Perceived Influence of Social Media Usage Among Youth: A Survey

Abstract

The use of social media has significantly changed means of communication and reshaped individual habits, especially the younger generation. These changes have vital implications on youth. This study investigated the perceived influence of social media usage among youth in Lagos State, Nigeria. Survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study were youth and, the sample size was 200 participants. Questionnaire was used to collect the data. The findings revealed that the most common social media accounts used by the respondents were Facebook and Whatsapp. The findings also show that a majority of the youth agreed to the negative influences of social media usage on their behavior and lifestyle. The study concluded that the current findings may help to better understand the influence of social media use on the youth, and hence inform strategies to balance between control and participation as well as curtailed its negative effect.