. In October 2015, it released Boomerang, a video app that combines
photo into short,one-second videos that play back-and-forth in a loop.

Virtual Models

15
Multiple instagram models are virtual such as Lil Miquela, a CGI model created by the Los
Angeles startup Brud. Lil Miquela as an “influencer” , promoting clothing and beauty products.
Brud has not clarified if these posts are sponsored. The CGI model “Shudu” is another example
of the virtual model phenomenon.

User Engagement

Ongoing research continues to explore how media content on the platform affects user
engagement. Past research has found that media which show people’s faces receive more ‘likes’
and comments and that using filters that increase warmth,exposure and contrast also boosts
enagagement. Users are more likely to engage with images that depict fewer individuals
compared to groups and also are more likely to engage with content that has not been
watermarked, as they view this content as less original and reliable compared to user-generated
content.

Trends

Users on instagram have created “trends” through hashtags ,which are specific keywords
combined with a hash symbol that lets them share content with other instagram users .The trends
are deemed the most popular on the platform and it often highlights a specific day of the week to
post the material on. Examples of popular trends include: #SelfieSunday,in which users post a
photo of their faces on Sundays, #MotivationMonday, in which users post motivational photos
on Monday ,#TransformationalTuesday, in which users post highlighting differences from the
past to the present; #WomanCrushWednesday, in which users post photos of women they have a
romantic interest in or view favorably ,as well as its #ManCrushMonday counterpart centered on
men and #ThrowbackThursday,in which users post a photo from their past,highlighting a
particular moment. In December 2017, The Verge reported that instagram would let users press
“Follow” on a hashtag,thereby having relevant highlights of the topic in their feeds.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16
A crucial addition to this is that recent research has shown in Nigeria that instagram is the worst
social network for our mental health and yet we just cant stay away. Even casual users can while
away hours each day down a rabbit hole of idyllic sunsets,cherubic children and flawless plates
of #AvoToast without recognising the impact on their mental health until its too late.

The pressure to present the perfect life online is real and it is getting us down; according to
mental health start-up, 62% of people feel inadequate when they compare their lives to others’
online.

 Marriage

Marriage is the approved social pattern where two or more persons establish a family (Shinwari
2011). He further stated that marriage involves not only the right to conceive and bear children
but also a host of other obligation and privileges affecting many people. The real meaning of
marriage is the acceptance of a new status,with a new set of privileges and obligations and the
recognition of this new status by others. A legal marriage legitimizes a social status and creates a
set of legally recognized rights and duties(Shinwari 2011).

Marriage is one of the oldest socially recognized institution and essential for the procreation of
children and satisfaction of sexual urges. In different societies,there are different methods of
marriage. Some of the societies allow a male to marry only a single female, whereas in other
societies a husband is allowed to have more than one wife. Similarly,some societies will not
allow a woman to have more than one husband whereas other societies will not mind a woman
having more than one husband. In other cases,the parent arranges the marriage whereas in others
the boys and girls arrange their marriage. Shinwari(2011).

The term Marriage has been defined by many scholars. According to Stritof (2018),marriage is
a formal union as well as a social and legal contract between two individuals that unites their
lives legally,economically and emotionally. He further reiterates that the contractual marriage
agreement usually implies that the couple has legal obligations to each other throughout their
lives or until they decide to divorce. Another definition of marriage was defined in Merriam
Webster dictionary and it defines marriage as the state of being united to a person of the opposite

17
sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. Russel
(1959) also gave a definition of marriage ,he says that marriage differs from other sex relations
by the fact that it is a legal institution. He reiterated also that marriage is also in most
communities a religious institution, but it is the legal aspect which is essential. Marriage can be
defined in many fields according to a study conducted by Dr. N.A Wimalasena; a senior lecturer
of the department of history ,University of Peradeniya,Sri Lanka. They are:

Economic Definition of Marriage

The economic definition of marriage is defined as a family consisting of husband ,wife and
children in a society. Dr N.A. Wimalasena further stated that marriage is patrilocal in most part
of society, meaning that the bride always moves to live with her husband and not the other way
round. He further stated that the family’s functions are based on division of labour on the basis of
sex: the husband performs all the task outside the home and fulfills his economic obligations; the
wife on the other hand bears children,brings them up and performs other house-hold duties of
daily routine. According to H.M. Stone and Abraham Stone (1939), economic fitness still
constitutes a very important social factor in marriage,that is why in the modern set-up much
stress is being laid on the economic value of the girl; and with this the ethical and ideological
norms of society are losing their importance.

Social Definition of Marriage

Bertrand Russel summarized contemporary trends in the institution of marriage by stating the
conditions that must be fulfilled for a civilized man and woman to be happy in their marriage. He
mentioned the filling of equality on both sides; the absence of interfering into the private matters
of your spouse with the presence of mutual freedom; the presence of complete physical and
mental intimacy; also,the presence of similarity in regards to standards of values. After stating
the conditions, he concluded by saying that he believes marriage to be the best and the most
important relationship that can exist between two human beings. Russel (1959), also reiterated
that marriage is not always as chiefly as expected ,because husbands and wives have regarded
themselves as each other’s policeman.

18
Brown and Forde described marriage in their book “African Systems of Kinship and Marriage”
as an essential rearrangement of social structure. What is meant by “social structure” is any
arrangement of person in an institutionalized relationship. Brown and Forde (1950) spoke about
marriage as a rearrangement of structure that are constantly recurring in any society; they are
moments of the continuing social process regulated by custom; there are institutionalized ways
of dealing with such event.

E.O. James also gave his opinion on marriage by stating that marriage is essentially a social
transaction affecting the relatives of both the bride and the bridegroom; it involves some
compensation to the family which is losing one of its members. This may take the form of an
exchange of gifts by their respective parents for each other, or the exchange of sisters or of some
female relatives, by the young men themselves(James, 1952). He added by saying that marriage
is a basic institution in human society of universal occurrence because no other union of men and
women meets all the requirements of mating,home-making, love and personality at the human
level of biological ,psychological,social ,ethical and spiritual evolution.

According to Sing (1978), marriage is the foundation of social existence. Further saying that
marriage conveys the sense of the relationship and that marriage is something more serious than
the pleasure of two or more people in each other’s company,rather it is an institution that assures
the multiplication of the race and forms a vital part of the intimate texture of society. It is an
adjustment between the biological purposes of nature and the sociological designs of man (Sing,
1978).

We all know that marriage is one of the universal social institutions established and nourished by
human society and it is closely connected to the institution of family. According to Gillin and
Gillin (2002) , “marriage is a socially approved way of establishing a family of procreation”.
According to Malinowski (2005), marriage is a contract for the production and maintenance of
children. The main types of marriages were citied in a sociology guide and they are:

 Polygyny

This is a form of marriage in which one man marries more than one woman at a given time. This
is more popular than polyandry but not as universal as monogamy. It was a common practice in
ancient civilization. Currently, it may be present in primitive tribes like Crow Indians, Baigas
and Gonds of India. Polygyny is of two types:

19
  Sororal polygyny
It is a type of mariage in which the wives are invariably sisters. It is often called
sororate. The latin word “Soror” stands for sister. When several sisters are
simultaneously or potentially the spouses of the same man, the practice is called sororate.
It is usually observed in those tribes that pay a high bride price.

 Non sororal polygyny

It is a type of marriage in which the wives are not related as the sisters.

 Polyandry

This is the marriage of one woman with several men. It is practised among the Bahama of Africa
and tribes of Samoa. Polyandry is of two types and they are:

-Fraternity polyandry
Here several brothers share the same wife, the practice can be called fraternal polyandry.
This practice of being a mate, actual or potential to one’s husband’s brothers is called
levirate. It is prevalent among the Todas in india.

-Non fraternity polyandry

In this type of polyandry marriage, the husbands need not have any close relationship
prior to the marriage. The wife goes to spend sometime with each husband, as long as a
woman lives with one of her husbands ,the others have no claim over her. Polyandry has
its own implications. It gives rise to the problem of determining biological paternity of
the child.

 Monogamy
This is a form of marrIage in which one man marries one woman. Monogamy seems to
be the earliest form of marriage. It is the most common form of marriage found among
the societies around the world. According to westermack (2003), monogamy is as old as
humanity. This form of marriage is universally practised to provide marital opportunity
and satisfaction to all the individuals. It promotes love and affection between the
husband and wife. It contributes to family peace,solidarity and happiness.

20
 A monogamous marriage is stable and long-lasting. It is free from conflicts that are
commonly found in polyandrous and polygamous families. It gives greater attention to
the socialization of the children as well as recognising women as an integral component
of the family.

Functions of Marriage

a) Procreation of children: with the help of marriage,children are being given birth to and
at the same time,the couples are fulfilling the commandment made by God.
b) Sex regulation : Marriage helps to regulate sex in the sense that individuals are meant to
have sex with only their partners, thereby reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted
diseases.
c) Children socialization : Marriage makes room for children to become aware of their
environment ,as well as socializing them and making them develop mentally.
d) Increases manpower : with marriage, children are being born, thereby increasing man
power of the society which could boost the economy of the society.

