SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY WRITING SKILLS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF WHATSAPP USAGE AMONG THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

Abstract

The study examined WhatsApp and the development of writing skills of undergraduate students of University of Ghana. The objectives of the study were to ascertain how School of Communication Studies students currently use WhatsApp, to examine whether they want to use WhatsApp to develop their writing skills, to investigate the relationship between WhatsApp and writing skills of students and to discover if WhatsApp affects their writing skills positively or negatively. Three theories were used in relation to this study namely: The Uses and Gratification theory, Connectivism theory and Diffusion of Innovation theory. The nature of the study was quantitative. The main instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to ensure that students chosen have relevant knowledge towards the study with a sample size of 250 respondents. The discussions of the findings indicated improvements in writing skills of students, but students said their intention to use WhatsApp is not meant for developing writing skills. Evidently, WhatsApp is a tool that can enhance the writing skills of the students if used positively. The study found that Whatsapp has impacted negatively on the writing skills and academic performance of students in the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana. The researcher recommends that lecturers use the WhatsApp tool to help students better their writing skills and also use it for discussion of other academic work.