Effect of Social Media on Academic Performance of Students in Ghanaian Universities: A Case Study of University of Ghana, Legon

• Published in: Library philosophy and practice pp. 0_1 - 24
• Main Authors: Bernard, Kolan John, Dzandza, Patience Emefa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lincoln University of Nebraska-Lincoln 01.02.2018; Library Philosophy and Practice
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Case studies; College students; Educational aspects; Higher education; Information sources; Library and information science; Social media; Social networks; Social research; Technology application; Ghana
• ISSN: 1522-0222; 1522-0222

The advent of the Internet in the 1990s led to major developments in the world of communication hence the introduction of social networking sites (SNS). The coming into being of these sites revolutionized the world of communication and today we celebrate its improvements ranging from education to entertainment. The evolution of the Internet has led to its usage as the best medium of communication whereby two-third (2/3) of the Internet world's population visit social SNSs thus serving as communication and connection tools. These networking sites are referred to as social media (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). Social media exploded as a category of online discourse which enables people to create contents, share them, bookmark them and network at a prodigious rate. The Internet is today the most important source of information and the growing dimensions of the use of social media by students cannot be underestimated. It has been observed that students devote more attention and time to social media than they do for their studies and they cannot pass their examinations well if they do not learn.