INTRODUCTION

The invention of computer in 1950s the advance of computer technology is 1970s and the
prevalence of personal computer in 1980s and 1990s seen to lead to the revolution of
peoples’ literacy world in the 21st century. People nowadays tent to rely more on computer-
based resources (such as writing emails, sending free e-cards, watching online videos,
transmitting instant messages and photos by Yahoo or MSN Messengers exchanging
information in online chat room or discussion area) than paper based resources (such as
writing letters, sending cards and postcards, reading newspapers, magazines, novels and
sending pictures by emails. Rapidly and continuously changing as new technologies for
information and communication repeatedly appear and new environments for exploring those
technologies are continuously crafted by users. Does computer technology affected college
students reading habits? Lyons (1999) claimed that the computer revolution is unlikely to
significantly affect reading habits in the perspective of history and current literacy trends.
New media and online literacy belong to and affect people of all ages. Today computer
technology is integrated into almost every aspect of learning in higher education textbooks
arrive with CD-ROMs; homework is delivered and granted on the world-wide-web (www)
and assignment are designed to be completed collaboration through electronic mail.
In fact “The internet becomes as important part of college students lives. Not only for this
studies and daily sootiness but as a tool for getting to know other people and the rest of the
world”. The internet is one of the greatest recent advancement in the world of information
technology and has become a useful instrument that has fostered the process of making the
world a global village. However, despite the added benefits of the internet to learning,
teaching and research, there is no provision of effective internet service In most of the tertiary
Institutions,

Reading is an essential tool for lifelong learning. It is important for everyone to

develop the rudiments of reading and the culture of reading always so as to survive in life.
Reading according to Holte (1998) adds quality to life and provides access to culture and
cultural heritage. He pointed out that reading empowers and emancipates citizens and bring
people together. Okeke (2000) reaffirms that the art of reading is a priceless instrument for
everyone. It is one of the most important activities of life through which we enter into the life
and experiences of others and extend our knowledge, scope of experience and enjoyment. It
has critical role to play in the overall development of an individual and the nation at large.
Reading experience can be obtained in the library. The school library is a gateway to
knowledge and will serve as a starting point or road map to reading and the promotion to
reading culture. The library provides books and other resources which will help shape
thoughts and influence the actions of students throughout life with active supervision by an
experienced librarian.

Due to technological development, reading habits are changing. In our society today, while
technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual lives, the reading habit is fast
vanishing into thin air (The Hindu, 2004). Students now lack the skill of reading. Instead they
spend more hours on the internet. Browsing the net, playing with funky handsets and passing
non-stop SMSs and chatting with friends seem to be the order of the day, thereby making
reading a book or any other piece of written material in a quiet or peaceful corner of a library
or home become an archaic idea for most school children and adults (The Hindu, 2004).
Obama (2008) in his speech pinpointed that children cannot achieve unless they raise their
expectations and turn off television sets. Shabi and Udofia (2009) noted that active learning
from books is better than passive learning such as watching televisions and playing games.

Students are rarely interested in reading for pleasure and enjoyment instead they read only to
pass examination. The declining interest in reading culture among our children (especially
those in primary and secondary schools) is a cause for alarm and a challenge to all and
something need to be done to alleviate this yawning problem. Unfortunately, reading is not
taught or included in school curriculum. Reading is not a subject and cannot be taught
separately as most other subjects in the curriculum rather it is subsumed in every other
subject and is regarded as a tool facilitating many other types of learning. Nowadays, due to
the rat race syndrome, parents pay little or no attention to their children's reading ability,
parents themselves lack the skill and the culture of reading such that some do not read to their
kids.

Mefor (2010) urged all Nigerians schools to launch a readership promotion campaign which
will help to inculcate the culture of reading in children. It is also important to start early to
inculcate the culture of reading early enough in a child. Also Olukemi (2010) advised
Nigerian youths to imbibe the reading culture in all their endeavors. She lamented that lack of
reading culture among youths nowadays has greatly affected quality of graduates being
produced by the nation's higher institutions. It is against this background that this study tries
to investigate on the influence of internet on the reading culture of pupils in homes and
schools. Improving access to relevant information and promoting a reading culture are
prerequisites for strengthening literacy skills, widening education and learning opportunities,
and helping people to address the causes of poverty (Makotsi, 2005).