An Ideal Celebrity

A celebrity is a famous person. It is also a state of being well known as defined in Oxford
Dictionary. The term “celebrity” in its modern meanings began to be used in the nineteenth
century, but the study of the phenomenon began in earnest with rise of mass-produced culture,
and in particular the elaboration of an industrialized hollywood film “star system” in the early
decades of the twentieth century. Celebrity refers to the fame and public attention accorded by
the mass media to individuals or groups (Wikipedia). According to industry news (April 2,
2009) , a celebrity is a person who is in limelight.

The word celebrity is gotten from the latin word “celebritas” from the adjective “celeber” which
means famous or celebrated. Shackleford (2018) an ex-social worker, also gave his own
definition of celebrity,he says that a celebrity is a famous person that got his or her fame from
the accomplishment made by them or may be just famous for being famous ,like the Kardashians.
21
Brenda Rae Pike (2016), says that a celebrity is anyone who is well known publicly and is in the
arts of television, stage and music in the public eye and known to be unique in talents. Garber
(2017) , gave the notion that celebrities can be referred to as stars, because of how they inspire
the rest of us and the fact that they shine larger than life above us and around us. She further
stated that celebrities are referred to as stars because the audience want them and in some sense
need them to be.

According to “Boorstin” as citied in Neal Gabler’s book titled “Toward a new definition of
celebrity” (2001) , a celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knowness. Boorstin further
stated that a celebrity is the human pseudo-event who has been manufactured for us but who has
no substantiality. A celebrity must be known by many or he becomes no celebrity,which is why
publicity is a prerequisite (Gabler, 2011). A celebrity is also a person whose name could grab
people’s attention, arouse public interest and generate profit from the public.

According to Multiple Choice Cloze (2015), a celebrity is a person who is easily recognized by
people in a certain region or country and who usually gets a lot of media attention and are often
social people. Many become celebrities because of their profession, after appearing in the media
or simply by chance. They further added that celebrities have led to the rise of gossip magazines
and TV shows and provide work for journalists and paparazzi. Movie stars, Television actors and
actresses, high ranking politicians, successful business people, supermodels, athletes as well as
the pastors in churches can be referred to as celebrities (Multiple Choice Cloze, 2015). They
further reiterated that some people have become known because of their online activities and are
therefore regarded as internet celebrities. Based on the fact that celebrities live a life that is
different from that of normal people, the public places so much interest in their private lives,
which in most cases are against the will of the celebrities.

Celebrities are being watched by different media houses to follow their every move. Celebrities
in most cases are shown as glowing example of success and perfection, or as bad and immoral if
they are involved in scandals. Celebrities also get funds through other means like writing of
books, creating fashion brands and perfumes which can help sustain them in the entertainment
industry. Celebrities are made in different ways,there are reality shows that helps establish new
stars for example: ‘Survivor’ and ‘Big Brother’-these shows brings people either young or old to
limelight.

22
Chris Rojek (2010), a professor of sociology at the school of Arts and Social Sciences ,
University of london , delineated three types of celebrities,they are: ASCRIBED , ACHIEVED
and ATTRIBUTED. He said the ASCRIBED CELEBRITIES are those who are famous
because of their lineage. It includes royalty, socialites with long background of affluent relative
and children whose parents were also celebrities. The ACHIEVED CELEBRITIES are those
who became famous because of their talent and skill in that particular field. They are generally
actors,actresses,musical artistes and sports stars. The last but not the least are ATTRIBUTED
CELEBRITIES, they are those who become famous by attracting a lot of media attention or by
being associated with multiple celebrities.

Celebrities are being involved in different scandals be it truthful or false, they are the public
figure of the society; so any news that they are involved in makes the headline in different media
magazines or blogs not withstanding if such scandals can tarnish their(celebrities) image. There
are various scandals that celebrities can get involved in most especially when it comes to their
marital issues. Married celebrities are being exposed to scandalous statement made by owners of
media platforms, especially when they bring their private life on instagram. Instagram has been
used by individuals to instigate harmful speech and actions against celebrities whose marital
problems was brought on it (instagram). Due to the inability of some celebrities to handle their
private life and matters off social media,they are confronted by trolls on social media which
escalate the issues.

Instagram and Celebrity marriages

The use of instagram by married celebrities varies, some celebrities possibly use instagram to
flaunt how charming and good looking their partners are. This may not be the case all the time,
there have been cases where celebrities come on instagram to insult their partners.

Instagram may be a tool used by celebrities, married ones precisely to lash out on their cheating
partners in other to gain pity from their fans. Some married celebrities get involved in verbal
abuse or act unruly with their supposed fans.

23
Married couples are at the risk of spilling out their private matters on social media possibly
because of pressure from their fans and followers. The fact that celebrities are being given
attention by so many on instagram, they may let the fame and attention get to their heads, which
may lead to them acting irrationally on instagram. Instagram if not used properly by married
celebrities,could endanger their marriage.

Mrs Boye, a mariage counsellor gave an advice to married couples saying that they should avoid
shading their partners or revealing details about their relationship because rather than the
problem resolving, it gets worse. She further stated that married couples should totally shun the
attitude of directly or indirectly revealing private talks on social media but rather they should
resolve all issues privately.

Married celebrities should have it in mind that solutions to their marital issues are not found on
social media, rather the problem escalates. Celebrities are exposed to extravagant life as well as
admiration from so called fans of the opposite sex and this could be distracting especially when
he or she is married. Social media has even made it easier for the fans to showcase their
unhealthy love towards their idol by a DM away. (Boye, 2017).

Social media could steal the time meant for married celebrities to build a strong relationship with
their partners. Celebrities may find it hard to spend some quality time with their loved ones due
to the pressure put on them and their busy schedule. They are sometimes carried away by the
love shown to them by their so-called followers or fans. The constant use of social media by
married celebrities could their partners raise an eyebrow. Research has shown that social media
could cause one’s partner to be secretive, he or she tends to hide relevant information from their
partner which could lead to lack of trust and possibly infidelity (Boye, 2017).

Portrayal of Celebrity marriages on Instagram

The term portrayal simply means the way a person is described. In this sense, potrayal of
celebrity marriages on instagram means the way in which celebrity marriages are being
represented or described on instagram.

24
Celebrities are guilty of having an extravagant and lavish wedding ceremony ,because of how
highly graded they are in the society. They tend to try to conform to what society ask of them
forgetting the fact that after the wedding comes marriage.

Instagram in general tends to potray celebrity marriages as that which is perfect and
unblemished ,but with the different cases of married couples getting separated or divorced, it
tends to counteract the picture that it potrays about celebrity marriages. The manner in which
Instagram potrays celebrity marriages is deceitful, because it shows the rosy part and leaves the
rusty part aside and this tends to have a negative impact on ordinary married couples.

Some celebrities try as much as possible to avoid the media and the unnecessary attention it
brings. They go as far as having a secret wedding just to avoid publicity, this may prove difficult
because somehow somewhere a picture of the celebrity pops up on instagram from inquisitive
hunting paparazzi and fans. These celebrities may at times find it hard to live a normal and
private life.

The potrayal of celebrity marriages on instagram also depends on how their fans and followers or
people in general view the marriages of celebrities. People are fast in concluding the manner in
which marriage would go, which should not be so. Celebrities should be keenly aware that their
marriage lies in their hands and not in the hands of instagram or any social media platform.

Media Coverage of Celebrity marriages on Instagram

The media often times focus on the failing marriage of celebrities and ignore the successful ones.
They are not to blame per say, because people tend to have more interest on negative news of
celebrities. The media tends to give out what the people or masses crave for. For instance,in the
news of a celebrity involved in cheating and a married man who took his wife and children to an
all expense paid trip to dubai, the former is more likely to go viral; as the media tends to focus on
the negative aspects especially when it involves celebrities and their marriage.

When couples first get married, there is a big fuss about the event itself; the dress and the venue.
But the media focus still remains on the love shared between the couples most especially
celebrities that easily give in to marriage and fail to stay together. The media tends to put more

25
focus on failing marriages rather than the succesful ones, this then pushes celebrities to have
their wedding done secretly without any interference of uninvited guests.

It is assumed that marriage of celebrities is given much attention by fans and social media when
things are not going well in their marital life. The media focuses on the misfortune of celebrity
marriages and ignore the good aspect. To avoid being the talk of the town, celebrities are advised
to leave their private life off instagram and try as much as possible to be in control of what they
feed the media. The media shows us what is available to them, so celebrities should make sure
that they don’t give the media sensitive stories that could come back and haunt them.

Influence of instagram on Marriages( Celebrity Marriages)

Instagram is ubiquitous and people enagage in it for different reasons. Social media in general
has the potential to repair,improve or break a marriage. Instagram is a blessing and it has its
benefits, but it can also be a liability that can dissolve one’s marriage, depending on how you
channel the power of it. If instagram is being channeled into making something productive in
one’s marriage, definitely there will be some improvements in the marriage but if otherwise it
could lead to the dissolution of the marriage.

