Use of Social Media Campaigns against Substance Abuse among Chemistry Undergraduate Students of the University of Lagos
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Abstract
The growing influence of social media has created new opportunities for entrepreneurship, particularly among young people seeking alternative sources of livelihood in Nigeria. This paper examines the role of social media engagement in shaping youth entrepreneurship in Nigeria, with particular attention to entrepreneurial interest, skills development, business branding, customer engagement and enterprise promotion. It explores how platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn facilitate access to business information, entrepreneurial knowledge, wider markets and potential customers. Drawing on the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the paper explains how exposure to entrepreneurial content, purposeful media engagement and perceived behavioural control can influence young people's entrepreneurial intentions and activities. Using a conceptual approach based on secondary data and a review of relevant literature, the paper establishes that social media provides young entrepreneurs with relatively affordable opportunities to promote products, build business identities, acquire entrepreneurial skills, interact with customers and expand market reach without necessarily maintaining physical business premises. However, it highlights that social media engagement does not automatically translate into entrepreneurial development, as its effectiveness depends on the purpose and quality of engagement, digital literacy, internet accessibility, financial resources and the availability of supportive entrepreneurial networks. It concludes that intentional and goal-oriented social media engagement can contribute significantly to youth entrepreneurship, economic participation, self-reliance and enterprise development in Nigeria.
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