Social Media as Weapon of Mass Instruction in Training Library and Information Science Students

Abstract

This chapter examines social media as a weapon of mass instruction in the training of library and information science students in Nigeria from the perspective of Library and Information Science (LIS) students. Survey research approach was adopted while the population comprised the Library and Information Science undergraduates selected from two universities offering LIS as course of studies. A self-designed questionnaire titled Social Media Instructional and Training Questionnaire (SMITQ) with r = 0.82 was used for the collection of data. Four research questions were developed and answered by the study. The results reveal that the majority of the undergraduate students were of the opinion that social media is very relevant in the training of library and information science students and can be used as weapon of mass instruction. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Wikis were the social media identified that can be used as weapons of mass instruction in LIS education.