Journal of Global Social Sciences December 2023, Volume 4, Number 16, 167-186

ISSN: Print 2735-9328, Online 2735-9336

PATTERN OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE BY SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION IN DELTA STATE

Otubue Victor OVIE,

Department of Mass Communication, Delta State University, Abraka
otubueovie84@gmail.com
&
Paul BEBENIMIBO,
Department of Mass Communication, Delta State University, Abraka
paulbebenimibo@yahoo.com

Abstract

This study looks at how Delta State secondary school pupils use social media. The Uses and
Gratification Theory of Mass Communication served as the study's foundation. To direct the
investigation, three research objectives and research questions were developed. 250
respondents were systematically selected adopting Taro Yamane formula and were randomly
sample through multi-stage sampling techniques that applied structured questionnaire. The
mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the results. Based on the results, the study
came to the conclusion that social media usage is substantial among the students. The study
affirmed that students’ users typically use it to make friends, upload content, and share tales,
and that social media usage affects how students connect with one another. It recommends
that students should use social media less for social interactions and more for academic
purposes.

Keywords: Social Media, Students, Influence, Social Interactions, Academic, Delta State.

DOI: 10.58934/jgss.v4i16.226

1. INTRODUCTION

The invention of social media has changed the way people communicate with each
other, especially among young people. On the other hand, social media are Internet and mobile
applications that allow people to communicate, share, and provide feedback on social issues
without having to physically interact. In recent years, social media has been recognized for
helping bridge the communication gap by providing speed, accuracy, and efficiency in human
social communication According to Boyd (2011), social media is an interactive social platform
in which users use key communication-related features to establish contact, create personal
Pattern of social media usage by secondary school students for social interaction in Delta State

profiles, and update personal information. and share, like and comment on other users' social
media profiles. Bergström and Backman (2013) explain the relationship between social media
and mobile phones, arguing that the Internet and smartphones have become the main tools for
people around the world to quickly communicate. According to Fitri (2016), social networks
are mobile technologies widely used for communication and networking through speech,
images and videos. Social media features are continuously updated to meet the social interests
of the growing number of active users. Young people use social networks as a means of social
connection. According to Flynn, Nyhan and Reifler (2010) social media refers to a set of digital
platforms that allow interaction, two-way communication, and some type of computing, in
contrast to older media which in its original version did not require computer science
technology; now, with their current configuration, they use computer technology.

In short, according to Oji (2022) and Oji (2021) social networks include all platforms
such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. Linkedin, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram are all
social media platforms where users can communicate with each other. Sharing videos, sharing
photos, sharing voice messages, checking in on friends, birthday reminders, event reminders,
and remembering memories are all examples of these interactions. This means that social
networks offer countless possibilities for exchanging content and entertainment. Obalanlege
(2015) argues that social media has become popular because of its impact on the social
structure. People become more cautious as the nature of social relationships changes. Using
social networks to connect with others, such as friends, family, and acquaintances, is widely
used to connect with people. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are the most popular
social media platforms. People use these sites to exchange photos, videos, and information as
well as plan events, chat, and play online games.

Social Social media, according to Croteau and Hoynes (2003), significantly dissolves
the link between physical location and social location, making physical location less important
for relationships. human social system. According to Mitchelstein and Boczkowski (2013)
(2010), social media is a set of web applications that are built on the conceptual and
technological foundations of Web 2.0 and enable the creation and exchange of user-generated
content. Social media is becoming increasingly viable as a media and communication service
platform. Lai and Turban (2008) believe that social media can give users the opportunity to
add value to the application when using it through an edit box interface, exercising data control,

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Interact with more advanced software. level and create a network of friends and interactions
by socializing and gradually moving members from the physical world to the online world.

