By Lawrence Sunday Ogwang
Today, it is worth noting that youth are defining users of social media. It is argued that youth are always on social media sites to look for ways of satisfying their curiosity. This is consistent with the Uses and Gratification theory. This theory seeks to understand why people pursue the media, the way they do it and what they use it for. It explores how individuals deliberately seek out media to fulfil certain needs or goals such as entertainment, relaxation, or socializing. Several studies, however, have revealed that overutilization of social media has a profound influence on the lives and academic performance of many youths who are students. In line with the above, using the lens of Uses and Gratification Theory, this study sought to shed light on the role of social media on the academic performance of Uganda Martyrs` University students. It aims at clarifying different stakeholders’ relationship between social media usage and academic performance and to harness the full potential of social media. This study examines the role of social media in students’ academic endeavors and ultimately their academic performance through their reported perceptions and reflections. It also examines factors that might influence the nature of this relationship and its tentative impact on the academic performance of Uganda Martyrs` University students.
The researcher used methodical approach that is a combination of questionnaire and interview to collect data from the field. Thereafter, study employed methodological triangulation, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze data. The qualitative analysis has been used to give a complete and detailed description in the form of words and pictures while the quantitative analysis has been used to classify features, count them and construct statistical models in an attempt to explain data gathered from the field. Interestingly, this study revealed that there are three different students’ opinion of the social media effect on their academic performance, according to the survey analysis, the students are divided into three groups. The first group believes that social media has a positive effect on their academic performance, the second group believes that social media has a negative effect on their academic performance, and the third group believes that social media does not have any effects on their academic performance. The study concludes with recommendations to the Government, University, Parents and Students. These are included at end of this research project in chapter five.
