Social Media Use and its Implications on Cyberethical Behaviour in Nigeria: Perspectives of Generation Z Girls

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 Centre for Open and Distance Learning, University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria. Centre for Open and Distance Learning University of Ilorin

2 Department of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria.

10.22059/jcss.2023.351174.1082

Abstract

This study examined how young Nigerian internet users view social media use and cyberethics. This study included all secondary school-aged female Nigerians from the six geopolitical zones. Thirty-six females aged 13–15, the generation's median age, were chosen from each zone and state. The tool for data collection was an open-ended survey. The results revealed that young women used multiple social media platforms. The characteristics of the various social media platforms which showed minimal text, short videos, and photo-editing filters showed that their peers heavily influenced their use of social media. This study also found that Generation Z females believed that large number of online followers implied a high sense of self-esteem and that any activities that increased followership was acceptable. They also underestimated online risks. Female Gen Z posted sexually suggestive videos online due to peer pressure and the need for peer acceptance, showing a lack of awareness of the consequences of such conduct. The study recommended that schools and all organisations put in place policies to ensure positive use of the Internet. Similarly, the study also recommended modifications of school curricula to include cyberethical awareness. Parenting techniques should also adequately teach societal awareness and the risks of exposing children to early exposure to the Internet.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Aderibigbe, N.A.; Owolabi, K.A. & Okorie, N.C. (2022). “Assessment of Cyber Ethics Behaviour among Undergraduate Students at the Nigerian Federal University of Agriculture and the University of Zululand in South Africa”. Zambia Journal of Library & Information Science (ZAJLIS). 6(1): 11-18. http://41.63.0.109/index.php/journal/article/view/73.
Agha, R.O.; Oderanti, O.F. & Alao, T.O. (2021). “Drumming as a means of communication and culture in Nigeria. A Study of Talking Drum”. A Study of Talking Drum. 1(1): 1-9. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3850727.
Ajzen, I. (1991). “The theory of planned behaviour”. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes. 50(2): 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-t.
Albescu, A.R. (2022). “Generation Z and the age of technology addiction”. Romanian Cyber Security Journal. 4(1): 13-22. https://doi.org/10.54851/v4i1y202202.
Babin, B.; Harris, E. & Mohan, A. (2016). CB- A South-Asian Perspective with CourseMate. Cengage Learning, New Delhi.
Bandura, A. (2002). “Social cognitive theory in cultural context”. Applied Psychology. 51(2): 269-290.
Benis, A.; Khodos, A.; Ran, S.; Levner, E. & Ashkenazi, S. (2021). “Social media engagement and influenza vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional survey study”. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 23(3): e25977. PMID: 33651709; PMCID: PMC7968480; doi: 10.2196/25977.
Blanchette, K.L. & Ellington, L. (2018). “Strategic leadership in a global virtual reality”. Strategic Leadership. 99 -124.
Bourke, B. (2019). “Connecting with Generation Z through social media”. Preparing the Higher Education Space for Gen Z. IGI Global. 124-147.
Bulut, S. & Maraba, D. (2021). “Generation Z and its perception of work through habits, motivations, expectations preferences, and work ethics”. Psychology and Psychotherapy Research Study. 4(4): 1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.31031/pprs.2020.04.000593.
Carlson, A. & Lee, C.C. (2015). “Followership and social media marketing”. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal. 19(1): 80. doi: 10.14704/WEB/V18I2/WEB18341.
Cook, K.S.; Cheshire, C.; Rice, E.R. & Nakagawa, S. (2013). “Social exchange theory”. Handbook of Social Psychology. 11(3): 61-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_3.
Creswell, J.W. & Poth, C.N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. 4th ed., Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Debb, S.M.; Schaffer, D.R. & Colson, D. G. (2020). “A reverse digital divide: comparing information security behaviors of generation Y and generation Z adults”. International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime. 3(1): 42-55. https://doi.org/10.52306/03010420GXUV5876.
Dunmade, A.O. (2022). Perception, Awareness and Attitude of Female Postgraduate Students towards Cyberethical Behaviour in North Central Nigeria Universities. Doctoral dissertation, Adeleke University.
Fishbein, M. & Ajzen, I. (2011). Predicting and Changing Behaviour: The Reasoned Action Approach. Taylor & Francis.
Iorgulescu, M.C. (2016). “Generation Z and its perception of work”. Cross-Cultural Management Journal. 18(1): 47-54.
Ismail, A.R.; Nguyen, B.; Chen, J.; Melewar, T.C. & Mohamad, B. (2020). “Brand engagement in self-concept (BESC), value consciousness and brand loyalty: a study of generation Z consumers in Malaysia”. Young Consumers. 22(1): 112-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2019-1017.
Kaloeti, D.V.S.; Manalu, R.; Kristiana, I.F. & Bidzan, M. (2021). “The role of social media use in peer bullying victimization and onset of anxiety among Indonesian elementary school children”. Frontiers in Psychology. 12, 635725. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635725.
Kardes, F.R.; Cronley, M.L. & Cline, T.T. (2010). Consumer Behavior. Cengage Learning, Mason, OH.
Kimmons, R. (2020). “Online Safety”. Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. & Kimmons, R. (Eds.). The K-12 Educational Technology Handbook.