Alexandra Samuel a director of the social and interactive media center at Emily Carr University
and a social media consultant reiterated that the influence of social media on relationships can
postively impact couples who spend a lot of time apart. She further stated that when both
partners participate in social media together, it can be a way for busy people to connect when
they are apart. Social media can be a useful tool as well as harmful tool especially for married
couples.

Various studies as cited by Huesman, Jones and Miles (2012) in their article titled ‘the negative
impact of social media on marriages’, social media and technology are not helping to decrease
marital conflicts but in fact are magnifying troubling issues in marriages and relationships. They
further stated that social networking sites have been associated with the negative feeling married
couples often experience regarding the quality of their relationship, but however the link does
not necessarily mean that social media is the cause for problematic relationships but instead
could be a aymptom of a bigger problem.

26
Keeping the union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship is not as easy as the word
‘marriage’ sounds. It takes the two parties involved to make a marriage work and when one
disagrees, the bond is broken. If regular couples face hitches and temptations that tend to drive
their marriages to the rock,how much more celebrities who are constantly in the spotlight and are
always busy travelling from one location to the other (an excerpt from the article of ‘Buzz
Nigeria’ entiltled 30 failed marriages in Nollywood by Nwaeze, 2018).

There have been different cases of celebrity marriages heading the wrong path due to the
pressure social media brings. The case of Mercy Aigbe and her ex-husband Lanre Gentry who
out of anger called her husband out on Instagram and accused him of infidelity and domestic
violence. The husband on the other hand denied the claims and accused his wife of slander and
tarnishing his reputation; the supposed issue that is meant to be resolved privately was brought
on social media. Another case is that of Tiwa Savage(a popular musician) and her now ex-
husband TeeBillz. The marital issue got worse when it was taken to Instagram (this time by her
husband), he called his wife out on Instagram and accused her of cheating as well as not
performing her duties as a wife. The issue intensified when Tiwa Savage decided to grant an
interview to an online TV channel (Pulse Tv).;this interview was taken by many as being rushed
and done at the wrong time: the interview caused an uproar on social media and people had one
or two things to say about the issue. The issue taken to Instagram didn’t solve the problem; rather
it possibly esclalated the problem. Also, a popular TV presenter by the name Toke Makinwa and
her ex-husband Maje Ayida had impregnated a lady who he dated before he got married to Toke
Makinwa. The two ( Maje Ayinda and his alleged girlfriend) reconnected via facebook, which
led to him cheating on his wife. The matter was dragged on Instagram by an unknown source
which led to Toke Makinwa being heartbroken, the duo tried to resolve their issues off social
media but it all proved futile. They separated and now are divorced, the issue of the marital
problem led to Toke Makinwa writing a book titled “On Becoming” which speaks about how she
had to overcome her fears and humiliation her ex-husband caused her.

Tonto Dikeh and her ex- husband, Olakunle Churchill were also involved in a marital bant on
social media. The former took to instagram to call out her ex-husband whom she accused of
sexually abusing her; she showed evidence(pictures) of the bruises she had from the beating she
received from her husband. The ex-husband on the other hand was quick to counter her claims,
disclosing that he never abused his wife but rather was a victim of a woman who was under the

27
influence of drugs. The duo marital problems were all over instagram and lasted for a month or
so. The fact that the matter was taken to social media didn’t change the situation rather it
worsened it and led to verbal abuse rained out by both parties to each other, as well as other
parties involved.

These cases mentioned above are examples of celebrity couples who have been involved in
marital clashes on instagram, which have led to the dissolution of their marriages. It should be
said that instagram may not be the main reason they got divorced, but due to the fact that they
brought their marital issues online because of some reasons best known to them it worsened the
issue, thereby causing more harm to the marriage.

Empirical Review

Various past researches were done to show the influence instagram has on marriages. Some
research works were looked into to help guide this study.

A research conducted by Saleh & Mukhtar (2015) on “social media and divorce case study of
Dutse L.G.A. Jigawa State”. The study examined the impact of social media on marital
relationship. Using stratified random sampling technique, they distributed a structured
questionnaire to 140 respondents as well as interviewed two more respondents. It was discovered
in the study that more women subscribe to social media, irrespective of sex differences and that
social media users spends more time on social network sites. The study also showed that social
media can lead to infidelity and possibly divorce. The research suggested that people should be
wary of how they utilize social media, who they interact with in various social media platform,
as well as what they post or share. The society can also be of help, by orientating young people
and adults on proper social media usage.

Hiram Ting, Winnie Wong Poh Ming, Ernest Cyril de Run and Sally Lau Yin Choo(2015),
conducted a research work , investigating the beliefs about the use of Instagram. The qualitative
methodology was used for the study and 34 respondents were involved in the research survey.
Respondents were selected by means of purposeful sampling strategy, to ensure the sample was
representative of the population in Malaysia. The study revealed that instagram performed the
following roles:Socializing role, Product information, Features usefulness, Personal gratification

28
and Entertainment. In conclusion, it is believed that this study will enhance not only the
understanding of instagram usage but also contribute additional knowledge to users behaviour
towards future social networking sites and mobile applications.

Another study conducted by Mary Code(2015) on “Instagram, Social Media and the like:
exploring virtual identity’s Role in 21st century students” from Brock University, ontario. Using
a qualitative inquiry; purposeful sampling was employed to recruit 6 participants between the
ages of 15 to 19 to examine their social networking site use and educational experience. Data
were collected from single, one-on-one semi-structured interviews in which participants
discussed their experiences using social media and data was alos collected from the teens’
personal Instagram accounts. Participants shared how they and their peers use social media, the
pressures and expectations from other users. All 6 participants explained that their teachers do
not talk to them about social media use , even offered critiques of the school system itself and its
inability to prepare students for the new realities of the digital world. This study concludes that
while social media is very influential on students socialization, educators should be more
concerned about the lack of guidance and support that students receive in school in terms of
appropriate social media use and the navigation of virtual identity.

Also a study conducted by Fredrick Leica on “the uses and gratification of Instagram by
University Students for Interpersonal Communication”. The total participants for the study were
503, participants who specified gender other than male and female were 5 in number. This study
investigated the uses and gratifications of university students when they use Instagram and the
interpersonal communication that drives them. The participants were selected from the Instagram
contacts of the researcher as well as from various social networking sites like facebook, through
an online survey. The result of the study indicated that there is a strong inclination to online
interaction by university students due to the amount of time they spend on the internet and on
mobile devices.

Pavica and Megan(2019) also undertook a research on instagram and America Teens:
Understanding Motives for its Use and Relationship to Excessive reassurance-seeking and
interpersonal rejection. This study explored how excessive reassurance-seeking(the tendency to
repeatedly request reassurance from others about one’s lovability and worth) and interpersonal
rejection relate to instagram use among minors. The study was limited as the sample was not
large or diverse, most participants were white.Participating were pre-teens and teens, ages 12 to

29
17 years. Results from structural equation modeling analysis revealed that teens who were driven
by gratifications of self-promotion and cr v eativity were more likely to suffer from excessive
reassurance-seeking. Excessive reasuurance-seeking also predicted the number of hours they
spent on instagram. In addition, those who experienced interpersonal rejection were more likely
to use instagram to escape from reality. The result of this study revealed that instagram is highly
appealing to those who need constant reassurance about their worth.

Jocelyn Apodaca (2017) conducted a reasearch work on the true self and the Uses and
gratifications of instagram among College-Aged students. This study investigates relationships
between motivations for using Instagram, whether users are potraying their true selves and how
their usage affects life satisfaction and well being. A quantitative survey was used to collect data
from 200 students at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas students. Participants were asked to
provide answers regarding their habits for using Instagram, whether their online potrayal of self
reflected their true self and determine overall life satisfaction. The findings of this study
displayed no difference between male and female usage of instagram and the escape motive had
significant and negative relationships between true self and life satisfaction.

Theoretical Framework

Theories provide the explanations of phenomena in terms of the strength and direction of the
relationship between them. The significance of theories to researchers is the enablement they
give to researchers to predict the outcomes of occurring phenomena to a possible extent (Black,
1999).

The theoretical models chosen for this research work are:

 Perception theory
 Uses and Gratification theory

PERCEPTION THEORY

Perception theory is particularly important to this study because perception is the key to how we
assign meaning in our interactions with others and thus, it has a significant impact on how we

30
communicate and how we undersatnd the communication of others. Understanding the
perception process will enable us to consider the potential understandings that may occur and
help you communicate more effectively.

This theory was propounded by Berelson and Steiner in 1964. They defined perception as the
complex process by which people select, organize and interpret sensory stimulation into a
meaningful and coherent picture of the world. The perception theorists were of the opinion that
perception is notably active and involves learning, updating perspectives and interacting with the
observed. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, perception is the process of becoming
aware or conscious of a thing or things in general; the state of being aware.

