Abstract:
This study investigated the implications of social media usage on socialisation and
social behaviour of adolescents in Somanya in the Yilo Krobo District of the Eastern
Region of Ghana. The objectives of the study were to: identify the common types of
social media used by adolescents, examine the factors that account for the choice of
social media types among adolescents, ascertain the experiences of adolescents on
social media, assess the effects of social media usage on socialisation of adolescents,
analyse the effects of social media usage on social behaviour of adolescents and analyse
the effects of social media usage on social interaction of adolescents. Qualitative
approach and case study design were adopted for the study. The sample size was twenty
adolescents selected through the convenience sampling technique. One-on-one
interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to collect data. The major
findings from the study were that adolescents used Social Network Sites such as
Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. The main reasons for using social media included
peer influence and connection with people. The effect of social media usage on
socialisation of adolescents were; decrease in offline social activities and exposure to
online activities which led to social media socialisation. Effect on social behaviour of
adolescents showed they were addicted to social media. It recommends that parents
socialise adolescents to conform with contemporary social interaction patterns to aid
proper use of social media. It was concluded that social media usage affects
socialisation of adolescent thereby affecting their social behaviour.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Social Studies Education,
Faculty of Social Sciences submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(Social Studies)
in the University of Education, Winneba
