CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Interpersonal relationships are the acts of friendship that occur between two or
more people in society, and schools are part of this social structure. To establish
strong relationships among students, they often adopt social media to achieve this.
Over the years, experience has shown that students excessively use and depend on
social media to express and convey ideas or facts during the interpersonal
interaction process (Amore, 2019);

The internet is not only meant to search for information but also as a means of
connecting with people, making new friends, and reconnecting with old ones. The
Internet has enabled new forms of social interaction due to its widespread usability
and access. In most third-world countries, the use of the internet has become even
more accessible through mobile phones. Many people use the internet to access
news, weather, and sports reports, plan and book vacations, and learn more about
their interests. Today, people mostly use the internet to interact on social media—
they chat, message, share photos, and stay in touch with friends and relatives
worldwide. Uzoka S.D (2021),

Nwanze (2017) stated that the new forms of social interactions enabled by the
internet are social networking sites (SNSs). SNSs such as Friendster, CyWorld,
Facebook, and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their
social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others. Participants
may use these sites to interact with people they already know offline or to meet
new people. Each SNS user has a profile to link up with other users. Social
networking sites allow users to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities, events, and
interests with people in their network. For example, Facebook enables its users to
present themselves in an online profile, accumulate "friends" who can post
comments on each other's pages, and view each other's profiles. Facebook
members can also join virtual groups based on common interests, see what classes
they have in common, and learn each other's hobbies, interests, musical tastes, and
romantic relationship status through the profiles.

With technology being part of our everyday lives, social media has been adopted
by students as a means of communication and interactive digitally mediated
technologies that facilitate the creation or sharing/exchange of information, ideas,
career interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and
networks ( Ahn, 2011).

Ahmad Mushaq (2018) says that the emergence they do not call for advanced
internet knowledge or experience and are made up of a wide array of different
formats and topic. This means that anyone can connect through social media. The
types of social media that are commonly used among the undergraduate students of
Moshood Abiola Polytechnic are facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, snapchat, Emo,
tweeter and so on. Akinbode (2018), Amore (2019), Sudha and Kautta (2016)
agree that social media have attracted considerable attention among students and
instructors due to the increasing popularity among students and the effect it has on
interpersonal relationship. Due to their nature of allowing people to share common
interests, photos and linking up acquaintances, people are spending many hours on
the social networking sites. The most affectedgroup is the youths and especially
higher institution who are in their youth age. This research looks into the impact of
the social networking sites on interpersonal relationships among undergraduate
students.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Social media as a means of interpersonal relationship is growing rapidly among the

students of higher institutions in Nigeria. Social media sites are widely used by
individuals to fulfill their needs and interact with others. Many students use social
media to facilitate and maintain relationships with family, friends, and loved ones.

However, spending excessive time on social media has negatively impacted

students. Some students are on social media every single minute, even during
lectures, leading to distractions that prevent them from absorbing the lecture
content. Frequent use of social media has undoubtedly caused addiction, negatively
influencing students by disrupting their studies, leading to procrastination, and
preventing them from keeping up with their academic responsibilities.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to explore the effects of social media on
interpersonal relationships among undergraduate students at Delta State
Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara. Specifically the following constitutes the objectives of
the study:

i. To examine the positive effects of social media on interpersonal

relationship among Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara students
ii. To assess the negative effects of social media on interpersonal
relationship among the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara students
iii. To account for the commonly used social media for interpersonal
relationship among Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara students.
iv. To investigate the impact of demographic variables such as age, gender,
and field of study on the perception and utilization of social media
 platforms for interpersonal communication among undergraduate
students at Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will guide the study:

i. What are the positive effects of Social Media on interpersonal

relationship among Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara students?
ii. What are the negative effects of Social Media on interpersonal
relationship among Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara students?
iii. What are the commonly used social media among Delta State
Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara students?
iv. How do demographic factors such as age, gender, and field of study
influence the perception and utilization of social media platforms for
interpersonal communication among undergraduate students at Delta
State Polytechnic, Otefe Oghara?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Inter-personal relationship with social media is preferred greatly nowadays around

the world. It is also common among university students. Tertiary students prefer
new technological devices more when compared with the older generations.
Especially, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, whatsApp etc are preferred mostly by the
new generation. Determinative role of new generations is important for the
communication habits of the future generations. Therefore, inter-relationship
choice of tertiary students as new generation will indicate communication devices
and communication channels of the future. This study will raise the awareness on
the positive and negative effects of Social Media on the interpersonal relationship
among students. It will also state some of the commonly used Social Media
platforms and encourage the undergraduate students of Delta State Polytechnic,
Otefe oghara to use the Social Media positively.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is limited in scope to the effect of social media platform on interpersonal
relationship among undergraduate students of delts state polytechnic, otefe oghara

