1 Introduction

Digital media, according to Lindgren (2021:2) are “digitally networked communication tools and platforms such as the internet and social media”. Digital media have to do with “the latest phase of media contribution to modernity” which include the invention of the Internet and all other modern communication technologies (Couldry, 2012:2). Quite a lot of digital media users interact on different communication platforms for different reasons on a daily basis. Social media as a popular communication platform have witnessed exponential growth all over the world (Dong-Hun, 2010; Swani et al., 2017). Social media usage among Nigerian youths, just like other countries of the world, is ever-increasing (Fasae & Adegbilero-Iwari, 2016; Ezeah, Asogwa & Edogor, 2013). The focus of this study is to examine digital media usage for leisure purposes. The Internet as an enabler of digital media is of great importance in this study.

There is perhaps no medium of mass communication that has made the world a “global village” more than the Internet. The Internet is a worldwide reservoir of data that can be exchanged at a fast rate and on a global scale, through the network of computers interconnected with one another. People living thousands of kilometers apart can connect in seconds. The Internet enhances communication and feedback. Just to state the obvious, the Internet as a medium of communication is embraced by all and sundry. The technology is employed by nations, organizations, and individuals across the globe. What makes the Internet a unique medium is that it provides a platform for other communication media to thrive. No media of mass communication today can survive well without the Internet.

The rate of Internet penetration in Africa was initially low compared with other regions of the world but the continent has today increased on its level of Internet penetration. According to Okae and Gyasi (2013:24):

“the continent of Africa is making a gradual climb into information superhighway which has reduced our world to a global village courtesy world wide web WWW)”.

Several factors influence Internet penetration among various classes of the populace. They are socioeconomic variables, demographic variables, education variables, etc. Regarding the demographic variable, youths are more likely to use the Internet than any other demographic group (Zhou et al., 2014:7). In the same vein, Schlosser et al., (1999:38) assert that young, highly educated and affluent males use the Internet more than other demographic groups. The Internet is indeed the technology of the youths as they embrace it faster than the adults and the level of Internet penetration among them is higher than that of the older generation (Gallistl & Nimrod 2020). ITU carried out a survey of 104 countries in 2017 and discovered that on average, 80% of youths are on the Internet. The figure is slightly higher in developed economies with 94% Internet penetration among the youths. However, the figure is lower in developing countries with 67% and very low in the least developed countries with just 30% Internet penetration. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2017.pdf.

The Internet, just like a computer, is garbage in and garbage out, as almost all of the Internet contents (about 50 petabytes), according to Ashton (2009), are created by man.

The Internet as a tool has permeated our life. There is no aspect of life that the Internet has not touched. The Internet can be used for several purposes by a diverse group of people. Some of these purposes could either be classified as positive or negative.

The Internet has numerous advantages for everyone. Even though critics of the medium sometimes point out some of its negative aspects, yet they concede to the fact that it has so many values. Fricker and Schonlau (2002:348) for example, opine that scholars conducting surveys via the Internet have since discovered that Internet surveys have several advantages compared to other types of surveys as they are cheaper, faster and when combined with other survey modes, they yield higher response rate. The Internet is seen as a powerful tool for open learning system as many educational institutions benefit from digital learning technology (Krelja 2016), business people also benefit from Internet’s business-to-business transactions (Deeter-Schmelz, Bizzari, Graham & Howdyshell 2001). Small businesses also derive benefits from Internet usage (Poon & Swatman, 1999). Internet users generally enjoy the pleasure of using the technology for leisure purposes (Zhou et al., 2014; Jackson, 1999; Leung & Lee, 2005). Usage of the Internet for leisure activity among students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria is the focus of this study.

2 Literature Review

Sufficient body of literature exists in developed economies on leisure but the concept is only receiving attention in developing countries in the recent times. However, the concept of digital leisure is quite new. The attention on such kind of research most especially in developing countries is minimal.