The word perception refers to what the body is able to perceive,that is, the information that the
body is able to discern from the outside world. The process of understanding becomes a
mediated experience,as it requires the use of the sense in order to process data. To be perceivable,
the object must be able to be understood by the mind through the interplay of sight, sound, taste,
touch and smell. To be perceived, a sensation must pass through the body via one of the sensory
organs,that is, the eye,ear,nose,mouth or skin. The interpretation of the sensation that passes
through the body is known as perception.

The four basic principle that influences the action of an individual were identified by Folarin
(1998) and they are; selective attention, selective perception, selective action and selective recall.

Selective attention is the tendency of an individual to pay attention to those part of the message
that are consonant with their strongly held beliefs, attitude or behaviour and to avoid those part
of the messages that are against their strongly held beliefs, attitude or behaviour. What this
simply means is that an individual would pay attention to only what interest them.

Selective perception tends to make people perceive and then decode communication messages in
the light of their previous experiences, current dispositions, needs, moods, beliefs and memories.
Folarin (1998) further expatiates that the main principle of perception is that people have distinct
psychological characteristics, sub-cultural orientation and social network membership which will
interpret the same media in different ways.

Selective action was summed up by folarin in two ways. The first is in terms of the nature of the
intervening variables or conditions that they post between the media and response that people

31
made. The second is in terms of the four principles of selectivity that leads the individual to
attempt to interpret, recall and then act upon media messages in a distinctive way.

Selective recall is the tendency for the information been recalled to be influenced by wants,
needs, attitudes and other psychological factors. Humans tend to accurately remember messages
that are favourable to their self-image than messages that are not favourable. The principle of
selective recall is parallel to attention and perception.

Furthermore, perception is a process consisting of three parts , these parts helps to make sense of
messages we encounter. These are: selection, organization and interpretation.We select,
organize and interpret stimuli so that they can make sense to us. An example was given by
Weinttraub & Byrnes (2012) which is an illustration of a friend who asked if you would like to
go for a concert, when you agree on the grounds of the ticket not being too expensive. The friend
buys the ticket and sends you a text message informing you how much you owe. When you learn
the price of the ticket, you are shocked because your perception of not too expensive is different
from that of your friend’s perception.

Since perception is a cognitive process that helps us to understand our experiences; how we
receive, filter and interpret behaviours and conversations may not be the same as how someone
else will. In essence, perception is what allows us to make sense of the world through the
experience of our senses and the collection of data. Perception refers to the most immediate
response we can create, the very use of our senses;it is uninterrupted and also the raw data that
enters our minds in order to be processed through thought and action ( Winter, 2007).

According to PsycholoGenie Staff (2018), perception is the ability of people to create an

impression about others or form a judgement about other individuals or groups as well as
drawing conclusions about a person from certain observations. They further stated that , social
perception is how people learn about others feelings and emotion by picking up information they
gather from physical appearance,verbal and non-verbal communication.

As humans making sense of our environment is a major task for the mind, which we learn and
improve upon as we grow. We interpret the world around us by forming categories and using
cause-effect linkages. This process may not always be rational or logical as reading the available
information. We process new information we receive based on the information already present in
our environment. Certain pre-conceived notions exist as part of our personality, our social

32
life,our upbringing and any other source of social identity. Our previous beliefs, our attitudes
toward a particular event or group and our current mood all come together to shape our
perception of our surroundings.

Juxtaposing Perception theory with this study

In the era of new media which has greatly amplified the selective nature of humans, what the
youths now select or chose to get exposed to on the internet, and Instagram most importantly is
now entirely dependent on them.

The internet and social media era has promulgated almost totally the golden age of "on-demand
contents". We simply get exposed to the content we only demand. Who the youths follow and
like their posts is now a matter of choice entirely dependent on them.

Therefore, the assumptions of the selectivity process of perception theory is completely at play
almost every time the youth log on to their Instagram page, they wouldn't waste their scarce and
expensive data on the content that does not conform to their preconceived biases or content that
amplifies their cognitive dissonance. If they follow any married celebrity, then it simply means
they agree with some of the biases and nuances of his/her posts. The influence the contents of
celebrities' Instagram posts and stories can have on their marriages as perceived by the audience
can be expected to be subject to the biases of the audience. This is a given in the age of distorted
social reality occasioned by the portrayal of "unreal and filter-based Instagram lifestyle".

USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY

The uses and gratifications theory asserts that people use media to gratify specific wants and
needs. Unlike many media theories that view media users as passive, uses and gratifications see
users as active agents who have control over their media consumption.

Uses and gratifications was first introduced in the 1940s as scholars began to study why people
choose to consume various forms of media. For the last few decades, uses and gratifications
research mostly focused on the gratifications media users sought. Then, in the 1970s, researchers
turned their attention to the outcomes of media use and the social and psychological needs that

33
media gratified. Today, the theory is often credited to Jay Blumler and Elihu Katz’s work in
1974. As media technologies continue to proliferate, research on uses and gratifications theory is
more important than ever for understanding people’s motivations for choosing media and the
gratifications they get out of it.

Assumptions of the Theory

Uses and gratifications theory relies on two principles about media users. First, it characterizes
media users as active in their selection of the media they consume. From this perspective, people
don’t use media passively. They are engaged and motivated in their media selections. Second,
people are aware of their reasons for selecting different media options. They rely on their
knowledge of their motivations to make media choices that will help them meet their specific
wants and needs.

Based on those principles, uses and gratifications go on to outline five assumptions:

 Media use is goal-directed. People are motivated to consume media.

 Media is selected based on the expectation that it will satisfy specific needs and desires.
 Media influence on behavior is filtered through social and psychological factors. Thus,
personality and social context impact the media choices one makes and one’s
interpretation of media messages.
 Media compete with other forms of communication for an individual’s attention. For
example, an individual may choose to have an in-person conversation about an issue
instead of watching a documentary about the issue.
 People are usually in control of media and therefore are not particularly influenced by it.

Taken together, Uses and gratifications theory stresses the power of the individual over the
power of the media. Individual differences mediate the relationship between media and their
effects. This results in media effects being driven as much by the media user as by the media
content itself. So, even if people take in the same media message, each individual will not be
impacted by the message in the same way.

34
Uses and Gratifications and New Media (Instagram)

Scholars have noted that new media includes several attributes that weren’t part of older forms of
media. Users have greater control over what they interact with when they interact with it, and
more content choices. This opens up the number of gratifications that new media use could
satisfy.

An early study published in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior on uses and gratifications
of the internet found seven gratifications for its use: information seeking, aesthetic experience,
monetary compensation, diversion, personal status, relationship maintenance, and virtual
community. The virtual community could be considered a new gratification as it has no parallel
to other forms of media. Another study, published in the journal Decisions Sciences, found three
gratifications for internet usage. Two of these gratifications, content, and process gratifications,
had been found before in studies of the uses and gratifications of television. However, a new
social gratification specific to internet use was also found. These two studies indicate that people
look to the internet to fulfill social and communal needs.

Research has also been conducted to uncover the gratifications sought and obtained through
social media use. For instance, another study published in CyberPsychology & Behavior
uncovered four needs for Facebook group participation. Those needs included socializing by
staying in touch and meeting people, entertainment through the use of Facebook for amusement
or leisure, seeking self-status by maintaining one’s image, and seeking information to learn about
events and products. In a similar study, researchers found that Twitter users gratified their need
for connection through the social network. Increased usage, both in terms of the amount of time
one had been active on Twitter and in terms of the number of hours per week one spends using
Twitter, increased the gratification of this need.

Juxtaposing Uses and Gratification Theory with this Study

Just like the case with selective processes of the perception theory, the internet age has greatly
amplified the dominant role of the audience as opposed to the media, one only needs to look at
the divergent nature of contents the youths choose on Instagram these days.

35
The decision to choose a particular handle to follow on Instagram is completely a matter of
gratification intended to be derived from such handle. There is simply so much content flying
around on Instagram and so limited amount of data, so much so that choosing to stay on a
particular page means so many gratifications is derived from it.

Consequently, the influence married celebrities' Instagram contents can have on the youth is
almost minimal because staying so much on any page means its contents must have conformed
to the youth default psychological and personality make-up and reinforce a pre-conceived notion
of gratification.

REFERENCES

Abbot et al., (2013). An Instagram is Worth a Thousand Words: An Industry Panel and
Audience Q&A, library Hi Tech News30(7), 1-6.

Apodaca J. (2017). True-self and the uses and gratifications of Instagram among college-aged
females’ Thesis, Dissertations, Professional papers, and Capstones.2936.

Alexandra, S. (2017). Family Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.ncu.edu/blog/gangers-.com

Boorstin D. (2001). Toward a New Definition of Celebrity. The Norman Lear Center, Annenberg
School of communication, University of Southern California.2-6.
http://www.learcenter.org/pdf/Gabler.pdf

Businesstopia. “Uses and Gratifications Theory.” 2018. https://www.businesstopia.net/mass-

communication/uses-gratifications-theory

36
Chen, Gina Masullo. “Tweet This: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective on How Active Twitter
Use Gratifies A Need to Connect With Others.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 27, no. 2,
2011, pp. 755-762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.10.023

Code, M. (2015). Instagram, Social Media and the “like”: Exploring Virtual Identity’s Role in
21st century students’ New Socialization Experience. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, Faculty
of Education, Brock University.
http://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/7055/Brock_Code_Mary_2015.pdf?se
quence=2.