Thus, the study is geographically limited to oghara in ethiope west local

government area of Delta State.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The research was constrained financially; the researcher limited the sample size to
a reasonable minimum as there was no enough money at their disposal. The
researcher had difficulties in convincing the respondents to fill in the
questionnaire.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Interpersonal Relationship: Refers to the acts of friendship occurring between

two or more individuals within the societal context, emphasizing the role of the
school as part of this social structure.

Social Media: Digitally mediated technologies and platforms that facilitate

communication, interaction, and the exchange of information, ideas, interests, and
other forms of expression among individuals through virtual communities and
networks.

Social Networking Sites (SNSs): Online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram,

Twitter, and others that allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their
social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others. Users can share
ideas, pictures, posts, activities, events, and interests within their network.
Demographic Factors: Characteristics of individuals within a population, such as
age, gender, and field of study, which may influence their behaviors, preferences,
and interactions with social media platforms and interpersonal relationships.

Positive Effects of Social Media: Benefits or advantages derived from the use of
social media platforms, such as enhanced communication, expanded social
networks, and opportunities for self-expression and connection with others.

Negative Effects of Social Media: Adverse consequences or drawbacks associated

with the use of social media platforms, including issues like cyberbullying,
misinformation, addiction, and negative impacts on mental health and interpersonal
relationships.

Perception and Utilization: Refers to how individuals perceive and engage with
social media platforms for interpersonal communication, encompassing their
attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and patterns of usage.

CHAPTER TWO
 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 CONCEPT OF SOCIAL MEDIA

According to Boyd, & Ellison, (2008). Social media is media for social interaction.
It is the use of web based and mobile technologies to turn communication into
interactive dialogue. The term social media is broad and it covers arange of
websites. There are basically six kinds of social media i.e. social networks, blogs,
wikis, podcasts, forum, content communities and micro blogging.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition defines social media as forms
of electronic communication such as websites for social networking and
microblogging. They are interactive internet based applications or mediated
technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing information, ideas, career
interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks.

Social media also facilitate the development of online social networks by

connecting a user’s profile with those of other individuals. As users engage with
these electronic services, they create highly interactive platforms through which
individuals, communities, and organizations can share, co-create, discuss,
participate and modify user generated content or self-curated content posted online.

Amore, (2019) postulates that some of the most popular Social Media websites
include facebook, Wechat, Instagram, Twitter, LinkdenIn, Telegram, TikTok,
Pinterest. He further categorizes them into: Internet browsers and search engines
(explorer, Mozilla, firefox, opera mini, google chrone), websites and blogs
(WWW), online video/ audio streams (YouTube, Itunes, Boomplay, Soundcloud),
text messaging (Whatsapp, Telegram, Truecaller), Email (Yahoo, Google,
Hotmail), Online communities and for a (FAcebook, Nairaland, Twitter) Internet
telephony (Skype, Whatsapp, IMO) and so on.
According to Adegbite (2019), we are in the digital age. The digital age refers to
the present time of information technology or the new media. Techopedia explains
new media or technology as a catch-all term used for various kinds of electronic
communications that are conceivable due to innovation in computer technology.
This is in contrast to old media, which includes newspapers, magazines, books,
television and other such non-interactive media.

Baym, Zhang, and Lin (2004) studied social interactions of college students across
all media. Their results indicated that 64% still prefer face-to-face interaction,
18.4% prefer the telephone, and only 16.1% prefer the internet for making social
contacts. The internet interactions reported showed that e-mail was by far the most
dominant form of contact, followed by chat and instant-messaging (Baym et al.,
2004). Of the 51 participants in the study, 49 reported conducting their social life
contacts through at least two, and often three, methods on any given day (Baym et
al., 2004). Similarly, one study reported that over 27% of young adults used a
social networking site every day in 2009 (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr,
2010).

Social media help fulfill communication needs and wants. It is a convenient

method of communication and provides the ability to stay connected with friends
and family, but on the users own rate and time (Urista, Dong, & Day, 2009). Users
can manage their interactions within their own schedule by choosing when they
want to read and respond. The internet communication is a solitary activity usually
done alone. However, it is efficient because it is a one-to-many method of
communication that allows users to quickly spread information.

