The Effect of Social Media on Job Creation in Anambra State: A Study of Youths in Awka South L.G.A
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are
- To ascertain the level of social media used to reduce employment in Nigeria
- To ascertain the effect of social media on job creation in Nigeria
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Defining Social Media
The literature is abounding with a number of terms that are used interchangeably by avariety of authors to describe social media. These include but are not restricted to: „social computing‟, „web 2.0‟, „social platforms‟ and „social networks‟. Wellman (1999) describes social networks as a set of people, organizations or other social entities connected by a set of socially meaningful relationships. Parameswaran & Whinston (2007b) choose to view it from a technological viewpoint by defining „social computing‟ as a collection of technologies – blogs, online business networks, and peer-to-peer networks etc. – that enable social interaction and collaborative action online. Clapperton (2011) supports the view of the previous authors by describing them as Internet based tools that allow readers engage with the writer or with the community online and in public. To elucidate a definition of „Social Media‟, authors distinguish between concepts that make the phenomenon possible. The foundation for social media is the evolution of the web to its current form and the increase in content created by the end users. This is a view supported by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010), they contend that User Generated Concept [UGC] represents the sum of ways in which users interact with social media while web 2.0 serves as the platform for its growth. This author will attempt to expound on these key concepts. At a conference brainstorming session in 2005, the concept of web 2.0 was born. The term was used to describe a turning point for the web after the dot-com bubble burst (O‟Reilly, 2005). The previous author describes Web 2.0 as the „architecture of participation‟. This is because it provides a platform for continuous modification of content by all users in an engaging and collaborative way (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).Critics believe this is another marketing buzzword, however, proponents of web 2.0assert that a shift occurred from the passive nature of the earlier version of the web 1.0 – to a more dynamic environment where people take part in what happens on the Internet (Dearstyne, 2007; Cormode and Krishnamurthy, 2008; Balım, B. and Dogerlioglu O., 2011; Clapperton, 2011). As stated earlier, there are many whoconsider Web 2.0 as the platform for the social media evident in society today (Parameswaran & Whinston, 2007b; Mangold and Faulds, 2009; Kaplan and Haenlein,2010). While no definition has gained widespread academic acceptance, Constantin ides and Fountain (2009) define web 2.0 as “a collection of open -source, interactive and user controlled online applications expanding the experiences, knowledge and market power of the users as participants in business and social processes. Web 2.0 applications support the creation of informal users ‟networks facilitating the flow of ideas and knowledge by allowing the efficient generation, dissemination, sharing and editing / refining of informational content.” Although, Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) distinguish between web 2.0 and UGC as separate entities, this author believes that UGC is at the core of web 2.0 and as such both are intricately linked to one another. What differentiates web 2.0 from its earlier incarnation is the interactivity and collaboration that exists. This assertion is supported by Wunsch-Vincent (2007), who refer to UGC as „one of the main features of this so called participative web‟. Amateurs who were at the consuming end of the web spectrum have been empowered to generate and broadcast their own content (Clever etal., 2009; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Perhaps due to its self-explanatory name, no standard definition exists in the literature. However, the OECD (2007) proposes three (3) requirements for content to be classified as user generated. They are, content must be publicly available on the Internet (includes social networking sites and websites),have a certain level of creativity, and content must be created in a non-professional environment/context. Several authors contend that UGC was in existence prior to the emergence of the much-discussed evolution of the web. Its growth can be traced to a number of drivers that make it fundamentally different from its earlier form (Balasubramaniam, 2009; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought the effect of social media on job creation in Anambra state
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on the study an the effect of social media on job creation in Anambra state. 200 youths of Awka South was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on the effect of social media on job creation in Anambra state. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of the effect of social media on job creation in Anambra state
Summary
This study was on the effect of social media on job creation in Anambra state. Two objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the level social media is used to reduce employment in Nigeria and to ascertain the effect of social media on job creation in Nigeria. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 youths in Awka South. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made students, applicants, businessmen and unemployed youths were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Social networks offer a powerful tool for recruiters to reach a pool of qualified candidates that they might not otherwise be able to reach. Social media is here to stay and employers can gain a significant advantage by adopting hiring methods that have a social media element. There is no doubt that social media has improved the recruitment process by making it more open and democratic; increasing the visible talent pool from which to engage and recruit. Having an intimate knowledge of someone’s capabilities or knowing who the best person for a role is, however, can only be gained through personal knowledge of an individual and of a particular industry sector. The social media sites also recognize this, and new tools are becoming available all of the time that allow recruiters and employers to work together to take advantage of social media hiring. It is changing the way we do business today. Additional benefits include the ability to enhance our public image, improve interactions with customers, and promote employee engagement. But it is not without internal and external risk
Recommendation
As Nigeria and other developing countries pursue cooperation with their developed counterparts towards economic growth, such cooperation should equally be extended to the social media economics. The aim here should be to receive technical and financial aid from these developed countries towards boosting Internet infrastructure for greater participation of the population in the social media and its economic opportunities.
References
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