The use of the internet is one of the major factors affecting the academic performance and
social life of university students. The number of hours spent on internet will affect the grades
of students depending on if the internet is used for study purpose or social purposes. Many
studies have been conducted regarding the type of information the end-users seek and obtain
on the Internet and in which circumstances they prefer electronic sources to paper
sources(Tenopir et al.2003).Also , students can gain from others' knowledge and experiences,
participate in chatrooms, share ideas and solutions.

Teens spend approximately 2.3 hours online a day, 80 percent of that time, on social
networking sites (Roiworld, 2010). Students who multi-task between social networking sites
and homework are likely to have 20% lower grades than a student who does not have a social
networking site in visual range (Lenhart, A, 2009, April). Also , many researchers believe
that excessive use of the internet has the potential to become an addiction (Griffiths, 1995,
2000). Some, involvement on the Internet begins to have serious, negative consequences.
When such consequences are minimized or ignored while Internet use increases, Internet
dependence is occurring. As of 2005, it is estimated that 6% of users are Internet dependent
(Villanova Counseling Center). The internet can act as a major distraction to students if not
properly managed. However, some studies show that students' primary use the internet for
school work specifically, searching the web for information needed for school projects (Kraut
et al, 1996). This in turn, can improve the academic performance of a student.

Social media is the latest technological explosion in the information world. It is an

online platform that focuses on building and reflecting on the social relation among people,
who share common interest or activities. Since the universalization of the internet in the
1990s and the emergence of social networking sites in 1994 and beyond, there is abundant
evidence that millions of people across the world use social media on a regular basis for
various reasons (Daluba & Maxwell, 2013). Though social media use cuts across all age
groups, studies have however shown that it is predominant among young persons (Onuoha &
Saheed, 2011) and tertiary students (Dahlstrom, et al.2011; Al-rahmi
et al., 2014). Adomi and Ejirefe (2012) refer to social networking as activities, practices and
behaviour among groups of individuals who congregate online to share information,
experience and express an opinion utilizing interactive media. The interactive media are web-
based applications that make it possible to create and efficiently transmit content in forms of
text, pictures, videos and audios. According to Kaplan and Halein (2010), social media is a
group of internet-based application that builds on the ideological and technological
foundation of the web and allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Social
networking site allows users to share activities, event, ideas and interest within their
individual network. Tertiary students use social media for various reasons. Some use it to
exchange ideas, feelings, personal information, pictures and videos (Loving & Ochoa, 2010).
It is used to connect with friends and family regardless of location, keeping up with the latest
events and happening and sometimes for academic purposes. Lusk (2010), considered some
positive aspects of social media. He specified that going online can afford tertiary students’
academic support. Social media hence provides easy access to virtual space which tertiary
students can explore with friends having similar academic needs. Tertiary students who may
be reluctant to express their feelings in class find blogs and other interactive web tools
rewarding (Brydolf 2007). Wang et al. (2011) researched into the effects of social media on
college students. Their findings suggested that social media use is negatively associated with
reading and academic performance. They also noted that about two-thirds of college students
were found using social media while in class or reading. These multitasking increases
distraction and becomes detrimental to student reading abilities. Similarly, Kalpidon et al.
(2011) asserted that as social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter gaining
popularity, they are increasingly becoming dangerous as they create modes for students to
procrastinate their reading and other projects. The intensification of the use of social media
among tertiary students has no doubt affected their reading culture negatively. Reading is a
conscious attempt towards comprehending and obtaining knowledge. It is also a systematic,
deliberate task of gaining precise knowledge geared towards a criterion. Reading as Oloyede
(2005)
Conclusion and Recommendations

The Internet has opened the door to a new way of learning. The wealth of information
available therein exceeds that of any physical library. Of the various uses the internet can be
put to, academic purpose occupies the highest enviable position as far as students are
concerned. However, they face a lot of challenges using the internet for academic purpose.
Such as incessant power outage and the disgusting network failure. The need exist for tertiary
institutions to acquire high powered generators which will serve as backup in case of power
outage. Cybercafé managements should see the need to invest more funds, not only for
opening such, but also for proper maintenance. If cybercafés are provided with wireless
access points, it will become possible for users to browse within the environments and thus
enhance access to information needed especially to enhance academic performance. Tertiary
institution should ensure that adequate internet services are been provided in their respective
libraries, so as to enable students meet their information needs.

Many students admitted that the internet does help with research, many of them also refer to
sources such as books and journals. This data lead to the conclusion that while students are
quite heavily dependent on the internet, they are not totally dependent and are capable of
using various sources for research.

Overall, the results of this study compared to the literature review show that students are
more negatively impacted upon by internet use as the internet, although helpful at times, it a
distraction to students.