According to Lenhart et al., (2010), about 57% of social network users are 18-29
years old and have a personal profile on multiple social media websites. In a study
by Pempek, Yermolayeva, and Calvert (2009), the amount of time spent daily on
social network sites varied greatly. However, an analysis of the data indicated most
participants spent approximately 30 minutes a day socializing, mostly during the
evening hours between 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Students spent an average of 47 minutes a
day on Facebook. More than 50% of college students go on a social networking
site several times a day (Sheldon, 2008).

Quan-Haase and Young (2010) found that 82% of college students reported
logging into Facebook several times a day. Younger students tended to use
Facebook more frequently than older students to keep in touch with friends from
high school or from their hometown (Pempek et al., 2009). When internet
technology has surged in popularity, it is reasonable to be curious about its impact
on human face-to-face communication.

Baym et al. (2004) found that the quality and quantity of interactions in other
media were not threatened by social internet sites. Online social interaction is only
part of the total multimedia social relationship, not an entity in itself. Local social
relationships are most likely to use face-to-face contacts and least likely to use the
internet. Long distance relationships are maintained with the internet about as often
as with the telephone. Internet interactions were perceived as high in quality and
only slightly lower than face-to-face conversations and telephone calls.

Gender is the only significant demographic variable affecting social media use, as
there are some differences between use by men and women. Women are more
likely than men to have a personal profile on Facebook, but men are more likely
than women to sustain a profile on LinkedIn (Lenhart et al., 2010). Furthermore,
women were four to five times more likely than men to use social networking sites
(Tufekci, 2008). Moreover, Sheldon (2008) found that overall women were more
likely to use social media for maintaining relationships with family and friends,
passing time, and entertainment, but men were more likely to use social media to
meet new people. College women were also more likely than men to use the
internet for relational communication, such as contacts with friends, family, and
romantic partners (Baym, Zhang, Kunkel, Ledbetter, & Mei-Chen, 2007).
Educational experience of men and women seemed to play a factor in social media
use as well. Men and women were more likely to use social network sites
frequently if they had college experience (Lenhart et al., 2010).

2.1.1 CONCEPT OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

Interpersonal personal relationship is also known as a close relationship. This kind

of relationship is commonly fond within the family and small circle of best friends.
It is an association between two or more people that is based on inference, love,
solidarity, interactions or some other type of social commitment.

Akinbode and Ajeyalemi (2007) reveals that interpersonal relationships grow and
improve dradially, as people get to know each other and become closer
emotionally, or they gradually deteriorate as people drift apart, move on with their
lives and form new relationship with others.

Studies conducted by Lenhart et al. (2010) indicated that if we have strong, caring
relationships with others, we are more likely to have strong and caring
relationships with others, we are more likely to be health and love longer. Poor
relationships with family and friends promote depression, drug abuse, weight
problems, and other mental health problems.

Students in tertiary institutions establish interpersonal relationship the moment

they meet each other or one another. They exchange contacts and get connected
through any mean of social media and develop other traits along with the
relationship for strength and stability.
Below are some of the interpersonal relationships the undergraduate students
established through the social media:

Rapport: Students chat with anyone they feel comfortable with especially if they
are at east with the other persons. This can take a time to develop.

Empathy: This refers to the ability to see the world through another person’s eyes,
understanding his/her feelings and actions

Trust: When you trust another person you expect acceptance and support from
him/her.

Mental expectations: These are seen as relationship grow; partners should have
mutual expectations for it. The relationship should be handed toward the same
purpose or goals for both people.

Flexibility: Social Media allows for flexibility and changes through plans made or
developed by friends.

Uniqueness: Social Media makes the interpersonal relationship among students to

stand out and to be different in some ways.

Interdependence: It makes one to feel concerned about someone else’s life through
chatting and posting

There some facts affecting interpersonal relationship among students. They are

Communication: Feelings must be expressed and reciprocated in relationships.

Individuals need to communicate with each other effectively for better
understanding.

Compatibility: Individuals with the same goals do wonderfully in life. There

should not be conflict or misunderstanding in a relationship.
Honesty: Do not say lies, be honest and hide nothing from your friend.
Transparency is important in relationships.

Time: Friends must have adequate time to know each other better. Time is an
important factor in interpersonal relationship.

