SOCIAL MEDIA USE, DIGITAL LONELINESS AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: A MEDIA-SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA
Zubair, Omeiza Zakariyyah , Abubakar, Isah , Suleiman, Abdulrahaman Oni and Balogun, Omeiza David
Volume 14 Issue 2
Abstract
This study examines the relationship among social media use, digital loneliness and political participation among undergraduates in Kogi State, Nigeria, from a media-sociological perspective. A quantitative survey was conducted with a stratified sample of 390 undergraduates across three universities using a structured questionnaire, and the data were analyzed with descriptive frequencies and percentages and inferential tests. Findings show that social media are deeply embedded in students’ daily routines for social interaction, education, information and entertainment, with 74.4% spending at least three hours online daily, and that 64.4% report feeling lonely despite prolonged platform use. Reduced face-to-face contact, academic workload, upward social comparison, fear of missing out (FOMO) and the virtual displacement of offline interaction emerge as the main factors associated with digital loneliness. Findings further show that online political participation was significantly more common than offline political participation among the respondents. The relationship of social media use and of digital loneliness with political participation was positive and statistically significant (r = 0.428, p < 0.001; and r = 0.215, p < 0.001 respectively). The study emphasizes the need for balance between virtual engagement and physical interpersonal ties, and recommends institutional digital wellness programs, active campus community engagement, enhanced psychosocial counseling services and civic engagement initiatives that connect online political interest to offline participation. Keywords: Social Media Use, Digital Loneliness, Political Participation, University Undergraduates, Media Sociology
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