THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON INFORMATION GATHERING AMONG REDEEMER’S UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

This paper examines the preferred social media platforms used by Redeemer’s University students for information gathering, the types of social media platforms used by Redeemer’s University students for information gathering, the information that college students look for on social media platforms and the length of time that students at Redeemer’s University spend on social media. This paper explored Uses and gratification theory as the theoretical ferment and foundation that underpinned this study. The study found out that majority of Redeemer’s University students use and prefer Twitter and Tiktok in gathering information from social media. Findings indicated that majority of Redeemer’s University students, 68(36.9%) use the social media to gather information for entertainment purposes. The study also found out that majority of the respondents use phone in gathering information from the social media. The study discovered that most respondents spend 2-4 hours on time in gathering information and respondents gather information often from social media. Thus, the paper concluded that social media can be a valuable tool for information gathering among Redeemer’s University students but it should be used responsibly and in moderation to avoid potential drawbacks. Educating students on critical thinking and information evaluation skills is crucial in this digital age. The study thus recommended that students in tertiary institutions should use Twitter, their preferred social media platform, to find academic journals and articles that would broaden and enhance their knowledge.