Social Media Usage and Social Wellbeing of Undergraduate in Nigeria

Social well-being is critical to individual's overall well-being and daily functioning. This study assessed the prevalence of social media usage among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). It investigated the level of social well-being of the students and examined the influence of social media usage on social well-being of the undergraduates. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population for this study comprised the undergraduates of the university. A sample of 300 undergraduates was selected from the population (females = 57%; age range 22-27 years; favourite social media platform = Whatsapp) using convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using two research instruments, titled Social Media Use Integration Scale (α = 0.82) and Social Wellbeing Scale (α = 0.78). The Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that there is a prevalence of social media usage among the undergraduates and the social well-being of the undergraduates is high. Furthermore, a positive relationship was found between social media usage and social well-being (R = 0.672, p < 0.001). Based on these findings, it is recommended that school administrators integrate digital wellness modules into orientation and general courses to further enhance student’s social wellbeing.

Social Media, Social media usage, Social wellbeing, Undergraduates

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