New media and mass communication 

About: New media and mass communication is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Social media & Newspaper. It has an ISSN identifier of 2224-3267. Over the lifetime, 545 publications have been published receiving 1398 citations.

A Survey of Facebook Addiction Level among Selected Nigerian University Undergraduates

Abstract: The undesirable consequences emanating from excessive internet usage on individual lives has been described as Internet Spectrum Addiction Disorder. Also, the potential clinical relevance of Facebook Addiction has also been conceptualized under Internet Spectrum Addiction Disorder. Observation have shown that many young adults in Nigeria are undiscerning users of Social network sites with many already tending toward excessive usage or are already entrapped in the ‘web’ of addictions. This fact remains hazy and needs empirical investigation. This study therefore surveyed the level of addiction to Facebook among selected Nigerian University undergraduates. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques were employed in selecting 1000 undergraduates from four universities in South-west, Nigeria. Data were generated with Facebook Addiction Symptoms Scale (FASS). FASS, developed and validated by the researcher yielded reliability co-efficient of 0.73 (Cronbach Alpha). Data were analyzed with simple percentages, cross tabulation and t-test. Findings show ‘meeting people’ and ‘chatting’ as the most frequent activities of undergraduates on Facebook. ’Facebook chat’, ‘Wall post’, and ‘Picture uploading’ were features used most. Many undergraduates access Facebook account every passing hour, every two hours and every day. The study reveals low level addiction (1.6%) particularly among university undergraduates in private universities. Although the study observed low level of addiction, this result may be due to the low level of internet access generally in Nigeria. The study therefore suggests that stake holders must do something to prevent rampancy of Facebook addiction in particular and internet addiction in general among Nigerian youths. Key words: Social media, Facebook addiction, Internet, University undergraduate

The relationship between mobile social media use and academic performance in university students

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between social media use and academic performance. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to a sample of university students in Kuwait. Results show that heavy mobile social media usage is positively related to lower GPA. The strong linear relationship suggests the more students use social media the lower their grades will be. Results also show participants were aware social media usage is lowering their grades, yet they continue to use them heavily regardless. Future research should consider the context in which social media are used. It should also explore other ways in which to measure social media use in addition to self-reports. Keywords: Social media, academic performance, Kuwait, mobile phones.

Importance of Brand Personality To Customer Loyalty: A Conceptual Study

Abstract: Customer loyalty is viewed as the strengths of the relationship between an individual’s relative attitude and repeat patronage. Here an attempt has been made to probe into the behaviour of a customers’ willingness to buy a brand/product, of what are the related factors which influences his buying behaviour and attitude towards the brand. An investigation is done to highlight a point of what are the influencing factors which compels him to be a loyal for a brand. The theoretical study and the conceptual model, here, envisages the concept of brand loyalty by passing through the concept of brand personality. The study findings suggest a conceptual model that combines the theories of brand personality with the necessary dispositional variables to explain the customer’s loyalty processes. This model also rises to the marketing challenge of building long-term consumer relationships. Customer‘s loyalty, therefore, might be strengthened or retained by keeping in consideration various other factors through communicating a good brand relationship by involving the concept of brand personality, thus, enhancing the customer relationship building with social and resource exchanges and thus positively affecting the satisfaction of the customer. The theoretical framework will help the researches to further investigate into the concept of brand personality enhancing the customer loyalty. Keywords: Brand Personality, Customer Loyalty, Conceptual Model

The Analysis of Speech Events and Hymes' SPEAKING Factors in the Comedy Television Series: FRIENDS

Abstract: This study investigated the occurrence of speech events in FRIENDS comedy series (Season #1, Episode #1) to probe such phenomena in media discourse. This study presented not only a sample of spoken discourse about those speech events which were more frequent, but a sample of native speakers' cultural norms. The results of the study showed that some typical speech events, due to the situational and contextual context of language, were more frequent than others; in the selected sample, the most recurring event in a friendly relationship was found to be confiding one's secrets or personal affairs and problems with one's friends and asking them for help, consultation, and sympathy. At the same time, there were some speaking factors affecting each speech event which are in line with Hymes (1974) SPEAKING model. Keywords: Speech, speech events, speech situation, Hymes SPEAKING factors, FRIENDS comedy series, ethnography of speaking

Business Advantages of Corporate Social Responsibility Practice: A Critical Review

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility is the managerial obligation to take actions that protect and improve both the welfare of society as a whole and the interests of the organisation. Thus, the paper is an examination of the business advantages of corporate social responsibility practice. The paper is anchored on two theories; stakeholder’s theory, which states that organisations have constituent groups that need to be taken care of and the iron law of corporate social responsibility, which states that organisations that fail to use their power responsibly will lose it in the long run. Previous studies were reviewed and it was discovered that several benefits abound to organisations that practise corporate social responsibility; several advantages were identified; these among others include: enhanced brand and reputation, reduction in operation costs, attracting new customers, balances power with responsibility, discourages government regulation, improves a company’s public image, promotes long run profit, improved relations with the investment community and better access to capital, enhanced employee relations, productivity and innovation and stronger relations within communities through stakeholder engagement. The paper therefore concludes that organisations that carry out corporate social responsibility activities have a lot to benefit. Thus, it recommends that organisations should endeavour to pay due attention to corporate social responsibility and this practice should be a continuous one. Keywords: Business, advantages, benefits and corporate social responsibility