Abstract Studies have indicated increased use of the social media by students for varied purposes. The students also have different perception of the social media. However, such studies are scanty with reference to students in the higher institutions of learning in Delta of Nigeria. Therefore, this study examined the perception of students of higher institution of learning in Delta State, Nigeria and their pattern of the social media usage. The study was guided by Uses and Gratification theory, which emphasizes why people use the media and the gratification they derive from the usage. Questionnaire was used to collect data from 5382 respondents across six institutions. Simple random technique was used to select the institutions. The individual respondents were subsequently selected randomly. The data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypotheses were tested at P< 0.05 level of significance. The finding showed that the students use the social media primarily for 14 different purposes. They use only 4.38% of the 253 social media. They use social media frequently and they have positive perception of them; there is significant relationship between the students’ perception and their usage of the social media. There is no significant relationship between gender and the students’ usage of the social media. The study recommends that the authorities of the institutions should formulate and implement productive ICT policies and enlighten the students on how to use the social media for positive and productive purposes. Key Words: Social media, Perception, Usage pattern; Institutions of higher learning, Mainstream Media. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, April 2013, 15 – 26 ©Delmas Communications Ltd. About the author *Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria Full Article Words: 4,453; Pages: 12
Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri (Sun,) studied this question.