Social networking sites and social capital: An appraisal of Nigerian universities' students

• Main Authors: Alhaji, Ahmad Suleiman, Shaari, Ahmad Jelani
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: LB2300 Higher Education; T Technology (General)
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/1957/1/LLL_-_T1_-_09.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/1957/; http://3linc.uum.edu.my/

By using Web 2.0, it obviously means that we are interacting, sharing, collaborating and exchanging ideas especially using the SNSs (Social Networking Sites) like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Second Life, NigeriaDotCom, Hi5, Okcut, and thousands of others. Social capital refers to the intangible resources embedded within interpersonal relationships or social institutions. This study aimed in investigating and reported the extent of SNSs usage and its influence on social capital among university students in Nigeria. In a qualitative approach using interview employed on 12 subjects from the scope area. The qualitative results indicated the extent of the influence of SNS usage on social capital among the students in Nigeria. And found SNSs as social norms; information and communication channels academically, politically, religiously and economically.