Relationship between social media use and communication skills of undergraduate students in Tanzania

Abstract

Social media is an indispensable tool used by undergraduate students. Previous research has shown that in spite of its role in facilitating communication in a convenient way, use of social media adversely influences the communication skills of undergraduate students. The study sought to establish the relationship between social media use and communication skills of undergraduate students in Tanzania. A total of 503 respondents in the quantitative phase were identified and for qualitative study, purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to identify 39 as respondents in FGDs, yielding to 542 respondents as the target population. To collect data, self-administered questionnaires and focus group guides were used. Findings revealed that undergraduate students largely preferred WhatsApp and Face book compared to other social media sites. Social media use does not have a significant relationship to self-esteem of users although it influences their communication skills. Demographic characteristics are not significant moderators between self-esteem and communication skills. Self-esteem does not play a significant role of mediating between social media and communication skills. However, self-esteem of social media users influenced their communication skills. There is need to engage relevant stakeholders to guide students on appropriate use of social media so as to minimize its adverse effects. Also, there is need to implement strategies to address cyberbullying. The research also recommends that further studies should be done to establish if there is a link between use of social media and gender, also the link between stability of self-esteem and cognitive biases. Similar studies should be replicated in other countries to determine if it will yield similar results.