2.2 SOCIAL MEDIA AS PROMOTER OF INTERPERSONAL

RELATIONSHIP AMONG STUDENTS

According to Quan-Haase et al., (2010). Communication and building relationships

with another is an essential part of human life. Social media has become the
biggest platform which helps people to connect with another and fulfills the need
for communication. Due to busy lifestyle of today’s generation, they do not have
much time to spend with one another. Their academic life and work pressure keep
their time schedule tight. So, they find social media a more convenient tool to
reach out to others as it saves time, energy and money but at the same time they are
able to remain connected to friends, family, colleagues and others. It brings
together more and frequent contacts with people.

Pempek et al.,( 2008) said that Interpersonal relationships among people have
changed drastically today. On the brighter side communication has become easy
and quick with the development of information technology and the whole world is
within the reach of everyone. On the other hand, there is decline in face- to-face
interactions and the quality time spent within family conversations.

Too much of aimless conversation over smart phone, interferences into the life of
other individuals which lead to misunderstanding, impatience, boredom, avoidance
of persons and so on are on the increase. This study, impact of social media in the
interpersonal relationship among youth is aimed at gaining a deeper understanding
regarding the positive and negative influence of the social media in the life and
interpersonal relation of youth as well as to create awareness among youth with
regard to the responsible use of technology (Baker & Oswald, 2010).

Isika. (2013) studied that the utilization of social media networks in education of
two private schools in North and South Cyprus. The main focus of the study was
given to comparison of the student’s activities of the two schools regarding usage
of social media. In the study, the utilization of social system in education was
examine as a new basic necessity. The use of social networks outside classrooms
was very limited. The study indicated that it is due to parents’ negative impression
about social media. One of, the interesting findings was that the computer
technology teachers for both schools were not promoting utilization of social
media because of lack of trust on such networks. Also, study indicated that the
instructors of both schools appreciated usage of social media only along face-to-
face lectures and communication. The reason behind this is that the students
belonging to both schools lacked confidence in face-to-face communication. This
is a great setback network. The conclusion of the study was that teachers belonging
should have training on safe and secure utilization of social media in order to have
competency and comfort in using social networks.

Jamil et al. (2013) the study has been done in order to investigate the effect of
Facebook usage in academic grades of the private college students. Gender
contrast in the use of Facebook were likewise considered and examined. It was
speculated that there will be critical effect of Facebook use on college students’
grades and that there will be a noteworthy gender contrast regarding Facebook
usage.

2.3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study is anchored on the Agenda Setting Theory of the press. According to
Elozonam (2019), Agenda setting describes the "ability (of the news media) to
influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda". The theory
suggests that the media has the ability to shape public opinion by determining what
issues are given the most attention, and has been widely studied and applied to
various forms of media. The study of agenda-setting describes the way media
attempts to influence viewers, and establish a hierarchy of news prevalence.
Nations judged to be endowed with more political power receive higher media
exposure. The agenda-setting by media is driven by the media's bias on things such
as politics, economy and culture, etc. The evolution of agenda-setting and laissez-
faire components of communication research encouraged a fast pace growth and
expansion of these perspectives. Agenda-setting has phases that need to be in a
specific order in order for it to succed.

In agenda setting function this interpersonal relationship through

exchanging information is called an important and enforcing element in exerting
social media salience to the people. One could call it a step in furthering the
agenda of the media or otherwise. In these different steps of message travelling, the
process of agenda setting does continue. People according to their own mind map
or requirements give importance to that new issue more than some other ongoing
issues and it is remained underway during the interpersonal communication and
discussion among the members of the society (Arnett, 2000).

The study conducted by Pempek et al. ( 2008). Revealed that the discussion on
the issue of interpersonal relationship strengthens the agenda setting effects and
influence. Through such interpersonal relationship and informal channels, the
public do have access to information about some issues. The role of interpersonal
relationship for making some opinion on the social media, religious or political
issues has been very vital. Especially in traditional and less educated and less
media literate societies like Pakistan where people still depend on others for
making any political, social and other important decision. Therefore, the room and
scope of interpersonal relationship is prominent as what is discussed in social
media is ultimate the debate of the people if they consider the matter is relevant
and beneficial for them.

