The Social Networking among Secondary School Students In Anambra State: Educational Implications For Counsellors

Abstract

IntroductionThe revolutionary effects of information and communication technology (ICT) are felt in almost all facets of human life. More than ever before, the knowledge and capability for ICT have become a common denominator in all human interactions. According to Daniels (2002), ICT has, within, a very short time, become one of the basic building blocks of modern society. ICT has turned the whole world into a global village, making it possible to foster interaction with people in remote geographical locations at an unimaginable speed (Ogbaga 2010).A more practical and relevant definition of ICT was given by the World Bank. ICT consists of the hardware, software, networks, and media for the collection, storage, processing, transmission and presentation of information (Voice, data text, images), as well as related services (World Bank, 2007). This probably moved Ogbaga (2010:8) to define ICT as "the range of technologies that are applied in the process of collecting, storing, editing, retrieving and transfer of information in various forms". He further gives the components of ICT to include: social media and social networking, computers, mobile telephones, MP3/ MP4/ WMA storage devices, file transfer protocols, listservs, world wide web and other electronic means of information exchange among people. According to Chen and Kee (2005), ICT is the backbone of the knowledge economy and in recent years, have been recognized as an effective tool for promoting economic growth and sustainable development. Of all the components of ICT, social networking is enjoying a considerable popularity today and thus, forms the major focus of this study. The world is a global village today as a result of the use of interest, hence making social networking possible. The invention of social networking has dramatically changed the internet world. As observed by Boyd and William (2007) teenagers to elderly now exchange ideas via social sites like Facebook, Twitter, 2go, MySpace, Badoo, Palmchat. Whatsapp and many others: Walter and Rivera (2004) notes that social networking websites allows users to be part of a virtual community and the most popular sites are facebook, Whatsapp and MySpace. These networks provide users with simple tools to create a custom profile with text and pictures. A typical profile includes basic information about the user, at least one photo, and possibly a blog or other