Communication Studies. “Uses and Gratifications Theory.” 2019.

http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/uses-and-gratifications-theory

Chris, A. Winter (2007). Theories of the media-perception theory. The University of Chicago.

Retrieved from http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/perceptionperceivability.html

Duggan et al…, (2015). Social media update 2014: While Facebook remains the most popular
site, other platforms see higher rates of growth. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/01/PI_SocialMediaUpdate20141.pdf.

Gabler, N. (2001). Toward a new definition of celebrity. The Norman Lear Centre.

Gillin, J. L & Gillin J.P. (2002). An Introduction to Sociology. Macmillan Company.

Huesman, Jones & Miles (2012). The negative impact of social media on marriages.

James, E. O. (1952). Marriage and Society, London: Hutchinson’s University Library.

Leica, F. (2013). “Instagratifaction”: Uses and Gratifications of Instagram by University

Students for Interpersonal communication.

McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory (6th Ed.). London: Thousand Oaks,
New Delhi: Sage Publications.

37
Oliver, Mary Beth, and Anne Bartsch. "Appreciation as Audience Response: Exploring
Entertainment Gratifications Beyond Hedonism." Human Communication Research, vol. 36, no.
1, 2010, pp. 53-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2009.01368.x

Oliver, Mary Beth, Jinhee Kim, and Meghan S. Sanders. “Personality.” Psychology pf
Entertainment, edited by Jennings Bryant and Peter Vorderer, Routledge, 2006, pp. 329-341.

Potter, W. James. Media Effects. Sage, 2012.

Punchng. (December 17, 2017). Protecting your marriage from social media.
http://punchng.com/protecting-your-marriage-from-social-media

Radcliffe-Brown A.R & Forde D. (1950). “African systems of kinship and marriage” as an

essential rearrangement of social structure. International African institute: Oxford

University Press.

Rahim, S. (2011). Concept of Marriage. Ezine articles for relationships,32, 226-228.

Rubin, Alan A. “Audience Activity and Media Use.” Communication Monographs, vol. 60, no. 1,
1993, pp. 98-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637759309376300

Ruggiero, Thomas E. “Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century.” Mass
Communication and Society, vol. 3, no. 1, 2000, pp. 3-37.
https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0301_02

Russell, Bertran (1959). Marriage and Morals, New York: Bantom Books.

Saleh M. & Mukhtar J. I., (2015). Social media and Divorce case study of dutse L.G.A. Jigawa

state. IOSR Journal of Humanities and social science. Vol 20, issue 5, Ver. II

Sheldon, P., & Bryant, K., (2016). Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism
and contextual age.

Sheldon, P., & Newman, M., (2019). Instagram and American Teens: Understanding Motives for
its Use and Relationship to Excessive Reassurance-Seeking and Interpersonal Rejection.

38
Sing & Daman S. (1978). Polyandry in Ancient India, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House PVT
LTD.

Smith, C. (2014). By the Numbers: 85 interesting Instagram statistics. Digital marketing

Ramblings. Retrieved from http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-
instagram-stats/

Song, Indeok, Robert Larose, Matthew S. Eastin, and Carolyn A. Lin. “Internet Gratifications
and Internet Addiction: On the Uses and Abuses of New Media.” Cyberpsychology and
Behavior, vol. 7, no. 4, 2004. http://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2004.7.384

Stafford, Thomas F. Maria Royne Stafford, and Lawrence L. Schkade. “Determining Uses and
Gratifications for the Internet.” Decision Sciences, vol. 35, no. 2, 2004, pp. 259-288.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.00117315.2004.02524.x

Stone H.M. & Stone A. (1939). A marriage manual: A practical guide to sex and marriage. 1st
Edition. Vol 25.

The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Reels (2021),retrieved from

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a38e71b010027205bf9931a/t/5f2f2af84c60823daacfc0d0/
1596926720570/The+Ultimate+Guide+to+Instagram+Reels.pdf

Ting, H. T., Ming, W.P., De Run C., & Choo L.Y., (2015). An Exploratory Study: Beliefs about
the use of Instagram.

Weaver, James B. III. “Individual Differences in Television Viewing Motives.” Personality and
Individual Differences, vol. 35, no. 6, 2003, pp. 1427-1437. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-
8869(02)00360-4

Weintraub & Byrnes. (2012). Perception theory.

Westermack. (2003). The history of human marriage. Vol.1. New York: The Allerton Book
Company

39
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents an overview of the processes applied in conducting the research. It
discusses the methods used for data collection and rationale for choices made; it also includes a
review of the research method, population of study, sample size and procedure, sample technique,
data collection instruments and data analysis. Atere and Olagbemi (1998) defined research
methodology as the rules, principles and practices that guide the collection of evidence and
conclusion drawn from it.

Research Method

Burns and Grove (2003) defined research method as the “blueprint for conducting research with
maximum control over factors that may interfere with the validity of the finding”. The research
method that would be used in this study is the SURVEY RESEARCH METHOD, which
makes use of questionnaire as its data collection technique; according to Sobowale (1983), “the

40
survey method involves drawing up a set of questions on various subjects or on various aspects
of a subject to which selected members of a population are requested to react. According to
Babbie (1986), survey is an excellent vehicle for measuring behavior in a large population,
which of course is achievable through a carefully selected population sample and through
questionnaire which offers the possibility of making a refined descriptive assertion about a
population. Also, the type of survey used for this study is ONLINE SURVEY.

As Babbie notes, survey typically assesses characteristics or attributes of individual persons or

groups to investigate how these characteristics are related to the communication process. The
major steps in conducting a survey are sampling of subjects, interviewing of subjects, analysis
and reporting of information gotten from subjects. This research is designed with the sole aim of
finding out how Yaba-tech students perceive the influence of Instagram on celebrity marriages.

Justification of online survey

This is one of the most popular types of survey. This survey can be easily deployed to the
respondents online via email, or they can simply access the survey with an internet enabled
device.

In addition, due to the respiratory virus outbreak (COVID-19) institutions have been shut thereby
all academic activities are conducted online, hence the need for online survey.

Population of study

The population to be assessed for this research is the students of Yaba College of technology
(Yaba-tech). The population size of undergraduates in Yaba College of technology is estimated
to be over 19,000( www.yabatech.edu.ng).

Sample size

41
As stated by Tejumaiye (2017), a sample is a subject of the population that is taken to be
representative of the entire population. This is so because an entire population cannot be studied
due to constraint of time and resources. The sample size for this study will be 100 respondents.

Sampling Technique

According to Adebayo (2006), sampling technique comprise one or more of the techniques used
in samples from a given population. The sample size will be selected through a convenience
sampling technique. Convenience sampling is a specific type of non-probability sampling
method that relies on data collection from population members who are conveniently available to
participate in study. In other words, this sampling method involves getting participants wherever
you can find them and typically wherever is convenient.

Justification of Sampling Technique

Convenience sampling technique is a non-probability sampling technique where subjects are

selected because of their convenient accessibility and proximity to the researcher. The subjects
are selected just because they are easiest to recruit for the study and the researcher did not
consider selecting subjects that are representative of the entire population.

In all forms of research, it would be ideal to test the entire population, but in most cases, the
population is just too large that it is impossible to include every individual. This is the reason
why most researchers rely on sampling techniques like convenience sampling. Also, convenience
sampling allows the researcher to obtain basic data and trends pertaining to the study.

Regarding this research, it would be impossible to get access to all the students of Yaba College
of technology; instead, a selected size would be chosen, for easy documenting of basic data and
trends.

42
Data Collection Instrument

The instrument that will be used to collect data for this study will be questionnaire, because
questionnaires are cheap, easy to administer and are relatively easy to analyse. The questionnaire
was structured in such a way as to ensure ease of understanding by respondents. The
questionnaire will be structured and designed in such a way that the responses received will
provide adequate data for testing and analyzing the research questions. For ease of completion, it
would contain multiple choice questions. The questionnaire will be self-administered and a total
of 100 copies will be given out to selected respondents.

Data Analysis Procedure

Analytical tools would be needed to collate the raw data and prepare them for analysis. Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS) will be used to analyse data as it is the most
recognized software used for analysis.

REFERENCES

Adi Bhat (2020). Types of Survey with Examples, retrieved from

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/types-of-survey/

Atere, A.A., & Olagbemi A.A. (1998). The Press and the Larger Society. Communication
language and culture in society, Lagos: Bolaji and Associates with Opeds Nigeria limited.

Barbie, E. (1986). The Practice of Social Research, Belmont California

Wardsworth Publishing Co.

43
 Burns, N., & Grove, S.K. (2003). Understanding Nursing Research. 3rd ed. Philadelphia:
Saunders Company. Pp 195.

Sobowale, I. (1983). Scientific Journalism, Lagos: John West Publications Ltd.

Tejumaiye, J.A., (2017). Mass communication Research, 2nd ed. Imota Lagos-Dapson Ltd.

