Impact of Social Media use on Ebonyi State University Undergraduates' Sexual Behaviour

Abstract

Social media technology has provided platforms for enhanced human communication and expanded opportunities for selfexpression. Despite the numerous gains, this social networking media comes with myriads of limitations: one being the
tendency to be abused and/or misused, especially by young people or the young at heart. This study examined the impact of
social media use on Ebonyi State University undergraduates' sexual behaviour. The survey research method was adopted. A
sample size of 396 students was determined using the Taro Yamane's formula. The study was anchored in the Technological
Determinism theory. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.99 through
test-retest method. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of SPSS 20.0 software. Findings
showed, amongst others, that undergraduates of Ebonyi State University are largely exposed to a substantial amount of
sexual contents on various social media networks and the exposure negatively influences their psychology towards sex as
manifested in the area of dating before marriage as a result of indulgence in interactive and romantic sites. The study
recommends the introduction of social media education in higher institutions to help enlighten students on the responsible
use of these technologies to minimize the inherent weaknesses and maximize the intrinsic values of utilizing these media
platforms.