Social media are online social networking sites that provide a platform for users to share
photos and videos with others. Ting (2014) said user actions on social media include liking
friends' posts, commenting on them, uploading videos and photos, tagging friends, creating
hashtags, and making online purchases. Instagram is a mobile photo, video sharing, and social
networking program that allows users to take photos and videos and share them on social
networks (Frommer, 2010). According to Schlagwein and Hu (2017) social media is a photo-
sharing mobile application that allows users to take photos, apply filters to them, and post them
to this and other platforms. In other words, social media i is a social media network that allows
users to post photos, videos, audio, and other media to the public. He said social media, a
mobile service for taking and sharing photos and videos, has quickly become a new medium
in recent years. According to Akram and Kumar (2017), social media as a social network,
allows students to post content related to their social activities at school. It also allows students
to share educational information with other students and connect with students in other
countries. Students can communicate and share information easily with each other. Social
interaction on social media is becoming a popular topic among young people. Video sharing,
image uploading, social media TV, celebration tracking, and other interactive elements of
social media provide exciting opportunities for these people. They all share social gatherings,
birthday parties, graduations, going to parties, social outfits, new hair trends, comedy, drama
and more.

Statement of Problem

The Internet is now the most essential source of information and the growing
importance of social media use by students should not be overlooked. It has been observed that
students spend more time and attention on social media than on studying. However, it is
obvious that students will not be able to pass examination without studying (Osterman, 2015).
According to a research report by Kefe and Oji (2023) navigating social media networks is
very popular among high school students/youths in Nigeria and it allows the youths to
communicate information through text and images with people in near and far areas. This claim
by Kefe and Oji is supported by Mamsor and Rahim, 2013).

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Pattern of social media usage by secondary school students for social interaction in Delta State

According to Oji (2022), social networks have bad content in the form of
misinformation, fake news and other forms of hateful videos and deceptive messages. Because
social media is a video platform, some believe it has contributed to offensive behavior through
the posting of posting of nudity. These texts or videos considered to be offensive materials help
to push social interactions that follows shared contents on social networks. Many people view
the frequency of these posts as concerning. Surveys indicate that many youths are active on
Instagram (Yuen and Tang, 2023). This gives the illusion that these category of younger
generation are the producers of the much talked about offensive contents.

In addition to being a source of social vices, social networks have also become a source
of learning and progress as noted in Oji and Bebenimibo (2021) and Jude (2016). Many
educational sites target formal education, especially high school students. Social media have a
lot of educational resources. The main fact is that unverified claims state that views shared in
different posts indicate nudity, social entertainment and other non-educational posts receive
more views from users. Many scholars have not made much effort to understand recent trends
in social media use among Nigerian secondary school students. It is on this point that the
research seek to investigate the patterns of social media usage for social interaction by
undergraduate students using Delta State as study case.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to assess the pattern of Instagram usage by secondary
school students of Delta State while that followings are the specific objectives,

The followings are the objectives of the study:

1. To determine the level of social media use by secondary school in Delta State.
2. To ascertain the pattern of social media usage by secondary school students in Delta
State.
3. To find out the influence of social media use on social interaction among secondary
school students in Delta State

Research Questions

The followings research questions guided the study

1. What is the level of social media usage by secondary school students in Delta State.

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Ovie & Bebenimibo

2. What is the pattern of social media usage by secondary school students for social
interaction of Delta State?
3. What is the influence of social media usage on social interaction by secondary school
students in Delta State.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Concept of Social Media

One of the recent developments in the world is the advent of social media. Social media
has definitely changed the way things are done and the way they are done. With the increase
in the number of users, many people have logically decided that social networks are here to
stay. This is a recent technological development that has attracted the attention of people,
organizations, governments and civil society. Social media plays an increasingly important role
in social interactions and activities. Making history of social media, Abdulahi, Samadi and
Gharlehi (2014) argue that social media received significant attention in the early 2000s, the
web became much more personal as social networking sites.

The association was introduced and accepted by the public. What makes social
networks unique are the exciting features that make it easy to navigate to connect with friends
and long-distance relationships, such as real-time social interactions. Nowadays, people
depend on social media to manage their lives. According to Shabir, et al (2014) social networks
are the latest form of communication technology that contains many different interesting
features, attracting users for a long time without causing boredom. Social media promotes
communication such as text, audio messages, and visual/audio information. This offers the
ability to connect new friends and retain old friends from faraway places. Connect to the whole
world, connect directly. It's also cheaper and access to the world is faster, so it's important for
all ages.