Yaba College of Technology. (n.d.). Overview of students. https://www.yabatech.edu.ng

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

This chapter focuses on data presentation and analysis of respondent’s opinion according to this
research work objectives and questions. For this purpose, the data analysis and presentation is
divided into three parts:

 The first part is the ANALYSES OF RESPONDENTS DEMOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION.

 The second section shows THE INFORMATION ACQUIRED FROM

STATISTICAL ANALYSES OF PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS.

 While the final part is DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS.

44
One hundred (100) copies of the questionnaire were administered to respondents in Yaba
College of Technology, Lagos, there were thoroughly filled and returned on schedule. Data
analysis of this research work is therefore based on the number of returned copies of
questionnaire.

TABLE 1: Demographic of Respondents

Gender of Respondents Frequency Percentage

Male 43 43%

Female 57 57%

Total 100 100%

Age of Respondents Frequency Percentage

16-20 years 19 19%

20-24 years 65 65%
24-28 years 15 15%
Other 1 1%
Total 100 100%

Educational Frequency Percentage

Qualification
OND 1 15 15%
OND 2 31 31%
HND 1 29 29%
HND 2 25 25%
Total 100 100%

Programme of Study Frequency Percentage

School of Art, Design and 7 7%
Painting
School of Engineering 14 14%

45
School of Environmental 18 18%
Studies.
School of Liberal Studies 18 18%
School of Management 22 22%
and Business Studies
School of Science 14 14%
School of Technology. 7 7%
Total 100 100%

Table 1 shows the demographic information of respondents. It can be deduced that the views
expressed in relations to this study are representative of both gender; male and female as 43(43%)
of the respondents are males while 57(57%) are females, this indicates that more female students
were willing to provide answers to questions on the administered questionnaire.

Table 1 also shows the age range of respondents that filled the questionnaire. It is seen that
19(19%) of the respondents falls within the ages of 16-20 years, 65(65%) are within the age
range of 20-24 years, 15(15%) of the respondents are between the ages of 24-28 years, while
1(1%) of other age range.

Also in table 1, according to the respondents’ Educational qualifications, 15(15%) of

respondents are OND first year students, 31(31%) of respondents OND second year students,
alongside, 29(29%) are HND first year students while 25(25%) of the respondents are HND
second year students. This indicates that the respondents are adequately educated to provide
informed opinion on the study.

Table 1 also includes the distribution of respondents according to Programme of study. School
of Management and business studies has the highest number of respondents of 22(22%),
followed by School of library studies of 18(18%) and School of Environmental studies 18(18%),
School of Engineering and School of science both has 14(14%) respondents, while School of
technology and School of Art, Design and Painting has 7(7%) respondents each (these are the
faculties with the lowest respondents).

ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS.

46
Research Question ONE: What is the level of Instagram usage amongst Yaba College of
Technology Students?

Table 2: Respondents level of Instagram usage.

Variables Frequency Percentage

Are you on Instagram? Yes 100 100%
No 0 0%
Total 100 100%

How often do you log on to Frequency Percentage

Instagram?
Everyday 60 60%
Every other day 10 10%
Once in a week 20 20%
Once in a while 10 10%
Total 100 100%
Frequency Percentage
Why majorly do you get on
Instagram? To get celebrity 60 60%
gossips
To get political 0 0%
information and be
informed on current
issues
To be generally 30 30%
entertained
No particular reason 10 10%
but to pass time
Total 100 100%

47
Table 2 above shows that all the respondents are on Instagram. This shows that all our surveyed
respondents use Instagram.

Table 2 above also shows that 60% of all respondents log on to their Instagram account every
day, 10% do every other day, while 20% log on once a week and 10% do once in a while.
This then means that the majority of the students of yabatech log on to their account daily.

Also in table 2, 60% of respondents log on to the Instagram app to get celebrity gossips, 30% do
for general entertainment reasons, while 10% get on the platform for no particular reason. This
means that the majority of the youth get on the platform for entertainment and leisure purposes.

Research question TWO: To what frequency are the students of Yaba-tech exposed to
celebrity marriages on Instagram
Table 3: Frequency of Exposure to celebrity marriages on Instagram
Variable Frequency Percentage
How up-to-date are you about Very up-to-date 24 24%
married celebrities on Up-to-date 47 47%
Instagram? Fairly up-to-date 18 18%
Rarely up-to-date 11 11%
Not up-to-date 0 0%
Total 100 100%

Table 3 shows that 24 respondents are very up-to-date about married celebrities on Instagram
similarly 47 respondents are up-to-date about married celebrities on Instagram also 18

48
respondents are fairly up-to-date about married celebrities on Instagram, 11 respondents are
rarely up-to-date while 0 respondents are not up-to-date about married celebrities on Instagram.

Research question THREE: What is the perception of Yaba-tech students of Instagram

portrayal on celebrity marriages?
Table 4: Perception of Instagram portrayal on celebrity marriages
SA A U D SD Total
Instagram tends 24(24%) 46(46%) 7(7%) 19(19%) 4(4%) 100(100%)
to portray
celebrity
marriages as one
without problem.

49
The way 15(15%) 55(55%) 7(7%) 16(16%) 7(6%) 100(100%)
Instagram
portrays celebrity
marriages is
misleading, as it
shows more of
the rosy part than
the rusty part.
Instagram 5(5%) 22(22%) 12(12%) 42(42%) 19(19%) 100(100%)
focuses on the
misfortune of
celebrity
marriages and
ignores the good
aspect.
Instagram creates 27(27%) 61(61%) 3(3%) 6(6%) 3(3%) 100(100%)
an assumption
that the more
lavish celebrities
wedding
ceremony is, the
more happiness
they are likely to
have in their
marriage.
Instagram tends 13(13%) 52(52%) 18(18%) 10(10%) 7(7%) 100(100%)
to portray
celebrity
marriages as that
which is perfect
and unblemished.

50
Table 4 shows the data representation of respondents on the perception of Instagram portrayal of
celebrity marriages. 70% of the respondents agreed that Instagram tends to portray celebrity
marriages as one without problem as 24% agreed and 46 % of respondents strongly agreed to the
statement while 23% (a combination of disagree and strongly disagree) of respondents disagreed.
Also, the way Instagram portrays celebrity marriages is misleading, as it shows more of the rosy
part than the rusty part as 15% strongly agreed and 55% agreed to the statement although 23% (a
combination of disagree and strongly disagree) disagreed. 61% of the respondents disagreed that
Instagram focuses on the misfortune of celebrity marriages and ignores the good aspect (42%
disagreed and 19% strongly disagreed) while 27% (a combination of agree and strongly agree)
agreed to the statement. 88% respondents agreed (27% agreed and 61% strongly agreed) that
Instagram creates an assumption that the more lavish celebrities wedding ceremony is, the more
happiness they are likely to have in their marriage while 9% disagreed (a combination of
disagree and strongly disagree). Furthermore, Instagram tends to portray celebrity marriages as
that which is perfect and unblemished as 13% strongly agreed and 53% agreed to the statement.

Research question FOUR: What is the perception of Yaba-tech students of Instagram

influence on celebrity marriages?
Table 5: Perception of Instagram influence on celebrity marriages.
SA A U D SD Total
Married celebrities 44(44%) 48(48%) 3(3%) 4(4%) 1(1%) 100(100%)
are at the risk of
spilling out their
private matters on
Instagram possibly
because of pressure
from their fans and
followers.

51
Instagram can 21(21%) 65(65%) 7(7%) 6(6%) 1(1%) 100(100%)
serve as a
distraction from
focusing on the
interactions that
nurture
relationships.
Increased usage of 13(13%) 60(60%) 6(6%) 16(16%) 5(%) 100(100%)
Instagram may
lead to marital
problems in
celebrity
marriages.
Married celebrities 13(13%) 67(67%) 4(4%) 13(13%) 3(3%) 100(100%)
may find it hard to
spend some quality
time with their
loved ones due to
their busy schedule
and pressure on
Instagram.
Being active on 23(23%) 48(48%) 9(9%) 10(10%) 10(10%) 100(100%)
Instagram
negatively affect
celebrity
marriages.
Being active on 11(11%) 20(20%) 14(14%) 44(44%) 11(11%) 100(100%)
Instagram
positively affect
celebrity
marriages.

52
Table 9 shows the Data representation of respondents on the perception of Instagram Influence
on Celebrity Marriages. 92% of the respondents agreed that married celebrities are at the risk of
spilling out their private matters on Instagram possibly because of pressure from their fans and
followers ( 44% strongly agreed and 48% agreed to the statement). 86% of the respondents
agreed that Instagram can serve as a distraction from focusing on the interactions that nurture
relationships (21% strongly agreed and 65% agreed).
Also, respondents asserted that increased usage of Instagram may lead to marital problems in
celebrity marriages as 13% strongly agreed and 60% agreed to the statement.
Respondents believed that married celebrities may find it hard to spend some quality time with
their loved ones due to their busy schedule and pressure on Instagram as a large share of the
respondents strongly agreed 13% and 46.3% agreed to the statement.

