ABSTRACT
The researcher examined the " influence of social media on the reading culture of students of Ekehuan campus of the university of Benin, Nigeria . The main objective of the study is to ascertain the extent to which social media influence the reading culture of students of Ekehuan campus of the university of Benin. Premised on the Uses and Gratification Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, the researcher adopted the survey research method for the study, with a well constructed and structured Likert scale questionaire as research instrument. The population of the study is 2, 930. Findings revealed that: A significant majority of the surveyed students admitted to dedicating substantial time to social media platforms, potentially shifting their focus away from academic reading. The study also revealed a noticeable association between increased exposure to social media and decrease in the reading habits of students of Ekehuan campus, University of Benin, Nigeria.
Based on the findings, the researcher concluded that a troubling trend of social media usage negatively affect traditional reading practices among university students. Based on this conclusion, it is recommended among others that:
The institution should incorporate social media into educational delivery platforms by effectively utilizing channels like YouTube and WhatsApp for teaching purposes, sharing academic content, assigning tasks, establishing reading groups, and facilitating various academic engagements.