Social media are social networking sites or microblog chips hosted on the Internet.
Therefore, it is understood that the Internet plays a vital role in navigating social media for
social interactions worldwide. Internet is known as a new media platform that contains a group
of tools or technologies available on the Internet. Explained from the perspective of new media,
social media and the Internet, Flynn, Nyhan and Reifler (2017) argue that new media is a term
that broadly refers to digital media that interactive, two-way communication and involves some
form of computing as opposed to older media. Their original incarnation did not require

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computer technology. Mitchelstein and Boczkowski (2013), social media is a group of Internet
applications built on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, allowing the
creation and exchange of user-generated content. Social media is becoming an increasingly
viable media and communications service platform. Olusesam, et al. (2014) argue that social
networks give users the opportunity to add value and regain value by connecting and building
relationships with close friends far away. Social media such as Facebook, Skype, Twitter,
YouTube and MySpace have recently been touted as a great way to equalize gatherings divided
by race, class and ethnicity. .

Level of Social Media Usage

Understanding social media and how it works will be a good basis for knowing the
extent of its use and how it contributes to social relationships between students. According to
Fitri (2016), based on the many functions associated with social networks, usage by high school
students around the world has increased. High school students post content photos or one-
minute videos. Apply filters and annotations to users, add and follow other accounts, check
feeds created by followed accounts, and explore (search) hashtags/users. There are cases where
students are fully engaged in using all the features of Instagram to socialize with close and
distant friends. Jason (2013) observed that social media is an online social networking and
photo sharing service that is frequently used by students. It allows users to like images and
apply filters to them, then share them on social networking sites, which has recently increased
interest and activity among college students. Social media is often used as a new photo sharing
networking platform because students are very interested in something very new and
technological (Salomon, 2013). Hochman and Schwartz (2012) note that the presence of
smartphones and high school students' imagined attachment to them encourages high levels of
use.

These apps are still used by young people around the world. This allows users to take
photos or apply various manipulation tools to transform the appearance of images and share
them instantly with friends on various social networking sites. According to them, Akram and
Kumar (2017) explain that social media is an online platform that young people use, especially
students, to build social networks or social relationships with others have the same activities,
situations, or similar relationships in real life. . Many researchers have established the fact that
the extent and frequency of Instagram use by students is much greater than that of older
demographic groups.

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Among those who regularly use social networks are teenagers and young adults.
Mansor and Rahim (2017) revealed in a survey that social networks are very popular among
teenagers and young people. Akram and Kumar (2017) argue that the impact of social media
on youth is significant due to its level of usage and satisfactory features. Many young people
use laptops, tablets and smartphones to view information on social networks, in which social
networks are a virtual stage for online networks. This website has more than 400 million active
customers and is owned by Facebook. A significant number of its customers use it to publish
data on travel, livelihoods, jobs, and similar topics. The scene is also identified by its notable
channels as well as video and photo edits of its highlights.

Pattern of Social Media by Students

There have been changes in communication patterns among secondary school students
in Nigeria. These changes are the result of recently developed technologies. According to Baisa
and Thoyib (2012), with the continuous development of communication processes, people
gradually change the way they interact with each other and work. Young students spend a lot
of time using it. The way college students communicate has changed. These changes are the
result of recently developed technologies. According to Baisa and Thoyib (2012), with the
continuous development of communication processes, people gradually change the way they
interact with each other and work. Young students spend a lot of time using Instagram to
interact. Fitri (2016) observed that the social media craze is also felt by young people,
especially students. Students can spend time almost around the clock using social media
through their laptops or mobile devices. They can have their own accounts to interact with
friends and have social interaction between people to interact with. Fitri (2016) observed that
young people, including students, also feel the popularity of social networks. Students can
spend time almost around the clock using social media through their laptops or mobile devices.

They can have their own accounts to interact with friends and social interactions
between people. According to Herring and Kepidzics (2015), never before in history have
young people had such an opportunity to be seen and heard by diverse audiences. . High school
students' social media usage patterns are influenced by the type of use. Sometimes social media
is used in a negative way because some students think that way. Huang and Su (2018) described
five main reasons why students use social media. This is fashion; displays, creative projects,
virtual exploration, entertainment and organization. The majority of social media posts are

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selfies. Fatri (2016) argues that students mainly use social media to take photos of themselves,
called selfies. They love taking photos and filtering them in the Instagram app.

