STUDENT'S PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigates students’ perceptions of social media usage and its impact on academic achievement among undergraduates at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State, Nigeria. With the rapid growth of social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, students increasingly integrate these tools into their daily academic and social lives. While social media offers opportunities for collaborative learning, access to information, and peer-to-peer interaction, it also presents challenges such as distractions, procrastination, and potential declines in academic performance. This research employed a descriptive survey design, drawing data from a proportional sample of 173 students selected from four faculties: Humanities, Education, Mass Communication, and Law. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, the Social Media Usage and Academic Achievement Questionnaire (SMUAAQ), and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics including Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and independent t-tests. The findings reveal that while students actively use social media for academic purposes, excessive non-academic use often interferes with study time and focus. The results show a moderate negative correlation between social media usage and academic achievement, indicating that higher usage levels are associated with lower performance. Gender differences in usage patterns and achievement were also observed, with female students reporting slightly better academic outcomes. This study highlights the dual role of social media as both a valuable educational resource and a potential source of distraction. It recommends that students develop disciplined usage habits and that institutions implement digital literacy programmes to help students maximise the academic benefits of social media while mitigating its risks