ABSTRACT

This study examines the social media and promotion of marital relationship among couples in Onna L.G.A. The study used survey research design method and questionnairee was used as the instrument for data collection. The sample size for the study was three hundred and fifty (350). The findings of this study revealed that Spouses in Onna Local Government are exposed to social media. The average duration spent by couples in Onna Local Government Area on social media is between 2 to 5 hours, Social media has positive influence on the marital harmony of couples in Onna L.G.A, The ways for effective utilization of social media in the promotion of marital relationship among couples in Onna Local Government Area includes: Minimizing the usage of social media usage if couples are together; Social media activity of spouse should not be hidden from each other: In case of separation for a short or long while couples could use social media more often for communication. The researcher therefore recommends that agencies and organisations that oversee marriages, such as marriage registries, faith-based organisations, and kinship system, should include social media education for couples in their programmes, where marital challenges associated with social media can be taught and adequately discussed to minimise marital challenges and instability.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page              –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Certification          –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Dedication             –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Acknowledgement           –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

Table of contents   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         vi

List of tables          –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         viii

Abstract       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ix

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study –         –         –         –         –         –         1

1.2     Statement of the problem           –         –         –         –         –         4

1.3     Objectives of the study    –         –         –         –         –         –         5

1.4     Research questions          –         –         –         –         –         –         6

1.5     Scope of the study –         –         –         –         –         –         –         7

1.6     Significance of the study –         –         –         –         –         –         7

1.7     Limitation of the study    –         –         –         –         –         –         8

1.8     Operational Definition of terms           –         –         –         –         8

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1     Concept of Social Media  –         –         –         –         –         –         10

2.2     Social Media and Marriages      –         –         –         –         –         13

2.3     Types of Social Media Platform –         –         –         –         –         16

2.4     Implications of Social Media on Contemporary Marriage  –         18

2.5     Social Media and Marital Challenges  –         –         –         –         21

2.6     Functions Social Media in the Promotion of Marital

Relationship –       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         24

2.7 Criticism, debate and controversy of Social Networking Site –        26

2.8     Theoretical Framework   –         –         –         –         –         –         29

2.9     Empirical Review  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         31

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1     Research Design    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         35

3.2     Population of the study    –         –         –         –         –         –         35

3.3     Sample and sampling procedure          –         –         –         –         35

3.4     Instrumentation      –         –         –         –         –         –         –         36

3.5     Validity and Reliability of instrument –         –         –         –         37

3.6     Method of data Analysis  –         –         –         –         –         –         38

CHAPTER FOUR        

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.1     Data presentation and Analysis –         –         –         –         –         39

4.2     Discussion of findings     –         –         –         –         –         –         46

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1     Summary     –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         50

5.2     Conclusion –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         51

5.3     Recommendations –         –         –         –         –         –         –         51

References

Appendix

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Age Distribution of respondents       –         –         –         –         39

Table 2: Gender Distribution of respondents –         –         –         –         40

Table 3: Educational Qualification of Respondents –         –         –         40

Table 4: Occupation of Respondents    –         –         –         –         –         41

Table 5: Do you use social media?       –         –         –         –         –         42

Table 6: What kind of social media do you use most times?        –         42

Table 7: What is the duration of your social media usage

on daily basis?       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         43

Table 8: Does social media has any influence on your marital

harmony with your spouse?       –         –         –         –         –         –         44

Table 9: What is the influence of social media on your

marital harmony?  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         44

Table 10: What are the ways for effective utilization of social media

for the promotion of marital relationship among couples

in Onna L.G.A.?    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         45

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

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. While challenges to the definition of social media arise due to the variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available, there are some common features (Obar and Wildman, 2015).  (i) Social media are interactive Web 2.0 Internet-based applications.  (ii) User-generated content—such as text posts or comments, digital photos or videos, and data generated through all online interactions—is the lifeblood of social media. (iii) Users create service-specific profiles for the website or app that are designed and maintained by the social media organization. (iv) Social media helps the development of online social networks by connecting a user’s profile with those of other individuals or groups (Boyd and Ellison, 2007).

The term social in regard to media suggests that platforms are user-centric and enable communal activity. As such, social media can be viewed as online facilitators or enhancers of human networks—webs of individuals who enhance social connectivity (Dijck, 2013).

Users usually access social media services through web-based apps on desktops or download services that offer social media functionality to their mobile devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets). As users engage with these electronic services, they create highly interactive platforms in which individuals, communities, and organizations can share, co-create, discuss, participate, and modify user-generated or self-curated content posted online (Schivinski et al., 2020).

Additionally, social media are used to document memories, learn about and explore things, advertise oneself, and form friendships along with the growth of ideas from the creation of blogs, podcasts, videos, and gaming sites. This changing relationship between humans and technology is the focus of the emerging field of technological self-studies (Schurgin et al., 2011).