Therefore, Instagram becomes a great place to share emotions and situations through
images. Akram and Kumar (2017) identify another motive that influences students' social
media usage patterns. Social media technology aims to highlight trends that are trending around
the world. Students can plan for what might happen in the future by observing changes on
social media sites. A very good example from Nigeria recently is the 10-year challenge. Images
from ten years ago are compared accordingly and the different images show the evolution of
growth, whether good or bad. According to Fitri (2016), most students like to take photos and
post them on their social media accounts. Teachers can develop an activity by applying this
method. Teachers can ask students to post pictures of their vacations. It could be their weekend,
their souvenir photos from last semester's vacation, etc. Students are encouraged to use
hashtags that others have not used before. They were then asked to choose five photos from
their own content to prepare a two-minute presentation about their vacation memories.
Teachers can expand on these activities based on program expectations. For example, teachers
can use this activity to teach students to retell a text orally. Students can be tasked with creating
story text based on their photos posted on Instagram. Hastag will give a general idea of what
they want to say in their presentation. By giving series of picture, it will be helpful in guiding
them to present and develop recount text structurally.

The motive for social media usage varies among the different gender. Gender difference
is one factor that determines how university student use the Instagram. Basically, how they use
the Instagram affect their educational development. According to Herring and Kapidzics
(2015), gender differences as well as some similarities are apparently in Instagram preference
and amount of use. Huong and Su (2018), in a survey of social network users in Taiwan,
showed that female users make up the majority and are also more active, with people aged 24
and older accessing Instagram more than other age groups. Barak, A. (2005) argues that girls,
on average, spend more time on social networking sites and actively consume materials than
boys.

One of the problems students encounter when writing is difficulty finding ideas. Social
fashion can be used as a source of fairy tale inspiration, which can serve as motivation for
student writing. Teachers can post an interesting photo and ask students to write a descriptive
caption in the comments section. The photo can help students come up with ideas about what

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to write. It can be challenging to ask students to write captions using specific sentence types,
different parts of speech, clauses, prepositional phrases, and their current vocabulary. Teachers
can post videos of English speakers.

The video can be a song, a dialogue, a movie or a quote in English. Students are
instructed to directly watch and listen to the video. Then, the children must answer the teacher's
questions about the content of the video. Herring and Kapidrics (2015), women and men differ
to some extent in the type of content they post on their profiles across various networking sites.
One participant said she posts “cute” photos. While male participants may share photos and
comments that they describe as self-promotional and contain sexual content or references to
alcohol.

Each social media has its own characteristics. These features constitute the value users
receive from using the platform. There are many different characteristics that make social
mistrust unique to high school students. These features allow students to interact, learn, share
ideas, and more. The first feature is Instagram, a file/document that stores user details. Profiles
have the ability to be edited or deleted. According to Fitri (2016), this part of the social network
displays the user, including the user's biography, circular profile picture, number of posts, and
number of followers by number. Profile viewers can see all profile photos appear together. For
clear work, the viewer has the opportunity to examine any photo.

Social suspicion, on the other hand, a user who follows any other user is called a friend;
Users who follow Instagram users are called followers. Users can define their privacy
preferences: only subscribers can view their publications. When other users want to follow,
they need the user's approval to become their follower. Users can set their privacy preferences
where only their followers can see their posts. When other users want to follow, they need the
user's approval to become their follower. Users can see the latest photos and videos of all their
friends listed in reverse chronological order. They can also favorite or comment on these posts.

