Title: The Role Of Social Media In Shaping News Consumption Habits Among Digital Natives
Authors: Olagoke Olawale Israel,
Volume: 9
Issue: 3
Pages: 147-151
Publication Date: 2025/03/28
Abstract:
The paper is on the role of social media in shaping news consumption habits among digital natives. The population of this study are students of Mass communication department of the Polytechnic, Ibadan. The study made used of a random sampling technique and a total number of 105 respondents were selected for the study. The study made use of survey research design and adopted a research questionnaire as a research instrument. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics involving frequency tables and percentages. The result of the study revealed that most of the students (63.8%) prefer to use WhatsApp, 27.6% of the students claimed that most of them prefer to use Facebook while 3.8% of the students prefer to use of Instagram. Also, it was user-generated content aligns with the participatory habits of digital natives, making them feel more engaged and involved in news creation and dissemination (X= 3.41, SD = 1.92), social media influencers, even those outside traditional journalism, can act as trusted news sources due to their personal connection with followers (X = 3.94, SD = 1.98). The study recommended that the need to promote Media literacy education and implement digital literacy programs in higher institution of learning to help students critically evaluate news sources, distinguish between credible journalism and misinformation.