Some of the most popular social media websites, with more than 100 million registered users, include Twitter, Facebook (and its associated Messenger), WeChat, ShareChat, Instagram, QZone, Weibo, VK, Tumblr, Baidu Tieba, and LinkedIn. Depending on interpretation, other popular platforms that are sometimes referred to as social media services include YouTube, QQ, Quora, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, LINE, Snapchat, Pinterest, Viber, Reddit, Discord, TikTok, Microsoft Teams, and more. Wikis are examples of collaborative content creation (Dennis, 2017).

Social media has become the essential part of all sectors in family life and has played a key role in changing and transforming our lives. Social networking has a lot of benefits, such as helping us to stay connected with people, share photos, correspondence, learn latest information and more.

In addition to the positive aspects of social media, there are many negative aspects. Many people spend long hours in front of a computer screen, engaging in virtual relationships rather than meeting face to face, in addition to a variety of other negative effects such as excessive and useless social networking. Despite the great benefits that we may achieve from our use of social media, it may cause the destruction of social relationships, especially marital relationships to a degree that may lead to separation. Social media affects the relationship in terms of the lack of dialogue between the two parties and the lack of face-to-face conversation. Also feeling deprived of intimacy and affection between family members, despite their being under one roof, but their minds remain within social media and each of them creates their own virtual world (Alberto, 2020).

Social media can help to improve an individual’s sense of connectedness with real or online communities and can be an effective communication (or marketing) tool for corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, political parties, and governments. Observers have also seen that there has been a rise in social movements using social media as a tool for communicating and organizing in times of political unrest.

1.2         Statement of the Problem

Marriage which is the closest form of relationships among humans is the focal point around which other components revolve. If relationships are functioning well and harmonious, then the rest of the system are also likely to be in good condition. On the other hand, if there is disruption or discord in the marriage (marital conflicts), there will be complete dysfunctional. This could affect family stability, children and the entire social climate of the communities. A solid marriage should be developed based on mutual agreement, love, care, commitment, responsibility and concern which in turn provide a stable foundation for a stable society.

Maintaining harmony in marriages is essential for a healthy family. One of the ways through which couples maintained marital harmony is through effective communication. Studies (George, & Ukpong, 2013; Jason & Kristi, 2017; Katherine & Markie, 2018) show that communication is critical to spousal relationship and marital harmony. However, the emergence of social networking site has raised concerns regarding harmony in marriages. Although social networking sites have expanded the scope of communication with a corresponding positive consequence, it has also come with some negative consequences. Such negative consequences have been largely investigated in education, crime, etc, marital harmony has not received significant attention of scholars, hence the need for this study.

1.3         Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this research work is to examine how social media use impact on marital harmony. But the specific objectives are as follows:

1. To find out if spouses in Onna L.GA. are exposed to social media
2. To ascertain the kinds of social media mostly used by spouses in Onna L.G.A
3. To examine the duration of social media usage by spouses in Onna L.G.A.
4. To determine the influence social media use has on marital harmony.
5. To determine ways of effective utilization of social media for the promotion of marital relationship.

1.4         Research Questions

In line with the research problem and objectives, the following research questions were raised:

1. Are the spouses in Onna L.G.A. exposed to social media?
2. What is the kind of social media mostly used by spouses in Onna L.G.A.?
3. What the duration of social media usage by couples in Onna L.GA.?
4. What is the influence of social media use on marital harmony among couples in Onna L.G.A?
5. What are the ways for effective utilization of social media for the promotion of marital relationship among couples in Onna L.G.A.?

1.5       Scope of the study

This study focused on social media and promotion of marital relationship among couples in Onna L.G.A., this study will cover only married couples in selected village from the five clans (Oniong, Nnung Ndem, Awa Afaha and Awa) in Onna L.G.A.

1.6     Significance of the Study

This research work will be of immense significance in the following ways:

This study serve as a source of information to the couples on the effective utilization of social media for promotion of marital relationship

It will help the society to make an informed decision on whether to use, rely on social media in promoting healthy relationship among couples.

The findings of this study will also be useful to the policy makers in various sectors of the government. For instance, in the educational sector curriculum developers will be informed when developing curriculum for the youth and adult.

The significance of the study is reflected in the fact that marital conflicts are the most common problem among married couples in recent times in Nigerian communities. It is hope that the findings of the study will help in the proper management of marital conflicts so as to promote positive exploration of mutually satisfying alternatives and decision-making based on negotiations.

This study will also serve as a references materials for researchers and students in this field.

1.7     Limitations of the study

This researcher faced some limitations in the course of gathering data, among the limitations were the unwillingness of some respondents to provide the needed information. Despite all these, the researcher put all the necessary effort to ensure that these limitations do not influence the outcome of this study

1.8         Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined based on the way they are used in this study.

Couples: This is a union of an adult male and female in holy matrimony.

Marital conflict refers to a series of events that have been poorly handled (due to stubbornness, pride, anger, hurt, and bitterness) so as to deeply damage the marriage relationship.

Marital relationship: This is the relationship between husband and wife

Marriage Duration refers to the length of marriage, in terms of years, that the couples have been in marriage.

Married couples refer to the husband (the male) and the wife (the female).

Social media: This is a social platform or site that enable communication between two or more people.