The revolution of the Internet has changed the process of sharing, storing, and retrieving information anywhere in the world without distance barriers. A lot of people use the internet daily to transfer information. Internet usage statistics for the world showed that 3,739,698,500 were estimated Internet users as of May 31, 2017, with a penetration rate of 49.7%. Also, the estimated population of Africa in May 2017 was 1,246,504,865, of which 353,121,578 were Internet users [1]. Through the Internet, many web technologies with regard to information sharing and communication have emerged, and one prominent technology is social media [2]. The evolution of social media permeates all facets of society, with positive and negative impacts.

Social media usage has been met with mixed feelings in Nigeria. There have been calls to establish a working framework to regulate usage, while some others believe it is an extension of the freedom of speech of individuals. A lot of people have argued about the benefits, whereas some emphasize the negative effects. The most important thing is that it has given people freedom to express themselves, and voiceless people now have a voice. There have been a lot of debates on the impact that social media has on society and, specifically, its effect on education. Ito, Baumer, Bittanti, Boyd, Cody, and Herr-Stephenson (2009) observed that teenagers use social media for some positive activities, which include joining groups they find interesting and contributing to various activities. Ahn (2011) believes that social media provides an avenue for youths to engage in groups that encourage them to improve in specific knowledge areas. Fishman J, et al [3] also observed that students seem to develop various writings through various social media. On the contrary, [4] observed that the time students dedicate to social media affects their commitment to class activities, which in turn affects their academic performance. Banquil K, et al [5] discovered a steady decline in students’ grades as a result of social media usage [6]. There are several potential limitations to this study, one of which concerns the self-reporting of attitude towards seeking psychological services.

The understanding of social media usage by secondary school students is vital to achieving performance in order to improve secondary school education in Nigeria. Although there are other factors standing in the way of academic performance, social media seems to be a major factor, considering its interest among secondary school students. There are many works on social media usage among students in Nigeria, but there exists a gap in knowledge on social media and its impact on academic performance, bearing in mind that social media is a fascination among secondary school students. Hence, there is a need to investigate the relationship between social media and students’ academic performance in Nigeria in order to determine students’ attitudes toward social media and how it impacts their academics. According to [7] social development involves the training a child receives in his interpersonal life and how he relates socially with his peers and others.

Over the years, social networking sites have metamorphosed from a few user sites into phenomena that have become niches for billions of users. The growth and popularity of social networking sites have generated concern among school authorities, communication experts, and socio-psychological researchers about the benefits and potential risks facing students as they engage in online social media to cater to their social and information needs rather than studying their books.

The reported trends of students' poor performance in public examinations are becoming alarming, including the performance of students in SSCE examinations. Students are reportedly becoming more interested in social media usage than studying from books; could this be the reason for poor performance? Thus, this study is concerned with the trend of use of social media sites by secondary school students, the benefits students derive from using social media, and the effect it could have on their academic performance. From the above, the pertinent question that becomes necessary is: how does social media relate to academic performance?

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to investigate social media utilization and its effect on the academic performance of secondary school students in Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Determine if there is a relationship between a student’s use of WhatsApp and academic performance.
2. Determine if there is a relationship between student use of Facebook and academic performance.
3. Determine if there is a relationship between a student’s use of Twitter and academic performance.
4. Determine if there is a relationship between student use of Instagram and academic performance.

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1. How does students’ use of Facebook relate to their academic performance?
2. To what extent does student use of WhatsApp relate to academic performance?
3. How does students’ use of Twitter relate to their academic performance?
4. To what extent does student use of Instagram relate to academic performance?

Significant of the Study

The findings of this study would be of great benefit to students, the administration of secondary schools, academic advisers, and counselors.

It is expected that the findings of this research will benefit students and the administration of secondary schools, as they will show the level of the students' use of social media sites and the implications for their academic performance. This will help them understand how best to curtail the students attention when using social media sites.

