Reading Habits on Social Media for Academic Purposes

Abstract

The study examined the reading habits on social media platforms of undergraduate students in Adamawa State University, Mubi in Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. Five hundred questionnaires using Google designed forms were distributed.  Four hundred and thirty valid responses were analysed. The analysis showed that all of the respondents engage in reading on various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter and has increased their level of reading due to easy availability of information on these platforms. The study also revealed that the students use these platforms mainly for academic activities that involve reading required in that academics.  The recommendation from the study is that social media should be used pragmatically for the purpose of enhancing educational pursuit. This is without prejudice to communication with family and friends, keeping abreast with current situations and for self-development and even some form of entertainment. This study also recommended that lecturers should encourage students to be more involved in using the social media to access vital information for their assignments, group work in order to inculcate the use of the platforms for educationally productive ventures.