Uses and Abuses Of Social Media Among Youths In Hossana Town, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Social media is playing a significant role in our everyday interaction on the life of the people. New tool is emerging every day and offer the users exciting opportunities. The current study aimed at finding out the uses and abuse of social media in Hossana town, Southern Ethiopia. The study employed/adopted the frameworks of technological theories. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the qualitative method, in-depth interview with five social media users and FGD with in school and out school participants were conducted. For the quantitative method, the questionnaire was used as a data gathering tool. The questionnaire was distributed to 99 randomly selected respondents. Data were collected from youths at the Addis ketema sub city in the Hossana town, basically three selected neighborhoods. Obtained quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics such as percentage and frequency for quantitative data whereas thematic analysis was used for qualitative. The findings reveal that youths use more than two types of SM for different functions like interactions with others. Social media links the people inexpensively, easily and quickly and it opens the accessibility of any information. The data indicates that respondents of this study use social media sites to get information, to interact with people and to share information. Some other respondents also use social media sites negatively. It was found that with all its functions, using SM for long period of impacts stability of family, children, and society and stress, depression, anxiety and isolations are major perceived causes of SM abuses. Regarding prospects of using SM the findings shows that its usage will bring both the negative and positive effect on the life of people in the future. Based on the findings, some recommendations are suggested.