Also, the findings could be used by academic advisers and counselors to offer professional advice to secondary education authorities on how to regulate social media usage among students. Again, the findings of this study would provide facts that will enable the ministry of communication technology to know what arises from students' use of social media sites. This will help the ministry know how to handle school media usage.

Students Use of WhatsApp and Academic Performance

Avani M, et al [8] carried out a study to understand the usage of WhatsApp applications among students in Vadodra city. The result of the study revealed that the majority of the quiz group members were using mobile data connections for the WhatsApp application. Less than half of the group members were found to have more knowledge in the quiz of Vadodara and in the quiz format, and the quiz group members liked the performance of the project worker, the quiz format, and the quiz group that was formed on the WhatsApp application. They also reported that they would like to join such a group in the future on a WhatsApp application rather than engage in textbook study.

Fawzi (2015) studies the usage of the WhatsApp application for e-learning and its impact on academic performance. The study aimed to investigate the effect of WhatsApp (text, image, video, audio, and call) on academic performance among students. A questionnaire was validated and developed by the researcher to measure the academic performance of students based on previous studies, and the questionnaire was administered to 200 students. The result showed a statistically significant relationship between WhatsApp and the academic performance of students.

Student use of Facebook and Academic Performance

Ellison NB [9] conducted research to examine the relationship between the use of Facebook and the establishment and maintenance of social capital and the ability to stay linked with members of a previously settled community. Ahasan ul Haq and Sohail Chand (2016) conducted a study titled Patterns of Facebook Usage and Their Impact on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students. A gender-based comparison a chi-square test was used to test the association of gender with various categorical variables in the study. An independent sample t-test was used to test the equality of means. A random sample of 384 students was selected from the University of Punjab, Lahore. The gage solution ranges from 18 to 30, with a mean age of 21 years. The majority of the students ranged in age from 18 to 30, with a mean age of 21 years. The majority of the students (71.4%) were 20–22 years old. sample consists of 38.5% undergraduate students, 50.5% master degree students, and 10.9% postgraduate students.

The study revealed that 87.5% of students have Facebook accounts; no significant gender difference was found in having a Facebook account. Among the respondents who did not have a Facebook account, 3.4% did not know about Facebook, and 9.1% said they did not require Facebook to interact. 49.1% of the respondents were Facebook members for more than one year, and on average, students spent approximately three and a half hours daily browsing the internet, of which two hours were spent on Facebook. According to [7], poverty has affected access to and quality education.

Student use of Twitter and Academic performance

Moreover, other researchers have suggested that Twitter is very useful for information learning because it allows users to discover relevant resources and seek assistance from other people [10]. McArther & Bosted (2012) found through their quantitative study that Twitter can serve as a variable tool to supplement the chalk and talk approach to teaching and learning. And that student could display critical thinking skills when they use Twitter appropriately. Apart from using Twitter for classroom teaching and learning, Twitter is argued to have added extra value to students’ performance. This is because students are able to share and help themselves in the research community using the hash tag sign (#). A user of Twitter would be able to search for student works by using this dedication tag.

However, [11] studied revision through Twitter and tried to answer the question, Does Twitter affect student performance? The assumption is that the students will score a higher grade when Twitter is used as a revision tool. 32 students participated in this study, and Twitter was used to support students during their revision period before the second test and the final examination. Data were analyzed based on the results of Test 1 (without Twitter as a revision tool) and Test 2, where comparisons were made to see whether there was a change in the student result. Further, the tweet sent or shared with students and the retweet shared by students were also examined. A survey was also conducted to explore the respondent's use of Twitter as a revision tool. Preliminary findings suggest that the students greatly benefited when Twitter was used to help them with revision. This is because the results of Test 2 show that all students had an increase in the test result. The results of the survey also indicate that students were positive about using Twitter to assist their revision. Although it was not conclusively determined whether twitter was the only factor that contributed to the increased student result in Test 2.