In fact, social media are more than just selfies, likes/comments, and reposts. There are
five unavailable ones at the bottom of each page of the Instagram screen. The icons are the
home page, explore page, posts page, announcement page, and user profile page. These are the
basic navigation tools for social media. When using social media to post photos, users can tag
photos, including adding a location, tagging friends, and using keywords to tag photos.
According to Fitri (2016), teachers can also use social media to ask students to look through

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historical photos of famous people and create a bulletin board. Then, the class asked them some
questions related to their bulletin board. For example, if students are talking about a historical
figure in class, ask them who the photo is and describe 1-2 relevant things about that person.
This activity can also be used to teach students how to describe a specific person. Students
have the opportunity to share and post about their favorite celebrities. A succinct biography of
the individual ought to be provided. This can involve one's personality and outward look.
Following that, other students are free to share their own perspectives on the well-known
individual. A recent study that poses this question concerns how much social media is used.
Instagram is designed in such a way that users' feeds both photos and videos, ensuring that they
never miss any content, even while they are temporarily away from home. According to Döring
(2009), naked content on the Internet consists largely of images, meaning systems and
interactive information familiar to users. It's important to note that from a text perspective,
students often see nude content on Instagram. This explains that any text has the potential for
sexual interaction as well as the potential to arouse sexual interest in students. Benson (2003)
noted that just as the destructive power of fire requires careful use of this element of
unpredictability, online interactions can expose students to insidious threats to their health.
Students also view nude content on social media through images and videos. This was
essential in this study because the visual impact of sexual activity cannot be the same as the
textual content. According to Flood (2009), the emphasis on nudity (pornography) can
influence the viewer's attitude towards a particular sexual behavior and the adoption of that
behavior due to the connection between the mind and the body. consumer intelligence and
newsworthiness.

Young students are often tagged in social media posts, and this is an easy way for
students to view nude content without their permission. Additionally, the frequent use of
women to portray gender and sexual attraction was seen as a subtle way for students to view
nude content on Instagram. Euphenma and Ojil (2013), in a study on social networking sites
as a tool of sexual persuasion in college students, clearly revealed that the use of social
networking sites like social mediaqq contributes to sexual persuasion in students. It is noticed
that through these websites they are exposed to pornography, nudity, semi-nudity and use of
vulgar words which they often tend to practice in real life in the form of convince. This shows
that students watch a lot of nude content on Instagram.

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Theoretical Framework (Uses and Gratifications)

Essentially, the theory pertains to comprehending how the media affects people's daily
lives in a setting where audiences actively consume media and are driven to utilize various
media content to satisfy their diverse demands. (Gurevich et al, 1973). This viewpoint
developed in opposition to a mechanical understanding of media effects as portray in Oji (2011)
discussion of agenda setting theory. Consequently, it raised the question of how the media
affects people (Rubin, 1983). Nevertheless, other queries are also being raised, such as how
and why people use the media. These questions emerged from the claims made by cultivation
theory scholars like Bryant and Miron that storytellers have the ability to influence any society.
Since television is a special storyteller, the audience is never seen as actively creating their
viewing experience; rather, it is passive (Bryant and Miron, 2004).

The fundamental tenet of the Uses and Gratification theory is that a person cannot be
influenced by a media outlet unless they find value in the medium or in the message it conveys
(Rubin 1983). Perhaps pick up some dating terminology, see what the participants are wearing,
or familiarize oneself with the dating traps that continue to hound their friends when they go
out on dates. Therefore, it is presumed that young people may actively watch television, sort
through the material, rejecting what doesn't apply to them, and embrace what they are looking
for. As a result, one can disregard a participant's dress code as it is not necessary to achieve
their goals. Instead, they can learn word choice and language proficiency from the person
whose dress code they disregarded. These applications can all be summed up as motives. AS
Reiss and Wiltz (2005) assert that all motivation boils down to basic motivation, which shapes
people's actions and attention spans, it should not be forgotten the interpersonal connectivity
that propels social networks. Hence Akpabio ( 2003) in Oji (2006) noted that when traditional
media are paired with contemporary mass media, things that neither one could accomplish
alone—such as a shift in mind-set and knowledge—become possible.

With its unique perspective on fundamental motivation, the sensitivity theory of

motivation is based on the most important goals and causes that thousands of people rated.
Now, the framework of uses and gratifications is composed of five primary principles of use
and pleasure that are relevant to our research. When someone believes they have entered the
dating stage of life, for instance, their behavior is seen as purposeful, goal-directed, and
motivated, such as the need to find a spouse. In this era of social media use by young adults,
people choose and use media to satisfy biological, psychological, and social needs. Through
reality actors and the expert opinions provided through the programme, an individual can learn

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the tips of partner acquisition and retention strategies. Third, people choose their
communication options based on a variety of social and psychological reasons. Fourth, people
who use media are conscious of their wants and if a given medium is meeting them.

