The Role Of Social Media In Curbing Cyber Crimes Among Students Of Institute Of Management And Technology

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examine the role of social media in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology. Other aims of this study are:

i. To determine the extent of cyber crimes committed by students of institute of management and technology.

ii. To determine the types of cyber crimes committed by students of institute of management and technology.

iii. To find out whether social media can be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology.

iv. To examine ways social media can be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions will be answered in this study:

i. To what extent are cyber crimes committed by students of institute of management and technology?

ii. What are the types of cyber crimes committed by students of institute of management and technology?

iii. Can social media be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology?

iv. What are the ways social media can be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology?

Increasing social media users awareness of cybercrimes.

Blocking of unsolicited links by social media regulators

Tracking the activities of Perpetrators

Tracking down the personal information of Perpetrators

Reporting suspected accounts and activities

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The following hypotheses will validate this study;

Ho1: The extent cyber crimes are committed by students of institute of management and technology is very low.

Ho2: Social media cannot be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

With the ever increasing pace of development, social media fraud has become an inevitable and a more specialized area of crime which threatens the economy and even the peace and security of the nation. The publicity surrounding Nigeria social media fraud is raising fears that the country may face a slowdown in international investment in telecommunication as well as the financial sectors (Thomas, 2011). As more Nigerians use the internet for their banking needs, the number of fraudsters eyeing people’s bank accounts and online financial transactions has also multiplied. Hence, this study has provided useful information on the factors responsible for the increase rate of social media fraud in the society.

Unlike the advance societies, developing societies have almost little or no modalities put in place to curb the excesses of social media fraudsters. In order to out smart the social media fraud fighting agencies, these social media fraudsters have connections with one another thereby learning more sophisticated methods/skills day in day out to commit this havoc. As such, the exposure of the techniques been used by these social media fraudsters will contribute positively to the efforts being made by these agencies.

Moreover, since youths within the age bracket of 18-30 years (Zero Tolerance, 2006), have been identified to be most vulnerable to this crime and have also been identified to be either in tertiary institutions or about to be admitted into one or graduates. The research work was able to identify other attributes/characteristics of social media fraudsters. In addition, since social media fraud is denting the country image among the committee of nations and the present administration has vowed to place Nigeria among the top twenty largest economies in the world by 2020. This research will contribute positively to the efforts being made by concerned government and private agencies to develop strategies to combat the menace.

Above all, taking into account that social media fraud and the underlying criminology behind cyber criminals are very new and there is a relative shortage of available research and literature on the subject. This therefore, makes this study very important because the study has added to the existing literature by revealing a number of different bases on what typically makes and motivates social media frauds and also identify the consequences it has in the society.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study focuses on the role of social media in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology. The study further focuses on determining the extent of cyber crimes committed by students of institute of management and technology, determining the types of cyber crimes committed by students of institute of management and technology, finding out whether social media can be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology and examining ways social media can be used in curbing cyber crimes among students of institute of management and technology.

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Cyber Crimes: Cybercrime is a crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Cybercrime may harm someone's security and financial health.

Social media: Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks.

1.10 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDIES

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the  review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study,  sample size determination,  sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

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