Student use of Instagram and academic performance

There are several uses for Instagram in learning, some of which may have pedagogical benefits. [12] Found that Instagram can both inspire and engage students when it is inculcated into student-centered learning activities, including increased motivation, enhanced communication skills, and overall high marks. [13] Suggest that Instagram has emerged as a mainstream educational distribution medium due to the reduced cost of production.

Current resources, such as Instagram, allow anyone with access to a phone and a computer to create and distribute information. Researchers found many users of Instagram for learning, such as browser "streaming’ sequence", can be easily brought into the classroom with technology, meaning Instagram is no longer for presenting but for creating a network of learners [13]. The researcher developed a framework called the Three I’s Framework—image, interactivity, and integration—to provide practical tools to help educators with their pedagogical design and development of Instagram resources for online learning. The research study was supportive of Instagram for learning, and although the research study is over a year old, it is still relevant as it supports using Instagram and technology in the classroom. [14] Found that many parents have no time to supervise their sons and daughters, and some parents have little time or no intention with family.

Each hypothesis of this study was restated here; the independent and dependent variables identified and the appropriate statistical tool for testing each hypothesis were tested at the 0.5 level of significance.

Hypothesis One

There is no significant relationship between student use of WhatsApp and academic performance.

Independent variable: student use of WhatsApp

Dependent variable: academic performance

Statistical tool: Pearson Product Moment Correlation

Hypothesis Two

There is no significant relationship between student use of Facebook and academic performance.

Independent variable: use of Facebook

Dependent variable: academic performance

Statistical tool: Pearson Product Moment Correlation

Hypothesis Three

There is no significant relationship between student use of Twitter and academic performance.

Independent variable: student use of Twitter

Dependent variable: academic performance

Statistical tool: Person Product Moment Correction

Hypothesis Four

There is no significant relationship between student use of Instagram and academic performance.

Independent variable: student use of Instagram

Dependent Variable: Academic Performance

Statistical tool: Pearson Product Moment Correction.

Hypothesis One

There is no significant relationship between student use of WhatsApp and academic performance. The independent variable in this hypothesis is student use of WhatsApp, while the dependent variable is academic performance. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance, and the result is presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Pearson Product Moment Correction analysis of student use of WhatsApp and academic performance.

Significant at. 05 level, df = 198, critical r= 0.113

Source: Field survey, 2018

The result in Table 1 revealed that the calculator R-value of 0.29 is greater than the critical r-value of 0.113 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between student use of WhatsApp and academic performance, is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis is upheld. The correlation coefficient is a standardized measure of the observed effect; it is commonly used as a measure of the size of an effect, and a value of ±.1 represents a small effect, ±.3 represents a medium effect, and ±.5 represents a large effect.

Hypothesis Two

There is no significant relationship between student use of Facebook and academic performance. The independent variable in this hypothesis is student use of Facebook, while the dependent variable is academic performance. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance, and the result is presented in Table 2.

Table 2: Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis of student use of Facebook and academic performance.

Significant at. 05 level, df =198, critical r= 0.112

Source: Field survey, 2018

The result in Table 2 revealed that the calculator R-value of 0.38 is greater than the critical r-value of 0.098 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Facebook and academic performance, is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis is upheld. The correlation coefficient is a standardized measure of the observed effect; it is commonly used as a measure of the size of an effect, and a value of ±.1 represents a small effect, ±.3 represents a medium effect, and ±.5 represents a large effect.

Hypothesis Three

There is no significant relationship between student use of Twitter and academic performance. The independent variables in this hypothesis are student use of Twitter and academic performance. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test this hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance, and the result is presented in Table 3.

Table 3: Pearson product Moment Correlation analysis of student use of twitter and academic performance.

Significant at. 05 level, df =198, critical r= 0.113

Source: Field survey, 2018

The result in Table 3 revealed that the calculated r-value of 0.327 is greater than the critical r-value of 0.113 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Twitter and academic performance, is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis is upheld. The correlation coefficient is a standardized measure of the observed effect; it is a commonly used measure of the size of an effect, and values of ±.1 represent a small effect, ±.3 represent a medium effect, and ±.5 represent a large effect.