3. RESEARCH METHOD
This research was conducted using a survey design. When a researcher is interested in
people's attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors regarding variables or occurrences, they typically
employ the survey method. Additionally, the researcher administered a questionnaire to the
respondents in order to apply the survey design. Because this design is most suited for the
investigation, the researcher used it. Delta State secondary school pupils made up the study's
population. 4, 698, 391 people were counted in Delta State overall in the 2006 census (NPC,
2006). The population was estimated to be 7,105,860 in 2021 (Whiskey, 2023). A sample size
of 250 people was chosen for the investigation using the Taro Yamane formula. Secondary
school students from all three senatorial districts in the Delta State were chosen at random
using a multistage selection technique, and their opinions were then gathered via the
distribution of questionnaires.
4. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
Demographic Analysis of Respondents
Table1: Sex Distribution of Respondents
Sex of Respondents Frequency Percentage
Male 141 56.4
Female 109 43.6
Total 250 100%
Source; Field Survey (2023)

Table 1 showed that out of the total number of 250 respondents, 141 (56.4%) were male while
female respondents accounted for 109 (43.6%).

Table 2: Age Distribution of respondents

Age Range Frequency of Responses Percentage

10-14 124 49.6%

15-18 126 50.4%

Total 250 100

Source; Field Survey (2023)

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Table 2 showed that out of the total number of respondents, 124 (49.6%) were between the
ages of 10 to 14 while 126 (50.4%) of the respondents were between the ages of 15 to 18 years.

Table 3: Class Distribution of Respondents

Department Frequency of Response Percentage

JSS 3 47 18.8%

SS 1 53 21.2%

SS 2 72 28.8%

SS 3 78 31.2%

Total 250 100

Source; Field Survey (2023)

Table 3 showed that 47 (18.8%) of the respondents were in JSS 1 classes, 58 (21.2%) were
in SS 1 classes, 72 (28.8%) were in SS 2 classes and 78 (31.2%) were in SS3 classes.

Table 5: Religious Background of Respondents

Religious Frequency of Responses Percentage

Christianity 350 100%

Muslim - -

Total 250 100

Source; Field Survey (2023)

Table 5 showed that all the respondents, 250 (100%) are Muslim by religion.

Descriptive Data Analysis

Table 5: Social media Usage level by Secondary School Students in Delta State

Description of Item Number Mean Standard Deviation

Respondents
A student have more than 300 friends 250 3.9120 .33572
on social media accounts
Social media is use daily by students 250 3.8720 .34655

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Pattern of social media usage by secondary school students for social interaction in Delta State

Students spend more than 5 hours 250 3.7960 .40378

daily accessing social media.
Students have more than three social 250 3.7920 .40669
media accounts
Students post contents daily on social 250 3.7600 .42794
media
Student chat with friends daily on 250 3.7800 .41508
social media
Valid N (listwise) 250

Source; Field Survey (2023)

Table 6 shown mean and standard deviation for the level of social media usage by secondary
school student in Delta Stat. Given the bench mark of 2.5 mean, all items in the table were
accepted. In summary, the result indicated that secondary school students have minimum of
300 friends on social media and they use social media on daily basis. Majority of the students
spend more that 5 hours daily on social media and they have more than three social media
accounts. Secondary school students post contents and share contents daily.

Table 6: Pattern of Social media Usage level by Secondary School Students in Delta
State

Description of Item Number Mean Standard Deviation

Respondents
Social mef8a is use to make distance 250 3.7600 .42794
friends
Social media is use to keep in touch 250 3.7760 .41776
with friends in the school
Social media is use to establish 250 3.7760 .41776
relation with opposite sex
Social media is use for 250 3.7800 .42464
communication of social activities.
Social media is use to social stories 250 3.8120 .39150
Social media is use to understand 250 3.7920 .40669
different social classifications
Valid N (listwise) 250
Source; Field Survey (2023)

Table 7 shown mean and standard deviation pattern of social media usage by secondary school
student in Delta State. Given the bench mark of 2.5 mean, all items in the table were accepted.
In summary, the result indicated that secondary school students use social media to content to
distance friendsand keep in touch with friends in school. Social media is used to establish
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relationship with opposite sex and communication of social activities. Social media is used to
tell social stories and differentiate between social classes in the society.

