INFLUENCE OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE READING CULTURE OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS: A STUDY OF STUDENTS IN KADUNA POLYTECHNIC

The study examined the influence of the social media on the reading culture of students in Nigerian polytechnics with Kaduna Polytechnic as a case study. The research aimed at identifying the activities, time allotted and the influence that social media have on students reading culture. Also, the study’s main objective is to arrive at a means through which the curriculum of schools can incorporate the use of social media in the teaching and learning process. A descriptive survey was used for the study. Fifty respondents were included in the study with a questionnaire used to gather data for the study. Research findings show that the social media has a great influence on students’ reading hours as it affects their performance in academic activities especially their reading. Also, the number of hours devoted to reading is quite low compared to the time allotted to chatting on the social media. It was recommended that the internet should be carefully monitored and incorporated into the teaching and learning process in schools, also the government should provide well equipped libraries in schools.