CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Social networking is built on the idea of how people should know and interact with each other through the use of the internet. Internet is a very essential part of life from shopping to electronic mails and education. It has become one of the most important communication tools among people nowadays. It gives people the power to share, making the world more open and connected. Recently, there is a drastic increase of adults that are into online social networking site compare to January 2014 when the percentage was 74 (Ellision 2008). Social networking can be done for social purposes, business purposes and educational purpose. Social networking programs group individuals by interests, hometowns, employers, schools and other commonalities.Wikipedia defined social networking service as a platform to build social relations among people who share similar interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.
A social network service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his or her social links, and a variety of additional services such as career services. Social network sites are web-based services that allow individuals to create a public profile, create a list of users with whom to share connections, and view and cross the connections within the system. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging.There are over 219 social networking sites today according to Wikipedia. Some of the popular and commonly used ones are Facebook, Twitter, Google, Google+, YouTube, Academia.edu, Instagram, About.me, Whatapp, Blackberry messenger, Yahoo mail, G mail, Bebo, Friendster, Hi5, Habbo, NING, classmates, Tagged, myYearbook, Meetup, MyLife, Flixster, myHeritage, Orkut, Badoo, Gaia Online, Netlog Tuenti, IRC-Galleria, Xing, Ibibo,. Social networking hit really its stride with the launch of Friendster in 2002 founded by Canadian computer programmer Jonathan Abrams. It is used as a degree of separation concept similar to that of the now-defunct SixDegrees.com, refined it into a routine dubbed the “Circle of Friends,” and promoted the idea that a rich online community can exist only between people who truly have common bonds. After Friendster was abandoned, LinkedIn took a more serious approach to social networking phenomenon and LinkedIn was formed for business people who want to connect with other professionals.
There is much interest from schools and Universities in the potential of public social networking services and social media such as blogs to leverage or complement formal educational activities and enhance learning outcomes (Brennan 2001 & 2003; Notley 2010). Whilst e-learning frameworks are now integrated into most educational settings, the use of social networking services is less comprehensively utilized. Access to social networking services varies according to state and educational level with some states banning access to social networking services and social media services altogether (Notley 2009). Consequently there is a dearth of evidence on the impact of social networking on young people’s formal education (Anderson 2007). Nevertheless, pilot projects and research are being rolled out which highlight both the potential and the need for social software, services and practices to be integrated into school and higher education frameworks. Social networking services are also being used to extend opportunities for formal learning across geographical contexts. For example, students from University of Benin and Obafemi Awolowo University, learners from both schools use instant messaging and Skype to share information about their cultures and work collaboratively. Social networking service use between teachers and students can improve rapport and motivation and engagement with education (Mazer, Murphy, Simonds 2007).