Social Media Usage and Social Wellbeing of Undergraduate in Nigeria

Abstract

Social well-being is critical to individual's overall well-being and daily functioning. This study assessed the prevalence of social media usage among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). It investigated the level of social well-being of the students and examined the influence of social media usage on social well-being of the undergraduates. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population for this study comprised the undergraduates of the university. A sample of 300 undergraduates was selected from the population (females = 57%; age range 22-27 years; favourite social media platform = Whatsapp) using convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using two research instruments, titled Social Media Use Integration Scale (α = 0.82) and Social Wellbeing Scale (α = 0.78). The Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that there is a prevalence of social media usage among the undergraduates and the social well-being of the undergraduates is high. Furthermore, a positive relationship was found between social media usage and social well-being (R = 0.672, p < 0.001). Based on these findings, it is recommended that school administrators integrate digital wellness modules into orientation and general courses to further enhance student’s social wellbeing.