It is seen that 71% (23% strongly agreed and 48% strongly agreed) agreed that being active on
Instagram negatively affects celebrity marriages. Also, 44% respondents disagreed and 11 %
strongly disagreed that being active on Instagram positively affects celebrity marriages.

Discussion of Findings

This study set out to examine yabatech students’ perception of Instagram’s influence on celebrity
marriages. In achieving this study, survey research method was employed. It was conducted via
an online survey and questionnaires were used as the research instrument for this study. One
hundred copies of the questionnaire were administered and filled by respondents (undergraduates)
in different faculties in Yaba College of technology.

On the demographic characteristics of the respondents, it is obvious that the female gender was
more prominent than the male. This can be attributed to the fact that females are generally more
responsive to subject topics of this nature than the male gender. Also, the questionnaires were
evenly administered across different faculties and departments in Yaba-tech to ensure the
accuracy and reliability of information required for a well-researched study.

Regarding respondents' responses on access to Instagram, it is seen that all respondents gain
access to Instagram through internet-enabled mobile phones which is evident that all the

53
respondents have mobile phones. This is attributed to the recent influx of affordable smartphones
in the Nigerian market today, hence mobile phones are readily available for anyone and everyone.

Data from the research shows that Instagram is predominantly used for entertainment and soft
news purposes, this shows the pattern of gratification intended by the youths, and this
gratification intention is expected to influence the strength of perception they form on issues and
stories emanating from the platform. This then means that while 100% of our respondents follow
celebrities, they will expect issues and stories that entertain them rather than factually educate
them.

More than 60% of them have a perception of Instagram portrayal of celebrity marriages as one
without problem, also as something that focuses more on misfortune than good. What is equally
curious, however, is the fact that over 60% still perceived Instagram as a medium that shows
misleading messages about marriages as it portrays the rosy and not rusty part of celebrity
marriages, as well as gives the impression that a lavish wedding guarantees happiness. This
conflicting perception is more a reflection of the audience's personal biases and cultural
disposition, and the interpretation they subconsciously attributed to contents on the Instagram
pages and stories is more subjective to each life experience. Individual audience selective
processing of the message as well as the sort of gratification (sensational entertainment value)
they subconsciously intend to derive might be the fundamental factors at play from these data.
The assumptions of both perception and Uses and gratification on dominance of audience socio-
cultural and psychological traits are very much true when data from this research is subjected
and interpreted in light of the theories.

An overwhelming percentage (over 80% of respondents) perceived celebrities to be at risk of

spilling out private matters on Instagram possibly because of pressure from fans; the same huge
numbers believed Instagram can serve as a distraction from focusing on the interaction that
nurtures relations. These facts combined to show how the audience perceived themselves to be
too important in the lives of their celebrities than their marriages because celebrities are always
keeping their pages busy and full of content. It never occurs to the audience that almost all
celebrities have management teams that determine what should be posted, at what time it should
be, and in what tone. The place of celebrities deliberately posting sensational stories might have
been lost on most youths. The audience is constantly in search of stories that fulfill their
expected gratification (entertainment) sometimes at the detriment of losing touch with reality. In

54
the modern era of the Internet and new sensational gossip, reality is secondary to fiction and
those who profit from and understand the deep-seated needs of the audience are the new kings
and queens. They rule over the heart of millions.

REFERENCES

Adamson (2017). The dangers of social media on marriage and family. Retrieved from;
www.ncu.edu.edu/blog/dangers-social-media-and-family.com

Francis, Andrew M. and Mialon, Hugo M., ‘A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The
Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration (September 15, 2014).
Available at SSRN: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2501480

Nigeria Media Consumer Survey Report (2018). Lagos, Business Day.

NCU, (2019). The Dangers of social media on marriage and relationships.

https://www.ncu.edu/blog/dangers-social-media-marriage-and-family#gref on 5th of May
2019

Saleh, M., and Mukhtar, J.I. (2015). Social Media and Divorce Case Study of Dutse L.G.A.
Jigawa State. Journal of Humanities and Social Science, Volume 20, Issue 5, Ver. II
(May. 2015), PP 54-59

55
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

This research was conducted to find out Yabatech students perception of Instagram’s influence
on celebrity marriages.

‘As expected for a study of this nature, survey research method was employed, and questionnaire
was used as the research instrument. Hundred copies of the questionnaire were administered to
respondents (students of Yaba college of technology) through google forms. Based on the data
analysis of the questionnaire filled by respondents, the following findings were revealed:

i. Instagram tends to portray celebrity marriages as one without problem.

ii. The manner in which Instagram portrays celebrity marriages is misleading, as it
shows more of the rosy part than the rusty part.
iii. Instagram creates an assumption that the more lavish celebrities wedding ceremony is,
the more happiness they are likely to have in their marriage.

56
 iv. Married celebrities are at the risk of spilling out their private matters on Instagram
possibly because of pressure from their fans and followers
v. Instagram can serve as a distraction from focusing on the interactions that nurture
relationships
vi. Increased usage of Instagram may lead to marital problems in celebrity marriages
vii. Married celebrities may find it hard to spend some quality time with their loved ones
due to their busy schedule and pressure on Instagram
viii. Being active on Instagram negatively affect celebrity marriages

Conclusion

The study concludes that Instagram can be a fun platform for celebrities to connect with their
fans and followers alike, it can also have a negative influence on their marriages. Given the
popularity of Instagram and many social media platforms, it seems unlikely that married
celebrities will be able to dissuade their partners from the platform as the study concluded that
married celebrities are at the risk of spilling out their private matters on Instagram possibly
because of pressure from their fans and followers. Therefore, it is essential for married celebrities
to inculcate time management and conscious discipline in the use of the platform (Instagram) as
it can be addictive and detrimental to relationships if too much time is dedicated to its usage.
Marital counselors and the couples(celebrities) need to evolve strategies to guide and ensure that
social media platforms such as Instagram are adopted mostly for positive motives and not for
malicious use.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, this study recommends the following:

1. Married celebrities should guide their partners in the use of social media platforms such
as Instagram and encourage its positive uses.
2. Married celebrities should avoid spilling out matters that involves their marriage on
social media platforms (Instagram), as this will only cause problems.

57
 3. Parents should ensure that their children especially celebrities-who are potential spouses -
are taught and guided in the essence of appropriate communication in matrimony
especially in this era of instant messaging.
4. The use of Social media ,particularly Instagram should be part of the counseling package
to be given to intending celebrity couples by marriage counsellors before marriage.

Suggestions for Further Studies

During the literature research of this study, it was apparent that similar studies on this subject
were quite scarce, especially in Nigeria. Therefore, more research should be carried out on this
same subject or related topics with the objective of enriching the body of knowledge in this
area of focus.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Atere, A.A., & Olagbemi A.A. (1998). The Press and the Larger Society. Communication
language and culture in society, Lagos: Bolaji and Associates with Opeds Nigeria limited.

Barbie, E. (1986). The Practice of Social Research, Belmont California

Wardsworth Publishing Co.

Burns, N., & Grove, S.K. (2003). Understanding Nursing Research. 3rd ed. Philadelphia:
Saunders Company. Pp 195.

Gillin, J. L & Gillin J.P. (2002). An Introduction to Sociology. Macmillan Company.

Kaplan and Haenlein (2010). Users of the World, Unite! The challenges and opportunities of
Social media.

58
McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory (6th Ed.). London: Thousand Oaks,
New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Oliver, Mary Beth, Jinhee Kim, and Meghan S. Sanders. “Personality.” Psychology pf
Entertainment, edited by Jennings Bryant and Peter Vorderer, Routledge, 2006, pp. 329-341.

Potter, W. James. Media Effects. Sage, 2012.

Radcliffe-Brown A.R & Forde D. (1950). “African systems of kinship and marriage” as an

essential rearrangement of social structure. International African institute: Oxford

University Press.

Rahim, S. (2011). Concept of Marriage. Ezine articles for relationships,32, 226-228.

Russell, Bertran (1959). Marriage and Morals, New York: Bantom Books.

Saleh M. and Mukhtar J. I., (2015). Social media and Divorce case study of Dutse L.G.A. Jigawa
state. IOSR Journal of Humanities and social science. Vol 20, issue 5, Ver. II

Sing & Daman S. (1978). Polyandry in Ancient India, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House PVT
LTD.

Stone H.M. & Stone A. (1939). A marriage manual: A practical guide to sex and marriage. 1st
Edition. Vol 25.

Tejumaiye, J.A., (2017). Mass communication Research, 2nd ed. Imota Lagos-Dapson Ltd.

Westermack. (2003). The history of human marriage. Vol.1. New York: The Allerton Book
Company.

Weintraub & Byrnes. (2012). Perception theory.

JOURNALS

59
Abbot et al., 2013; Salomon, (2013). Beliefs about the use of Instagram: An Exploratory study.

Adamu, L. S. (2016a). The media’s role in quelling violent conflict among youths as foot
soldiers: A content analysis of news report on Boko Haram suicide bombers and Civilian Joint
Task Force-CJTF. International journal of Innovative Research and Development, 5(1): 79-82.

