This article examines the impact of social media on the writing abilities of Nigerian youths in English, which is the language of mass communication in Nigeria. Deploying cultivation theory of the media, this study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to unpack the Nigerian youths’ opinions on the impact of the use of the new media of social networking platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc., on their writing abilities, using undergraduates of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma-Nigeria as a study case. To do this, information is gathered through the use of 120 copies of a validated survey questionnaire. Additional information is garnered from in-depth interviews (IDIs) with lecturers from within and outside Ambrose Alli University and focused group discussion (FGD) with some students of the institution as well as the researchers’ direct observation of the issue under investigation. The study discovers that a majority of the youth adopt a certain option/brand of English which cannot be located within the matrixes of Standard English or even its Popular Nigerian English (PNE) variant which is called Pidgin English. Consequently, expressions such as ‘u’ for ‘you’ ‘gr8t’ for ‘great’, ‘ur/urs’ for ‘your/yours’, among other deviational patterns, have crept into their writing consciousness in classes and examinations, which make a lot of ‘sense’ in informal settings among the youths, but smacks of sub literacy in formal writing situations under which they are being trained. As well, shortened forms of words and phrases such ‘LOL’, ‘K,’ ‘IJNA,’ ‘Y’, etc., are common sights in their writings. This development can have serious implication for effective and efficient writing among Nigerian youths, especially in formal situations. The study suggests that because it has been demonstrated that effective and efficient writing can improve comprehension of content in any discipline, enabling students to practice analysis, synthesis, and other skills that constitute critical, creative, and even civic thinking, students should be encouraged to write effectively and efficiently as more writing equals more learning even in the age of the new media (social media). It advises that further studies should be carried out on the deviational patterns and shortened forms of English words and phrases which are commonly used by youths in Nigeria and elsewhere, with a view to possibly getting the ‘new words’ standardized by the relevant educational authorities to ensure uniformity in usage, and to keep pace with the dynamically trendy youth/social media culture.

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社交媒体对尼日利亚埃克波马市安布罗斯·阿里大学本科生写作能力的影响

本文探讨了社交媒体对尼日利亚年轻人英语写作能力的影响，英语是尼日利亚大众传播的语言。运用媒体的培养理论，本研究采用定量和定性的方法来揭示尼日利亚年轻人对使用社交媒体平台（如Facebook，WhatsApp，Instagram等）的新媒体对其写作能力的影响的观点。 ，以尼日利亚埃克波马市安布罗斯·阿里大学的本科生为研究案例。为此，通过使用120份经过验证的调查问卷来收集信息。通过与Ambrose Alli大学内部和外部的讲师进行深入访谈（IDI）以及与该机构的一些学生进行焦点小组讨论（FGD），以及研究人员对正在调查的问题的直接观察，可以获得更多信息。研究发现，大多数年轻人采用一定的英语选项/品牌，而这些选项/品牌不能位于标准英语甚至其流行的尼日利亚英语（PNE）变体（称为Pidgin英语）的矩阵之内。因此，诸如“ u”代表“ you”，“ gr8t”代表“ great”，“ ur / urs”代表“ your / yours”等表达方式，在其他课堂上已经逐渐渗透到他们的写作意识中，这使得年轻人在非正式场合中有很多“感觉”，但是在接受正规写作的情况下，他们会受到一些亚文化的熏陶。同样，单词和短语的缩写形式，例如“ LOL”，“ K”，“ IJNA”，“ Y”等，在他们的作品中很常见。这种发展可能严重影响尼日利亚青年的有效写作，特别是在正式情况下。研究表明，由于已经证明有效和高效的写作可以提高任何学科的内容理解能力，使学生能够练习分析，综合和其他构成批判性，创造性甚至公民思维的技能，因此应鼓励学生即使在新媒体（社交媒体）时代，更多的写作也等于更多的学习，从而有效地进行写作。