Hypothesis Four

There is no significant relationship between student use of Instagram and academic performance. The independent variable in this hypothesis is student use of Instagram, while the dependent variable is academic performance. Pearson product moment correction was used to test this hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance, and the result is presented in Table 4.

Table 4: Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis of student use of Instagram and academic performance.

Significant at. 05 level, df =198, critical r= 0.113

Source: Field survey, 2018

The result in Table 4 revealed that the calculated r-value of 0.402 is greater than the critical r-value of 0.113 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between students’ use of Instagram and academic performance, is rejected, while the alternate hypothesis is upheld. The correlation coefficient is a standardized measure of an observed effect; it is commonly used as a measure of the size of an effect, and a value of ±.1 represents a small effect, ±.3 represents a medium effect, and ±.5 represents a large effect.

The discussion of findings here is done based on the hypotheses, which were stated in null form. The discussion is presented hypothesis by hypothesis.

Student’s use of WhatsApp and academic performance

The first hypothesis of the study states that there is no significant relationship between student use of WhatsApp and academic performance and is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis is upheld. The correlation co-effect is a standardized measure of the observed effect; it is commonly used as a measure of the size of an effect, and a value of ±.1 represents a small effect, ±.3 represents a medium effect, and ±.5 represents a large effect.

However, the finding is in tandem with Fawzi (2015), who studied the use of WhatsApp applications for e-learning and its impact on academic performance. The study aimed to investigate the effects of WhatsApp (text, image, video, audio, and call) on the academic performance of students. A questionnaire was justified and developed by the researcher to measure the academic performance of students based on previous studies, and the questionnaire was applied to 364 students. The result showed a statistically significant relationship between WhatsApp and the academic performance of students.

Student’s use of Facebook and academic performance

The second hypothesis of this study states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Facebook and academic performance. The result revealed that the calculator r-value of 0.38 is greater than the critical r-value of 0.098 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Facebook and academic performance, is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis is upheld. The correlation coefficient is a standardized measure of the observed effect; it is commonly used as a measure of the size of an effect, and a value of ±.1 represents a small effect, ±.3 represents a medium effect, and ±.5 represents a large effect. Similarly, [15] who examined the relationship among numerous measures of frequency of Facebook use with time spent preparing for class and overall GPAs, using hierarchical linear regression analysis, showed that time spent on Facebook was strongly and significantly negatively correlated with student overall GPA.

However, the findings by Ashan ul Haq and Sohail Chad (2016) disagree with the result of this study, as they report no significant relationship between Facebook usage and academic performance. Generally, except where otherwise proven, in most life endeavors, it is expected that time spent on a task will affect the outcome.

Students’ use of Twitter and academic performance

The third hypothesis of this study states that there is no significant relationship between students' use of Twitter and academic performance. The result revealed that the calculated r-value of 0.327 is greater than the critical r-value of 0.113 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Twitter and academic performance, is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis is upheld. The correlation coefficient is a standardized measure of the observed effect; it is commonly used as a measure of the size of an effect, and values of ±.1 represent a small effect, ±.3 represent a medium effect, and ±.5 represent a large effect.

However, the result is contrary to that of Jowat [11], who studies revision through Twitter and tried to answer the question, do tweets after student performance? The assumption is that the students are able to score a higher grade when Twitter is used as a revision tool. 32 students participated in this study, and tweets were used to support students during their revision period before the second test and final examination. Data were analyzed based on the results of Test 1 (without Twitter as a revision tool) and Test 2, where comparisons were made to see whether there was a change in the students’ results.

