In addition, being “friends†with someone on a SNS allows a person to communicate in a variety of ways such as sending private and public messages, participating in on-line games, commenting on photos that have been posted, sharing music or movie preferences, responding to journal entries, and much more (Livingstone, 2008). In one author’s opinion, “Creating and networking online content is becoming an integral means of managing one’s identity, lifestyle and social relations†(Livingstone, 2008). A click of a button may mean the loss or gain of a friendship, and a friendship on a SNS may be with someone who is not a friend in “real life†(Livingstone, 2008).
Though there are several options for “privacy†on these sites, research has shown that the public aspect of sharing information is what draws many to join and participate (Duven & Timm, 2008). Privacy has a new definition when referring to Social networking sites, since just becoming a member requires a person to give certain personal information (Duven & Timm, 2008). Some sites, like Facebook, started as a way for college students to connect and having an “edu†email address was required for signing up (Tufekci, 2008). Now, this site is open for all users, which also increases the amount of people who may have two accounts: One for private use, and one for business or school use (Tufekci, 2008).
When conceptualising why these sites appeal to so many people, it is significant to note that each SNS focuses on the presentation of self and social status (Tufekci, 2008). Each person who joins a SNS must choose a picture to post on their personal profile, which is the picture that will be used as a representation of themselves (Barker, 2009). Some people use a recent picture of their face or a photo of a group of friends, while others choose a different image that they want to represent them or their values (Barker, 2009). Either way, this picture is significant when looking at a SNS because it shows how each individual would like to be seen by others (Barker, 2009). Social status is also a very important part of SNSs because it plays a role in how each individual is viewed on their profile by others (Tufecki, 2008). Most SNS will show how many “friends†a person has, as well as how many people have written to that person lately (Tufecki, 2008). Because of this, many SNS members will seek out people to connect with, even though they may not personally want to be linked with specific people (Tufecki, 2008). Adolescents and college-aged individuals are especially interested in having a lot of friends, because many worry what others will think if they do not have as many friends as their peers (Barker, 2009). Not only does joining a SNS help gain and preserve popularity, but selecting the perfect pictures to post are also very important aspects of the experience (Siibak, 2009). According to a recent study done on visual impression management and social networking sites, approximately 60% of adolescents will spend more time selecting which pictures to post on their profile than actually communicating with others (Siibak, 2009). This shows that these SNSs are not just for keeping in touch with classmates and meeting new people, they are used to build adolescent identities (Siibak, 2009) because social networking sites are used primarily by adolescents and young adults.
2.2.2.3 Social Network and Education
The advent of social network platforms may also be impacting the way in which learners engage with technology in general. Social networking and their educational uses are of interest to many researchers. Livingstone and Brake (2010) in their opinion said ``Social networking site, like much else, on the internet represents a moving target for researchers and policy makers.’’ According to them, recent trends indicate that 47% of American adults use social network. Internet users in Nigeria are growing rapidly.
With over 92 million of the total population of over 160 million Nigerian people surfing through the internet in a month and the majority of these people use smart phones, there is no gainsaying in the fact that students are well exposed to social media through the internet. This access to the internet has provided wider opportunities for teaching, sharing of information, ideas, thoughts and general researches for the advancement of education.
2.2.2.4 Constraints of Social Networking in Education
In the past and recently, social networks were viewed as a distraction and offered no educational benefit. Blocking this social network was a form of protection for students against wasting time, bullying and privacy protection. In an educational setting, whatsapp, 2go and BB chat are seen by instructors and educators as frivolous time wasting and distraction from school work. Cyber bullying has been an issue of concern with social networking site. According to Oshavire (2015), an online survey based on 9-19 years old and above discovered that students received bulling comments online. Social networking, often include a lot of personal information posted publicly and many believe that sharing personal information in social networking sites opens the door to sexual predators. The vast majority of school district has stringent rules against nearly all forms of social media during school hours.
Meanwhile, social networking focused on supporting relationship between teachers and students are now used for learning. Some sites like Ning-for teachers and Term wiki-learning Centre were created to support this. Social media are also emerging as online year book for private and public use. It allows anyone from the general public to register and connect to others. It allows participant the opportunity for just in time learning and engagement and prescribed curriculum Jerkins, 2006). Jerkins described it as participatory culture. According to James (2004) quoted in Oshavire (2015), this creates space for learners. He suggests affinity space and dispersion of expertise and relatedness for learning.