Table 8: The Influence of Social media negative Usage on social interaction Secondary
School Students in Delta State

Description of Item Number Mean Standard Deviation

Respondents
Pornographic contents share on 250 3.7440 .44639
social that affect social interaction
Gossip on social media affect social 250 3.7280 .44588
interactions
Fraud contents on social media affect 250 3.7520 .44190
social interaction
Indecent dressing on social media 250 3.7520 .43272
affect social interactions
Social media blackmail and fake 250 3.7240 .44791
identity affect social interaction
pornographic contents share on 250 3.7440 .44639
social that affect social interaction
Valid N (listwise) 250
Source; Field Survey (2023)

Table 8 shown mean and standard deviation influence of social media usage by secondary
school student in Delta State on social interaction. Given the bench mark of 2.5 mean, all items
in the table were accepted. In summary, the result indicated that pornographic, gossip, fraud,
indecent dressing, and blackmail and fake identity contents on social media influence
secondary school student’s social interactions.

5. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The results from the findings Indicated that

• Secondary school students in Delta State, Nigeria frequently access social media. To
evaluate the level of usage of social media by students in secondary schools, result
further revealed that these students have minimum of 300 friends on each of the social
media accounts and they consistently post contents.
• Secondary school students in Delta State frequently use social media to connect with
both distance friend and friends within their school environment as they use the social
media to tell social stories.

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Pattern of social media usage by secondary school students for social interaction in Delta State

• Students in secondary schools in Delta State are exposed to negative contents on social
media and these affects their social interactions with friends.

Based on these findings, the result have significant relationship with existing studies.
Accordingly, the study established social interaction usefulness of social media and this is
agreed with Boyd (2010), who stated that social media is an interactive social platform in which
users use key communication-related features to establish contact, create personal profiles,
and update personal information. and share, like and comment on other users' social media
profiles.

The level of usage of the social which this study highlighted agreed Obalanlege (2015)
who argued that social media has become popular because of its impact on the social structure.
People become more cautious as the nature of social relationships changes. Using social
networks to connect with others, such as friends, family, and acquaintances, is widely used to
connect with people. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are the most popular social
media platforms. People use these sites to exchange photos, videos, and information as well as
plan events, chat, and play online games.

Relating to negative influence of social media usage on social interaction, the result
agreed with Benson (2003) who noted that just as the destructive power of fire requires careful
use of this element of unpredictability, online interactions can expose students to insidious
threats to their health. Students also view nude content on Instagram through images and
videos. This was essential in this study because the visual impact of sexual activity cannot be
the same as the textual content. According to Flood (2009), the emphasis on nudity
(pornography) can influence the viewer's attitude towards a particular sexual behavior and the
adoption of that behavior due to the connection between the mind and the body. Furthermore,
Mastrodicasa and Metellus (2013) claim that social networking sites have the potential to
influence college students' sexual preferences and disclosed how these sites are used to
influence students' sexual preferences. It has been observed that these websites expose them to
vulgar language, nudity, semi-nudity, and pornography—all of which they frequently use to
persuade others in real life. This demonstrates how much nude content students view on social
media.

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Ovie & Bebenimibo

6. CONCLUSION

Based on the result of the findings, the study concluded that significant pattern of social
media usage by secondary school students in Delta State. Furthermore, majority of the students
agreed that there is significant high level social media by students.. Also, the pattern of social
media usage by secondary school students include, making of friends, keeping in touch with
friends, establishing relationship with opposite sex and chatting and sharing of social contents.
Finally, there is significant negative influence of social media on social interaction of students.
These include pornographic, gossip, fake identity and fraud and indecent dressing.

Recommendations

1. Students should continue to use social media for academic activities always to as to
help them increase their academic performance and achievement.
2. Students should pay more attention to academic performance than social interaction on
social media to as not to allow social interactions on Instagram interfere with their
studies and learning.
3. Finally, students should also discover through research other social media that have
educational contents that will help them improve their academic performance.

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