Adamu, L.S. (2016b). Causes of conflicts in the Southern Zone of Plateau State. The Journal of
Media &Communication, Faculty of Communication Technology, Cross River State University
of Technology. Calabar, Cross River State,4.

Amobi, (2014). Assessment of online video preferences of University students in Lagos state.

Apodaca J. (2017). True-self and the uses and gratifications of Instagram among college-aged
females’ Thesis, Dissertations, Professional papers, and Capstones.2936.

Bergstrom & Backman, (2013). Beliefs about the use of Instagram: An Exploratory study.

Chen, J., Xu, H., & Whinston, A. B. (2011). Moderated online communities and quality of user-
generated content. Journal of Management Information Systems, 28(2), 237-268.

Duggan et al, (2015). A Tale of Four Platforms: Motivations and Uses of Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and Snapchat among college students.

Gabler, N. (2001). Toward a new definition of celebrity. The Norman Lear Centre.

Hogan, (2010). The Presentation of Self in the Age of Social media: Distinguishing
Performances and Exhibitions Online.

Huesman, Jones & Miles (2012). The negative impact of social media on marriages.

James, E. O. (1952). Marriage and Society, London: Hutchinson’s University Library.

Leica, F. (2013). “Instagratifaction”: Uses and Gratifications of Instagram by University

Students for Interpersonal communication.

Nigeria Media Consumer Survey Report (2018). Lagos, Business Day.

Saleh M. and Mukhtar J. I., (2015). Social media and Divorce case study of Dutse L.G.A. Jigawa
state. IOSR Journal of Humanities and social science. Vol 20, issue 5, Ver. II

60
Sheldon, P., & Bryant, K., (2016). Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism
and contextual age.

Sheldon, P., & Newman, M., (2019). Instagram and American Teens: Understanding Motives for
its Use and Relationship to Excessive Reassurance-Seeking and Interpersonal Rejection.

Sobowale, I. (1983). Scientific Journalism, Lagos: John West Publications Ltd.

Stec, (2015): A Tale of Four Platforms: Motivations and Uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and Snapchat among college students.

William & Dorothy (2017). Social media new menace to meaningful relationships: “how to
manage the distractions and effect of social media on relationships”.

ONLINE SOURCES

Adamson (2017). The dangers of social media on marriage and family. Retrieved from;
www.ncu.edu.edu/blog/dangers-social-media-and-family.com

Adi Bhat (2020). Types of Survey with Examples, retrieved from

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/types-of-survey/

Alexandra, S. (2017). Family Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.ncu.edu/blog/gangers-.com

Boorstin D. (2001). Toward a New Definition of Celebrity. The Norman Lear Center, Annenberg
School of communication, University of Southern California.2-6.
http://www.learcenter.org/pdf/Gabler.pdf

Businesstopia. “Uses and Gratifications Theory.” 2018. https://www.businesstopia.net/mass-

communication/uses-gratifications-theory

61
Chen, Gina Masullo. “Tweet This: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective on How Active Twitter
Use Gratifies A Need to Connect With Others.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 27, no. 2,
2011, pp. 755-762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.10.023

Chris, A. Winter (2007). Theories of the media-perception theory. The University of Chicago.

Retrieved from http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/perceptionperceivability.html

Communication Studies. “Uses and Gratifications Theory.” 2019.

http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/uses-and-gratifications-theory

Francis, Andrew M. and Mialon, Hugo M., ‘A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The
Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration (September 15, 2014).
Available at SSRN: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2501480

Gaskins, T. (2017). Make it work: 22 time-tested, real-life lessons for sustaining a healthy, happy
relationship.

Oliver, Mary Beth, and Anne Bartsch. "Appreciation as Audience Response: Exploring
Entertainment Gratifications Beyond Hedonism." Human Communication Research, vol. 36, no.
1, 2010, pp. 53-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2009.01368.x

Punchng. (December 17, 2017). Protecting your marriage from social media.
http://punchng.com/protecting-your-marriage-from-social-media

www.wikipedia.org : History of Instagram.

Rubin, Alan A. “Audience Activity and Media Use.” Communication Monographs, vol. 60, no. 1,
1993, pp. 98-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637759309376300

Ruggiero, Thomas E. “Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century.” Mass
Communication and Society, vol. 3, no. 1, 2000, pp. 3-37.
https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0301_02

62
Smith, C. (2014). By the Numbers: 85 interesting Instagram statistics. Digital marketing
Ramblings. Retrieved from http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-
instagram-stats/

The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Reels (2021),retrieved from

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a38e71b010027205bf9931a/t/5f2f2af84c60823daacfc0d0/
1596926720570/The+Ultimate+Guide+to+Instagram+Reels.pdf

Song, Indeok, Robert Larose, Matthew S. Eastin, and Carolyn A. Lin. “Internet Gratifications
and Internet Addiction: On the Uses and Abuses of New Media.” Cyberpsychology and
Behavior, vol. 7, no. 4, 2004. http://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2004.7.384

Stafford, Thomas F. Maria Royne Stafford, and Lawrence L. Schkade. “Determining Uses and
Gratifications for the Internet.” Decision Sciences, vol. 35, no. 2, 2004, pp. 259-288.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.00117315.2004.02524.x

Weaver, James B. III. “Individual Differences in Television Viewing Motives.” Personality and
Individual Differences, vol. 35, no. 6, 2003, pp. 1427-1437. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-
8869(02)00360-4

Yaba College of Technology. (n.d.). Overview of students. https://www.yabatech.edu.ng

63
 APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Respondents.

My name is Gbemisola Odejide, a final year student of the department of Mass Communication
in the University of Lagos. I am conducting a study on STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF
INSTAGRAM’S INFLUENCE ON CELEBRITY MARRIAGES: A STUDY OF YABA
COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
B.Sc. degree in Mass communication.

Your sincere response to the following questions below will go a long way towards the
fulfillment of this research work. Your answers will not be disclosed to a third party as it is only
for academic purposes.

INSTRUCTIONS

64
Please carefully read the following questions and select the answer that is most suitable to you in
the questions below. Thanks for your anticipated response.

SECTION A: PERSONAL INFORMATON

1. Gender
Male ( ) Female ( )
2. Age range
16-20 ( )
20-24 ( )
24-28 ( )
Other ( )
3. Year
OND 1( )
OND 2 ( )
HND 1( )
HND 2( )

4. Programme
School of Art, Design and Painting ( )
School of Engineering ( )
School of Environmental studies ( )
School of Liberal Studies ( )
School of Management and Business Studies ( )
School of Science ( )
School of Technology ( )

SECTION B: THE LEVEL OF INSTAGRAM USAGE AMONGST YABA COLLEGE OF

TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS

5. Are you on Instagram ?

Yes ( ) No( )

65
 6. How often do you log on to Instagram?
Everyday ( )
Every other day( )
Once in a day ( )
Once in a while ( )
7. Why majorly do you get on Instagram?
To get celebrity gossips ( )
To get political information and be informed on current issues ( )
To be generally entertained ( )
No particular reason but to pass time ( )

SECTION C: FREQUENCY OF EXPOSURE (YABA TECH STUDENTS) TO

CELEBRITY MARRIAGES ON INSTRAGRAM

8. How up-to-date are you about married celebrities ?

Very up-to-date ( )
Up-to-date ( )
Fairly up-to-date ( )
Rarely up-to-date ( )
Not up-to-date ( )

SECTION D: PERCEPTION OF INSTAGRAM PORTRAYAL OF CELEBRITY

MARRIAGES

Pls tick the appropriate cell in the table below.

SA=Strongly Agree A=Agree U= Undecided D= Disagree SD= Strongly Disagree

SA A U D SD
9 Instagram tends to portray celebrity marriages as one without
problem
10 The way Instagram portrays celebrity marriages is misleading,
as it shows more of the rosy part than the rusty part.
11 Instagram focuses on the misfortune of celebrity marriages and
ignores the good aspect.
12 Instagram creates an assumption that the more lavish celebrities
wedding ceremony is, the more happiness they are likely to have
in their marriage.

66
 13 Instagram tends to portray celebrity marriages as that which is
perfect and unblemished.

SECTION E: PERCEPTION OF INSTAGRAM INFLUENCE ON CELEBRITY

MARRIAGES

Pls tick the appropriate cell in the table below.

SA=Strongly Agree A=Agree U= Undecided D= Disagree SD= Strongly Disagree

SA A U D SD
14 Married celebrities are at the risk of spilling out their private
matters on Instagram possibly because of pressure from their
fans and followers.
15 Instagram can serve as a distraction from focusing on the
interactions that nurture relationships.
16 Increased usage of Instagram may lead to marital problems in
celebrity marriages.
17 Married celebrities may find it hard to spend some quality time
with their loved ones due to their busy schedule and pressure on
Instagram.
18 Being active on Instagram negatively affects celebrity
marriages.
19 Being active on Instagram positively affects celebrity marriages.

67

View publication stats