Kominfo. (2014). Press Release no 17 of Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information. Jakarta: Kominfo. https://kominfo.go.id/content/detail/3834/siaran-pers-no-17pihkominfo22014-tentang-riset-kominfo-dan-unicef-mengenai-perilaku-anak-dan-remaja-dalam-menggunakan-internet/0/siaran_pers.
Koulopoulos, T. & Keldsen, D. (2016). Generation Z Effect: The Six Forces Shaping the Future of Business. Biblimotion-Routledge, Brookline, Massachusetts.
Lin, S. & Xiao, B. (2023). “The Relationship between Paranoid Tendencies and Cyberbullying among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement”. Behavioral Sciences. 13(2): 102. PMID: 36829331, PMCID: PMC9952349, doi: 10.3390/bs13020102.
Liywalii, E. (2020). Analyzing the impact of ethical issues in e-government implementation: A case of Zambia. Doctoral dissertation, University of Zambia.
Mahmoudabadi, E. & Mollaahmadi, E. (2021). “Investigating the behavior of generation Z customers in online banking services (Case study of a Bank of Iran)”. 11th International Conference on Computer Engineering and Knowledge (ICCKE). Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. October: 334-340.
Marc, P. (2001). “Digital natives, digital immigrants”. On the Horizon. 9(5): 1-6.
Mottram, M.; Young, K. & Satti, K. (2023). Supporting readers' social motivation. Reading Teachers, Routledge.
Naidu, R. (2018). Factors influencing consumption behaviour of fashion clothing brands amongst Generation Z female consumers in Durban. Doctoral dissertation.
Newbert, J. (2020). Celebrity Impact on Fashion Brand Choice Using Social Media. Masters Dissertation, University of South Carolina.
Ninan, S. (2021). Social Media: The Impact on Spiritual Formation Among Generation Z Freshman College Students. Doctoral dissertation, Southeastern University.
Ngonso BF. (2019). “Effect of social media on Teenagers and Youths: A Study of Rural Nigerian Teenagers and Youths in Secondary Schools”. Global Media Journal. 17(32).
Oerther, S. & Oerther, D.B. (2021). “Review of Recent Research about Parenting Generation Z Pre-Teen Children”. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 43(11). https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945920988782.
Olowo, B.F.; Alabi, F.O.; Okotoni, C.A. & Yusuf, M.A. (2020). “Social media: Online modern tool to enhance secondary schools’ students’ academic performance”. International Journal on Studies in Education. 2(1): 26-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.46328/ijonse.7.
Ozuem, W.; Willis, M.; Howell, K.; Lancaster, G. & Ng, R. (2021). “Determinants of online brand communities’ and millennials’ characteristics: A social influence perspective”. Psychology & Marketing. 38(5): 794-818.
Robert, W. (1979). The Generation of 1914. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sabzali, M., Sarfi, M., Zohouri, M., Sarfi, T., & Darvishi, M. (2022). Fake News and Freedom of Expression: An Iranian Perspective. Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 6(2), 205-218. doi: 10.22059/jcss.2023.356295.1087
Serbanescu, A. (2022). “Millennials and the Gen Z in the Era of social media”. Social Media, Technology, and New Generations: Digital Millennial Generation and Generation Z. 61-78. Rowan & Littlefield.
Shahghasemi, E., & Prosser, M. (2019). The Middle East: Social media revolution in public and private communication. In International Conference on Future of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw.
Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069. William Morrow, New York, NY.
Supratman, L.P. (2018). “The use of social media by digital natives”. Journal IIMU Komunikasi. 15: 47-60. https://doi.org/10.24002/jik.v15i1.1243.
Susilawati, S.; Chakim, A.; Hambali, M.; Islamy, M.I. & Rahmaniah, A. (2021). “The urgency of digital literacy for generation z in improving learning of Islamic religious education”. Library Philosophy and Practice. 2(7): 1-15.
Szymkowiak, A.; Melović, B.; Dabić, M.; Jeganathan, K. & Kundi, G.S. (2021). “Information technology and generation Z: The role of teachers, the Internet, and technology in the education of young people”. Technology in Society. 65: 101565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101565.
Thangavel, P.; Pathak, P. & Chandra, B. (2021). “Millennials and Generation Z: a generational cohort analysis of Indian consumers”. Benchmarking: An International Journal. 28(7): 2157-2177. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-01-2020-0050.
Tobon, S. & García-Madariaga, J. (2021). “The influence of opinion leaders on online consumer decisions: A study on social influence”. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research. 16(4): 748-767. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16040043.
Tsai, W.D. & Chistyakova, O.V.E. (2022). “Ethical Theoretical Reflections on Social Media: Place of the Human Being in the Digital Space”. RUDN Journal of Philosophy. 26(4): 870-881. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-2302-2022-26-4-870-881.
Ugoh, N.H. (2021). Understanding Youth Activism and social media in Addressing Weak Systems: The Case of #ENDSARS Protest in Nigeria. Masters Dissertation, University of Birmingham.
Welsh, D.T.; Baer, M.D.; Kim, J.K.; Thiel, C. & Smith, I.H. (2022). “Desirable or deceitful? How social exchange dynamics shape responses to pro‐coworker unethical behavior”. Personnel Psychology. 75(3): 619-644. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12483.
Wolf, A. (2020). “Gen Z & Social Media Influencers: The Generation Wanting a Real Experience”.
https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1050&context=honors_capstones.
Journal of Cyberspace Studies
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2023
Pages 23-44

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics