INTERROGATING SOCIAL MEDIA PREVALENCE, ACCESS AND UTILIZATION AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

There is an avalanche of studies on the use of social media among employees in private organizations. However, studies on the prevalence, access and utilization of social media in public organizations, such as the civil service are limited. Widespread use of social media and its role in transforming the way government employees communicate and discharge their duties, can no longer be ignored. However, it seems that the adoption and usage of social media as a means of communication in government institutions has been accepted with mixed feelings. While some were more open and welcoming to the idea of using social media, others are not quite receptive because of the feared disruptions it could bring to the structure and communication in the civil service. The current study, anchored in Manuel Castell’s Network Society was carried out to interrogate the prevalence, access and utilization of social media within the context of Anambra State Civil Service in order to provide evidence based answers. Using mixed methods research approach, quantitative data was collected from 612 civil servants, selected through the lottery method of the simple random sampling. Qualitative data were generated from both interview sessions conducted among 15 civil servants purposively selected, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) sessions with senior and junior civil servants respectively. The study found a high prevalence use of social media among civil servants in Anambra State during work hours, for communication and collaboration. The study however, notes that social media use can be hedonistic and thus counter-productive, especially when used outside work related issues at work site, and therefore recommends regulation of social media use among civil servants.