3 Concept of Leisure

The modern world is characterized by often tension-soaked hustle and bustle lifestyle with its attendant negative implications on peoples’ health and wellbeing. Leisure is any activity that helps to mitigate the negative effects of stressful activities. Several scholars in leisure studies allude to the difficulty in defining leisure as they believe that leisure is a utopia (Rojek 1995). No single definition can adequately express the meaning of leisure. Adesoye & Ajibua (2015) assert that no single definition can capture the “social, psychological, physical, mental, physiological and cultural contents that leisure carries”. But some attempts made at defining the subject are documented in this study. Adesoye & Ajibua (2015) examine the concept of leisure from five different perspectives namely: leisure as time, leisure as play, leisure as an activity, leisure as state of mind, and leisure in relation to work.

Neulinger (1974) model cited in Iso-Ahola 1979:30) conceptualizes leisure from a psychological viewpoint by identifying three major factors underlying the definition of leisure. The three factors include the following: (i) perceived freedom (high or low), (ii) motivation (intrinsic or extrinsic), and (iii) goal orientation (final and instrumental). On the one hand, Neulinger, according to Iso-Ahola (1979), postulates that person’s leisure is pure when he/she perceives his/her freedom as high and his/her participation in leisure activity is based on intrinsic reasons, while, on the other hand, he/she perceives his/her freedom as low when his/her participation in leisure activity is based on extrinsic reasons. Regarding intrinsic motivation, Neulinger, as affirmed by Dillard & Bates (2011:253) stated “that satisfaction arises from engaging in the leisure activity itself (not in some pay-off from the activity)”.

Kelly (1972)’s sociological model revealing the scholar’s perspective on leisure as cited in Iso-Ahola (1979: 30) affirms that:

one’s definition of leisure is determined by two underlying factors, the first being work-relation (high or low) and the second being constraint/freedom (high or low). The model suggests that leisure is best represented when the person participates in an activity without constraints (freely) and the activity is independent of work.

Zhou et al., (2014) define leisure activity as the voluntary use of free time for activities outside the daily routine, and it is one of the major components of a healthy lifestyle. Murphy (1975) cited in Henderson (1984:56) asserts that “leisure is often considered an umbrella term which describes a wide range of possible meaningful activities which a person can do including recreation, work (at times), family activities, and volunteerism”. The researcher considers leisure as a state of being. According to Neulinger (1982) cited in Henderson (1984:56):

“the essence of the idea of choosing freely and experiencing the intrinsic and/or extrinsic rewards of the involvement”.

Neulinger (1981) cited in Sintas, De Francisco & Alvarez (2015:83) asserts that “research individuals associate leisure with freely exercised choice, free time and experience in a given space”. However, the definition of leisure as stated above may not be appropriate in this era of digital society. Sintas, De Francisco & Alvarez (2015: 83) explain that before now, leisure activities were usually engaged in specified times and spaces but never more since:

“the ICTs used for leisure activities have made possible for certain leisure activities to take place in workspaces during work time, and for work, activities to take place in leisure spaces during leisure time”.

Covid − 19 pandemic has further erased our understanding of the workplace as millions of employees worldwide now work from their homes.

4 Importance of Leisure

Leisure has tremendous effects on the quality of life of the citizenry and it is expected that the government pays serious attention to this all-important aspect of life as it has a direct correlation on people’s health. Paggi et al., (2016) affirm that leisure activities can improve well-being (life satisfaction). According to Rojek (2005:1) Charter for Leisure approved by the World Leisure Board of Directors in July 2000 strongly emphasized the fact “that provision for leisure for quality of life is as important as those of health and education”. It was reported that governments scarcely pay attention to this advice in the annual budgetary allocation. The Nigerian government is less concerned about leisure as budgetary provision for mainstream ministries such as the Ministry of Education or Ministry of Health, which are considered more important, is so meager. (Ogungbenle & Edogiawerie, 2016; Adebisi, Umah, Olaoye, Alaran, & Sina-Odunsi, 2020).

