Effects of Using Social Media on Students’ Academic Performance of Higher Education in Nigeria: Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

With Web 2.0 formation, social media, and social networking among the youth spanning from the age of 17-40 is growing globally. Social media is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to input, interaction, content sharing, and collaboration based on the community. The general purpose of this review is to provide details on the effects of using social media on the academic achievement of higher education students in Nigeria. Many studies indicated that social media has both positive and negative results.  E.g., socialization, knowledge exchange, chat space, and conferencing are some of the positive outcomes; improve networking opportunities and access health-related information; Depression, paranoia, catfishing, intimidation, cybercrime, extremism, and social innovation are within the students' derogatory aspects of social networking. Generally, when students use social media for a suitable purpose and predefined goals, the result will be positive and the reverse for negative side effects will be true. To reduce and save the students from their negative side effects and encourage the positive ones, all the bodies concerned should work together.