USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY STUDENTS OF TAMALE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The study investigates use of social media by students of Tamale Technical University in Ghana, with faculties of Business (FoB) and Applied Science and Technology (FAST) selected for a case study. The objectives of the study include; types of social media platforms used by students, reasons for the use of social media by students, the level of exposure of students to social media sites. A sample size of 280 out of a population of 934 of third year 300 students were participated, out of which 272 (97.1%) of the questionnaire were retrieved. The findings of the study revealed that the most frequent use of social media tool by students of Tamale Technical University was WhatsApp. Entertainment and up-to-date information were found to be some of the reasons Tamale Technical University Students use social media. Correspondingly, the study revealed that students spent much time on social media which could affect the amount of time they spent studying. The study recommended that restriction of social media use during classes time. It also recommended students to allocate much time for their studies and use of social media for the right purposes, particularly academics.