2.4 EMPERICAL REVIEW

A study conducted by Kraut, Scherlis, Mukhopadhyay, Manning, &Kiesler (1999),

measuring the impact of social and psychological involvement regarding Internet
usage and well-being, found a relationship between the greater usage of the
Internet and the declines in the communication between family members within a
home(1996).This study further suggested that Internet usage can result in the
reduction of family communication and face-to-face interaction (Kraut et al.,
1996). A different study conducted by Kraut, Kielser, Boneva, Cummings,
Helgeson, & Crawford (1998), found that high Internet usage, for communication
purposes, was connected to low levels of communication in the home and also
increased the feelings of loneliness and depression. Plowman et al., (2010)
suggests that technology can have a negative impact on the social interactions
within the home, and references regarding modern culture creating a toxic
technology driven atmosphere which can increase the risk of social isolation, limit
linguistics, and increase obesity.

Research conducted by Bovill and Livingstone (2001) on the journal of technology

argues that excessive media usage is leading adolescents and children to spend
large portions of their time in the bedrooms instead of family or communal areas of
the home. This in turn is causing a more individualized and socially excluded
generation who is spending less time with familymembers within the home and
causing a negative impact on communication and social interaction skills (Bovill &
Livingstone, 2001).

SMS site usage can be an activity that consumes time that could be otherwise spent
with family members. In a study conducted by Mesch (2006) on the social media
impact found that Internet use at home is positively associated with family
conflicts and distances people from communication and social interaction within
the family structure. Studies conducted by Mesch (2006) showed that daily
frequency of low Internet usage for teens showed a more positively relationship
with family members and friends. Adolescents also reported that Internet usage
does not improve their relationships with parents and it also consumes time that
could be spent with family members (Mesch, 2006). It is also observed by Mesch
(2006) that families who devote time together in shared activities enjoy a higher
quality of communication within the family.

We are among the times of multi-tasking. SMS use contributes to a world where
individuals are always elsewhere by being preoccupied from the social and
physical presence of the here and now, by what may be a more attractive target on
SMS (Wallis, 2010).

2.5 SUMMARY

Social media, comprising various online platforms like social networks, blogs, and
microblogging sites, enables interactive communication and information sharing
within virtual communities. Popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, and TikTok. The digital age has transformed communication patterns,
especially among youth, who often use social media for interpersonal interactions.
Interpersonal relationships, influenced by factors like trust and communication, are
increasingly established through platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. Social
media has altered interaction styles and socialization patterns, leading to the
emergence of virtual relationships. The Agenda Setting Theory explains how
media shapes public opinion, while studies suggest a link between excessive
internet usage and declines in family communication and well-being.

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 RESEAERCH DESIGN

The research design for this study is survey. Ohaja (2003:11) defines a survey as
the study of the characteristics of a sample through questioning, which enables a
researcher to make generalisation concerning his population of study.

3.2 POPULATION OF THE STUDY

The sample size for this study comprises 376,739 individuals. These individuals
represent the collective count of mass communication students that makes use of
social media.

3.3 SAMPLE SIZE

The sampling size of this study consist of 400 respondents drawn from the
population. The taro yameni formular was adopted to arrive at this size. The
formula is:

N
n = 1+ ( e ) 2

n = sample size
N = Population of the study
I = Constant
e = Error margin(0.05)2

376,739
n = 1+ 376,739 ( 0.05 ) 2

376,739
n = 1+ 376,739(0.0025)

376,739
n = 1+ 941,847
 376,739
n = 941

n = 400

:n= 400

3.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

The sampling technique adopted for this study the Taro yameni’s sampling
technique

3.5SOURCE OF DATA

The data used for this research was from two soyurces. Primary and Secondary
sources. The primary source ofdata used for this study is the questionnaire. The
secondary source of data used for this study include: Books, Newspapers,
Magazine and the internet.

3.6 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

The questionnaire was used to collect data for this research. The questionnaire was
used because it was the easiest and most realible way through which data could be
generated for this study.

3.7 VALIDITY OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

To ascertain the validity of the questionnaire, a copy of the questionnaire was

given to the supervisor, a statistician and one educational research expert. Each of
them made corrections in the instrument and their corrections were effected on the
questionnaire.

3.8 RELIABILITY OF THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The research instrument was tested to determine its reliability by conducting a pilot
study before the actual study. The researcher distributed some copies of the
questionnaire to the respondents twice and found out that their responses were
consistent.

3.9 METHOD OF DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

The researcher made use of simple statistical tables for data presentation and
analyzed the data using simple percentages. The formula for simple percentage is:
FX 100
%= N X 1

F = frequency

N= number of respondents