Reading culture: How students waste hours on social media

By Dayo Adesulu, Adewole Adebusayo & Rebecca Amos

IT is indisputable that a vast number of students have completely lost interest in reading, both in and out of higher institutions. To say that the reading competition and zeal among students is fast declining is simply stating the obvious.

From Lagos to Ebonyi and Calabar to Sokoto, the story remains the same – dying reading culture. The unhealthy development stares everyone in the face. Educationists have asked questions on what might have gone wrong, but there seems to be no satisfactory answer to the puzzle.

Students are expected to read and keep abreast of what is happening around them, but that obviously does not happen anymore; no thanks to the advent of the social media. Many  students now spend quality time surfing the internet on gossips and other immaterial issues.

Different studies have revealed that 40 per cent of Nigerian adults never finish reading a fiction book from cover to cover after leaving school. And there are other studies which show that about 30 million Nigerians have graduated from secondary schools with poor reading skills, attributing it to the poor habit cultivated during their stay at school.

In many universities, most students do not read; even the few who read once in a while, merely do so as a means of passing their examinations. The libraries that are meant for reading, have since been converted into browsing centres, places of reference and copying of notes as only few students are seen reading in the libraries most times.

Mr. Cornelius Audu, a library officer at the Ramat Library at the University of Maiduguri while reflecting on the attitude of students to reading, said: “Students prefer the electronic-library to going to the shelf to get books because most students like easy things and don’t want to stress themselves looking for books or reading them. They no longer read hard and for a long time like before, and as a result, the future may not have qualified people in different fields.

“Most of the students you see here are either in part-one or part-two; they mostly come here to get textbooks and other educational materials. Students don’t read on their own volition anymore.

Educational  materials

Whenever you see many students here, it’s either they have test, assignment or examination which is at variance with the culture of seriousness we had in the past. Then, students read every day and even at night as the school library is open even at night.”

According to Emmanuel Haruna, a part-three MBBS student, the best he reads is two hours before examination and he only visits the library to use the free internet service to browse.

“I find reading a bit boring especially educational books. I have never visited the library and only read a day to my examinations because school books are boring and are not worth reading over and over again,” said a part-two Sociology student who does not want his name in print.

Tabitha Amos, a part-one student of chemistry said: “I read my books every day and have made it a daily activity after every lecture. Even though I have not visited the library this semester, I surely will as I have enjoyed studying there during my remedial programme.”

For Abdulazeez Kenny, a 500-level student of Computer Engineering, he only reads at his leisure time. He said he was not among students that see reading as an exercise only meant for one to pass examinations. He said he does not hesitate to read either a novel or textbooks over and over again because he believes that the more he reads, the more he understands.

A 100-level student of Mathematics and Statistics, Dieter Paul Barnabas, said reading has been part of him since his primary school days and he doesn’t think it can ever leave him. He said the reading habit became part of him through his parents, who ensured that he read one book or the other often. He said the poor reading habit among students could be blamed on the high number of courses students offer in schools and to meet up with this, most of them have to focus more on reading to pass exams. Damilare Johnson Onifade, a 400-level Biochemistry  student said he does not read any book apart from the ones that have to do with his courses. “I do not have the time to read books that do not have relevance to my academics and particularly, examinations.”

Livinus Hidoto, a 200-level Sociology student  said he enjoys reading books at all times even those that have nothing to do with his academics especially inspirational books.

Dr. Waziri Ahaji Kachami, a veterinarian, while reflecting on the attitude of  students to reading,  said there must be a change in their attitude to reading if the society must make progress. “All they do is check for stuffs online and most of the time not even academic books. The blame falls on the advent of technology. Students read more books in the 90s than now. The problem is the advent of many sources of information as opposed to the past when the only source of academic book we had was found in the library and nothing more.”

Samuel Kile, a computer engineer agrees, saying: “Reading culture is actually declining in the universities as students now spend more time on irrelevant adventures than reading their books. Many students give more of their time to social media and so many other things that they consider more relevant to them like football and betting as well as what gives them instant gain, than reading books. This is dangerous and we must find a remedy to this before it hurts everyone.”

However, in spite of the negative use of the internet and social media by many students, the social media and internet still have their unique advantages. The first and main advantage of the social media is connectivity. People from anywhere can connect with anyone, regardless of the location and region. The beauty of social media is that you can connect with anyone to learn and share your thoughts. Thus, students can connect with professors globally to get quality research.

Besides, the social media has a lot of benefits for the students and teachers. It is very easy to learn from others who are experts and professionals via the social media. You can follow anyone to learn from him/her and enhance your knowledge in any field. Regardless of your location and educational background, you can educate yourself, without paying for it.

Profitable and less expensive

As a student, you can update yourself from the latest happenings around the world to make you wiser than your lecturers. Most of the time, broadcast and print media these days are biased and do not convey the true message. With the help of social media, you can get the facts and true information by doing some research. Also, as students who study and work, you can promote your business through social media without affecting your studies. Through social media, the whole world is open to you.

This makes businesses profitable and less expensive, because most of the expenses made over a business are for advertising and promotion. This can be decreased by constantly and regularly being involved in social media to connect with the right audience. If you are an undergraduate interested in running a charity organisation, social media can be of help; for example, in promoting an NGO, social welfare activities and donations for the needy.

The social media has helped many people discover innovative stuffs that can enhance personal lives. From farmers to teachers, students to lawyers, every member of the society can benefit from the social media. Students should therefore set their priorities right.

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