Impact of Social Media on the Writing Abilities of Ambrose Alli University Undergraduates in Ekpoma-Nigeria

Abstract

This article examines the impact of social media on the writing abilities of Nigerian youths in English, which is the language of mass communication in Nigeria. Deploying cultivation theory of the media, this study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to unpack the Nigerian youths’ opinions on the impact of the use of the new media of social networking platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc., on their writing abilities, using undergraduates of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma-Nigeria as a study case. To do this, information is gathered through the use of 120 copies of a validated survey questionnaire. Additional information is garnered from in-depth interviews (IDIs) with lecturers from within and outside Ambrose Alli University and focused group discussion (FGD) with some students of the institution as well as the researchers’ direct observation of the issue under investigation. The study discovers that a majority of the youth adopt a certain option/brand of English which cannot be located within the matrixes of Standard English or even its Popular Nigerian English (PNE) variant which is called Pidgin English. Consequently, expressions such as ‘u’ for ‘you’ ‘gr8t’ for ‘great’, ‘ur/urs’ for ‘your/yours’, among other deviational patterns, have crept into their writing consciousness in classes and examinations, which make a lot of ‘sense’ in informal settings among the youths, but smacks of sub literacy in formal writing situations under which they are being trained. As well, shortened forms of words and phrases such ‘LOL’, ‘K,’ ‘IJNA,’ ‘Y’, etc., are common sights in their writings. This development can have serious implication for effective and efficient writing among Nigerian youths, especially in formal situations. The study suggests that because it has been demonstrated that effective and efficient writing can improve comprehension of content in any discipline, enabling students to practice analysis, synthesis, and other skills that constitute critical, creative, and even civic thinking, students should be encouraged to write effectively and efficiently as more writing equals more learning even in the age of the new media (social media). It advises that further studies should be carried out on the deviational patterns and shortened forms of English words and phrases which are commonly used by youths in Nigeria and elsewhere, with a view to possibly getting the ‘new words’ standardized by the relevant educational authorities to ensure uniformity in usage, and to keep pace with the dynamically trendy youth/social media culture.

An Investigation into the Impact of Digital Social Media on the Writing and Speaking Skills of Tertiary Level Students in one Institution in Lesotho

“…This finding is consistent with Ghouali and Benmoussat (2019) that the improper language that is normally used in the social media has become common in many students' formal writing exercises. as stated in literature, Omoera et al (2018) emphasised that expressions such as 'u' for 'you' 'gr8' for 'great', 'urs' for 'yours' are among other odd patterns of writing that students who often text on social media use when writing for academic purposes. As a result of texting on social media on a regular basis, students have become accustomed to making a lot of grammatical errors such as writing words in short form, and not including punctuation marks where necessary as well as failing to start sentences with capital letters.…”

“…Obi et all., (2012) explain that most students who regularly text on social media have developed and adopted strange writing habits that are unacceptable in formal writing such as abbreviating contracted words. Omoera et al, (2018) emphasize that expressions such as 'u' for 'you' 'gr8' for 'great', 'urs' for 'yours' are among other odd patterns of writing made by students on social media even when writing academic texts. As a result of texting on social media on a regular basis, students have become accustomed to making many grammatical errors such as using contracted forms, without any punctuation where necessary as well as failing to start sentences with capital letters (Belal, 2014).…”

O uso da rede social Weibo na melhoria do domínio do sistema flexional em Português pelos aprendentes chineses

“…Considerando o fato da disponibilidade e acessibilidade da internet nos dias de hoje, o uso das redes sociais é um fator crescentemente comum dentro da comunidade de estudantes da geração atual que gastam bastante tempo on-line (KIRSCHNER; KARPINSKI, 2010;SCOTT;STANWAY, 2015). O uso das tecnologias da internet por motivos de socialização é considerado como uma caraterística generalizada da cultura juvenil de hoje (GRACE et al, 2014;OMOERA et al, 2018 a aprendizagem de línguas pode ocorrer de uma forma ubíqua ao longo do tempo e do espaço com o uso das redes sociais, a qual se pode constituir num continuum de aprendizagem formal para aprendizagem informal fora de sala de aula, com aplicação de tecnologias móveis (MA, 2017). As plataformas de redes sociais superam as limitações físicas por fornecerem oportunidades comunicativas ilimitadas no mundo virtual, proporcionando possibilidades novas e adicionais para a aprendizagem de línguas (FEWELL, 2014;WONG et al, 2017;JONES, 2015).…”

Procesos de interacción en Instagramers latinoamericanas. El caso de Perú y Colombia durante el 2019

“…Los influenciadores como personas de referencia en panoramas 2.0, se benefician de una digitalización y transmisión de constante información por nuevos canales, mejorando y expandiendo su comunicación, en varias direcciones, en un mundo actual y cambiante (Stevenson, Oluranti, Edemode y Anyanwu, 2018). Sustentando este criterio, Huang y Su (2018), expresan que el trabajo de Instagram enfocado en resaltar el aspecto visual como forma de comunicación, es plenamente aceptado y responde a las necesidades actuales de cada persona.…”