Social Media Use and Moral Development of Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Introduction Since creation, human beings have always been socially connected or networked. In the early 21st century, the internet saw the dawn of a new era of information sharing, social media, which is now a growing phenomenon on the internet (O'Reiley, 2007). Social media relates to websites and applications that enable users create and share content or participate in social networking (Merriam-Webster, 2018). It refers to interactive web and mobile phones platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, and exchange information, ideas, photos, or videos within a virtual network (Naslund, 2016). There are numerous social media sites that users can choose from. However, in 2017, the top four social media sites were Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter (Statista, 2017). In recent times, accessing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp etc. can be done anywhere and at any time simply by the use of mobile phone (Luik, 2010). In Ghana, the use of social media has risen considerably over the past few years. The growth of social media usage can be tied to the advancement of communication technology in Ghana, that is, the increase in the usage of smartphones and the ease of access to broadband and mobile internet. Students may however form a chunk of social media users in Ghana as research has shown that social media is largely used by young people between the ages of 15-34(Pew Research Centre, 2014) and many students fall within this age bracket therefore majority of them are students. Social media sites have been recognized as an important resource for education as it helps in the sharing of information on relevant education materials within the school or classroom setting. To this end, several software has been developed for e-learning in various jurisdictions using social media. Liccardi, Ounnas, Massey, Kinnunen, Midy, and Sakar (2007) have opined that learners in the school setting connect socially to share their daily learning experiences and have conversations on several topics. However, other studies show that students use social media sites such as Facebook for fun, to kill time, to meet existing friends or to make new ones (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe 2007). However, amidst all the benefits, social media use has regrettably contributed to the moral degeneration

Impact of Social Media and Peer Pressure on Moral Disengagement among Secondary School Students in Onitsha North LGA, Anambra State

“…Supporting this assertion is Adeyeye et al ( 2013 Before exploring social media downsides, it is worthy to note that there are good sides to the internet in literature. For instance, it contributes positively to the academia, boost to business, youth empowerment, promoted many entrepreneurs and influencers to limelight through their creative content on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Vskit and others, (Umeogu & Ojiakor, 2014), (Mensah & Kyei, 2019), (Fab-Ukozor & Ojiakor, 2020). It also helps in administrative routines Stoltenberg (2024) and may equally assist work from home (C. Etodike & Ojiakor, 2020).…”

“…From observation, there has been a sharp decline in the moral values of Nigeria as a developing nation and most researchers like (Umeogu & Ojiakor, 2014), (Mensah & Kyei, 2019), (Etodike et al, 2018) and a host of others opined that the internet has the bulk of the blame for such derailment. Moral disengagement refers to the process where an individual or group of people distance themselves from the normal or usual ethical standards of behavior and then become convinced that new unethical behaviors are justified due often to some perceived extenuating circumstances (Pelton et al, 2004).…”

“…There are numerous social media sites that users can choose from. We have Badoo, LinkedIn, 2go, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a host of others.However, in 2017, the top four social media sites were Facebook,WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter (Statista, 2017 in Mensah &Kyei, 2019). However, according toMotteram et al, (2020), WhatsApp and Facebook are the most subscribed social media apps in Nigeria.…”