Dr. Patrick Olemong’i
St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Arusha
Email: patrickngalaole@gmail.com

Abstract: This study investigated the Contribution of Social-Media Usage in Shaping the Emotional Well-Being of Adolescents in Public Secondary Schools in Arusha City. Specifically, it assessed how social media interaction shapes the emotional well-being of adolescents and suggested the strategies for using social media among adolescents to shape their emotional well-being in public secondary schools. Social Media Impact Theory and convergent mixed methods research design guided the study. Target population comprised of 662 teachers, and 26 head of schools, 7738 form one student and 6922 form two students. Stratified random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the sample size. Questionnaire and interview guide were used as data collection tools. Validity of the instruments was ensured by the research experts and reliability yielded r=.856 for students’ questionnaire and r=.905 for teachers’ questionnaire through Chronbach Alpha methods. Content and face validity of the qualitative instruments was established through peer debriefing and trustworthiness. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics in the SPSS for quantitative data while the qualitative data were thematically analysed then later converged to strength quantitative findings. This study revealed that social media offers connection, self-expression, and stress relief, it also poses emotional risks including anxiety, cyberbullying, addiction, and misinformation. This study concludes that adolescents require structured support through digital literacy, emotional well-being training, and responsible policies to mitigate these risks. It recommends collaborative efforts by MoEST, PORALG, schools, teachers, parents, and students to implement comprehensive strategies that transform social media into a constructive tool for adolescents’ emotional well-being.

Abstract: This study explored how social media is silently but significantly disrupting Ubuntu—a core African value system grounded in community, respect, and human interconnectedness—among young people in Limuru, Kiambu County, Kenya. Guided by Cultural Globalization, Cultivation, and Uses and Gratifications theories, the research adopted a phenomenological design to examine how the frequency, content, and style of social media use are reshaping moral and communal behaviors. Data from focus group discussions and interviews with 52 youth revealed that platforms like Facebook and TikTok are fostering individualism, promoting superficial content, and replacing respectful, communal communication norms with informal, fragmented interactions. Traditional expressions of Ubuntu, such as respectful greetings and interdependence, are being displaced by the pursuit of online validation and personal branding. While some youth demonstrated conscious efforts to preserve Ubuntu values through intentional use of platforms like WhatsApp, the overall trend points to a weakening of social bonds and communal ethos in favor of digital convenience. The study concludes that social media is not inherently destructive but exerts a silent, cumulative pressure on Ubuntu through altered communication practices and value priorities. To reclaim this cultural foundation, the study recommends integrating Ubuntu into digital literacy efforts, recalibrating social media algorithms to highlight culturally meaningful content, and encouraging youth-led and intergenerational initiatives that reinforce communal identity in digital spaces.

Elizabeth Swai – Mwenge Catholic University, Tanzania

Email: winfrida.mbowe@atc.ac.tz/ elizabeth.sing92@gmail.com

Abstract: For the past decade social media usage has tremendously increased. Despite the growth, it is still unclear how the use of social media platforms affects the choice of students in Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania. Therefore, the mainpurpose of this study was to examine the extent to which factors affecting social media usage in students’ selection of study programs in Higher Learning Institutions. The study was conducted on two higher Learning Institutions namely Moshi Cooperative University (MOCU) and Mwenge Catholic University (MWECAU) located in Kilimanjaro region. The study employed cross-sectional research design. The data collection method employed method used was survey method. The study used the sample size of 357 out of 3333 first year undergraduate students. Furthermore, the study employed multiple linear regression to test for the relationship between variables. The results of the study indicate that facilitative conditions, costs, skills and competence, and social Influence are statistically significant in predicting social media usage in students’ choice/selection of study programs. The study concluded that there is enough statistical evidence to explain the extent to which factor affecting social media usage in students’ selection of study programs in Higher Learning Institutions. Furthermore, the study recommended that the university should strive to expand their operations to multiple social media applications.

Abstract: This study aims to explore lecturers’ and students’ experiences on the innovative use of WhatsApp in the teaching and learning of Academic Communication Skills course during the lockdown period. Covid-19 has brought new challenges to world’s economies, social livelihoods and education. Following recommendations from Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development (MHTEISTD) in Zimbabwe, lecturers and students at Women’s University in Africa (WUA) Zimbabwe had to adopt a suitable online platform in place of face-toface lectures, thus creating Montessori lecture rooms at convenient locations for the participants. This study adopts a qualitative approach which is interpretive in nature. The study is hinged on Vygotsky’s (1978) Social Cultural Theory and McCroskey’s (2006) Instructional Communication Model. Five students and three lecturers were purposively sampled to understand their experiences in the innovative use of WhatsApp. Data from interviews and documents were analysed using the inductive thematic analysis to reveal the phenomenon under study. Major findings of this study revealed that lecturers and the majority of the students were fully supportive of the initiative to receive and conduct lectures online. WhatsApp data was much cheaper. The study recommends that students and lecturers may learn new skills on WhatsApp. Ensuing studies may compare blending WhatsApp lecture format with conventional lectures.

Abstract: Social interactions amongst peers were the sole purpose for the invention of social media platforms. Later on, realizing its potential, other sectors embraced the technology and has been strategically used to add value and in the case of Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs), reach learners beyond classroom walls. However, it was not clear enough whether social media is sufficiently utilized for learning as compared to social activities; thus, this research aimed at exploring this dilemma. A review of literature reveals that there is insufficient research done exploring perceptions of students in HLIs regarding their use of social media for learning. A random sample of 250 students from one HLI in Tanzania participated in the study belonging to the following disciplines; Pharmacy, Nursing, Natural and Applied Sciences, Education and Humanities and Commerce and Business Studies. Data was analyzed through SPSS statistical package. A principal finding is that the use of social media for knowledge sharing hasn’t only increased but rather supersedes that for social interactions. Social media is no longer just for relaxation and electronic commerce. Analysis recommends policy makers to formalize the use of social media for academic purposes, improve Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure nation-wide and incorporate ICT subjects in studies from lower levels of education upwards. But most important, Digital Strategies in HLIs is mandatory if any significant impact of technology is intended; not only to support administrative tasks but rather be at the core of the institution’s strategy.