Student use of Instagram and academic performance

The fourth hypothesis of this study states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Instagram and academic performance. The result revealed a calculated r-value of 0.402, which is greater than the critical value of 0.113 at the 0.05 level of significance with 198 degrees of freedom. By this result, the null hypothesis, which states that there is no significant relationship between student use of Instagram and academic performance, was rejected, while the alternate hypothesis was uploaded. This implies that the use of Instagram significantly affects student performance. The correlation co-effect is a standardized measure of an observed effect. It is a commonly used measure of the size of an effect, and a value of ≠ .1 represents a small effect, ≠.3 ≠ a medium effect, and ≠.5 represents a large effect.

Willmot [12] found that Instagram can both inspire and engage students when it is incorporated into student-centered learning activities, including increased motivation, enhanced communication skills, and overall higher marks [12,13] suggest that Instagram has emerged as a mainstream education distribution medium due to the reduced cost of production. However, present-day students tend to be more interested in using Instagram for social interaction rather than exploring its potential for academic enhancement purposes.

Based on the result and findings of the study, the following points were concluded: secondary school students who indulge in social media have a significant influence on their academic performance. To this end, students who spend more time on social media are likely to have a negative effect and thus perform poorly.

Recommendation

Based on the researcher's findings, the following recommendations are made:

1. Parents and guardians should make a concerted effort to encourage minors and limit the time their children spend on social media.
2. Teachers in the various secondary schools complement parents by monitoring students in school with the view of helping students avoid using social media at school instead of studying their books.
3. Governments and policymakers should come up with policies that will discourage excessive use of social media among secondary school students.

1. Internet World Stats. 2017.
2. Mingle J, Adams M. Social Media Network Participation and Academic Performance in Senior High Schools in Ghana. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-Journal). 2015; 1286.
3. Fishman J, et al. Performing Writing, Performing Literacy. 2005: 224-252.
4. Ogedebe PM, Emmanuel JA, Musa Y. A survey on Facebook and Academic Performance in Nigeria Universities. 2012; 2: 788-797.
5. Banquil K, Chua NA, Leano GA, Rivero MA, Bruce CA, Dianalan SN, et al. Social networking sites affect one’s academic performance adversely. 2014.
6. Ekeng EB, Abuo CB. Counselling the stigmatized for social integration in Calabar south, Cross River State, Nigeria. Seahi Publication. 2020; 8: 118-127.
7. Ekeng EB, Arop LO, Ngwu ME, Obi FB, Ubi GM. Exploiting Genetic Counselling as a Tool for the Analysis of Dissociative Behavior and Sub-normality from conception to Brith among Maladjusted Blind, Deaf and Dumb Infants. Annual Research & Review in Biology. 2022; 37: 1-14.
8. Avani M, Aanal M. Educating whatsapp generation through “whatsapp”. Zenith international journal of multidisciplinary Research. 2014; 4: 23-28.
9. Ellison NB. Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 2007; 13: 210-230.
10. Timm DM, Duven CJ. Privacy and social networking sites: New direction for student services. 2008.
11. Think differently. Jowat Kleje przemyslowe. 2015.
12. Willmot John Wiley & Sons, Jan 25, 2012 - Business & Economics - 784 pages. An update of one …Edition: 3, illustrated Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
13. Young C, Asensio M. Looking through three I’s: The pedagogic use of streaming video. In Banks S, Goodyear P, Hodgson V, Connell D (Eds). Networked Learning 2002, Proceedings of the Third International Conference. Sheffield. 2002: 628-635.
14. Ngwu ME, Arop LO, Ekeng EB, Abuo CB. The impact of Rehabilitation Counselling on Drugs abuse and addiction: an Aftermath of strategic review Perspective. Pal arch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology. 2022; 19: 805-614.
15. Junco R. Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance. 2012; 28: 187-198.
16. Salas G, Alexander JS. Technology for institution enrolment communication and student success. New direction for student services. 2008; 2008: 103-116.
17. Bryant JA, Sanders-Jacksons A, Smallwood AMK. Iming, Text messaging, and Adolescent Social Networks. Journal of computer -mediated communication. 2006; 11: 577-592.
18. Fewkes AM, McCabe M. Facebook: learning tool or distraction? Journal of digital learning in teacher education. 2015; 28.