Implications of social media use on the socialisation and social behaviour of adolescents in Somanya

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.