5 Internet and Leisure

There exists a long history of romance between technology and leisure and several technologies are associated with leisure. For example, film, television and video are some of such technologies. Bryce (2001:7) affirms

“that technological changes are implicated in changing the concept of leisure and its organization, influencing both access and experience”.

.

Users of the Internet employ technology just for everything including leisure activity.

Several scholars believe that Internet surfing should not be limited to leisure time only and that moderate workplace Internet leisure browsing is of necessity as a little unobtrusive break can enable workers to restore concentration and ultimately enhance productivity (Coker, 2011). The scholar identifies 17 possible workplace leisure activities which include reading online news websites, checking online sports results, checking lottery results, reading non-work blogs (including Twitter and Facebook), writing personal blogs (including Twitter and Facebook), etc. (Coker, 2011: 243). Internet surfing has become one of the major leisure activities among the citizens of advanced economies and it is becoming the same in developing countries such as Nigeria.

Even though the Internet has offered us quite a lot of opportunities to improve our quality of life, such opportunities are not without undesirable consequences. According to Leung & Lee (2005), “with the Internet, people - living in the most plugged-in and mechanized society in history – may be working harder than ever”. With the advent of Internet technology, people’s leisure time is shrinking. Office hours encroached on out-of-office hours as professionals take work home.

6 Traditional Media and Leisure

The role of the mass media is to inform, educate, and entertain. The mass media also have the capacity to reshape public opinion. Change in the media landscape has a tremendous impact on media use. Gallistl & Nimrod (2019: 2) assert that:

“digital and traditional media are no longer separate parts of older adults’ media-based leisure repertoires but increasingly intertwined, supporting scholars that have argued the notion of convergence is central to understanding the current media environment”.

Generally, television was believed to be the most preferred medium in developed countries decades ago. Youths are now spending longer hours interacting with the new media. Both youths and adults according to Valkenburg & Piotrowski (2017:2) “are watching television differently from the way they did in previous decades”. The scholars assert that nowadays youths watch more television programmes online, they record programmes to watch in their leisure time, they often use “a second screen television while they are watching so that they can comment on a show, avoid advertising, or stay in contact with other people” (Valkenburg & Piotrowski, 2017:2). In India, China, and Britain, TV watching topped the list of preferred media channels for young people within the age bracket 11 and 18 years a decade ago. According to Rajesh (2010), a survey conducted in 2009 revealed that television is regarded as the most popular source of information and leisure activity with 78%, newspapers were relegated to the background with a dismal 7.5%.

7 Negative Impact of the Internet

The more people are engrossed in Internet usage, the less engaged they are in physical activities (Zhou et al., 2014). According to Lin et al., (2009), adolescents’ overuse of the Internet can lead to several negative consequences such as poor academic performance, expulsion, social isolation, and disrupted daily routine.

The Internet can easily be abused by criminals. Quite a lot of unsuspecting innocent people have been lured by criminals who after dispossessing them of their valuables still went ahead to kill them. According to Adeniran (2011:3) Internet is used in a “destructive antisocial manner by individuals often referred to as hackers, cyber fraudsters” (usually referred to as Yahoo boys in Nigeria), web criminals, etc.

There are several other Internet criminal activities such as crimes associated with Internet gambling, virtual sex offenses, Internet child pornography, adult-child sex advocacy, usage of the Internet as a tool for terrorism, to name but few (Jaishankar (ed.) 2011).

8 Aim of the Study

Nigeria is endowed in every aspect of life but the issue regarding leisure is of less significance in the country because leisure infrastructure is not well developed and tourism potentials are largely underdeveloped. It is therefore of great importance to study how the youths explore digital media or the internet as a tool of leisure.

9 Statement of the Problem

Leisure is an important activity as it enhances the quality of life of citizens and productivity in the workplace. As important as leisure is, few developed physical leisure infrastructural/recreational facilities exist in Nigeria. There are so many cities and towns without parks, cinemas, stadia, etc. Even though it can be argued that people spend their leisure time in their unique ways, leisure awareness among people is so low. It is interesting to examine how students of tertiary institutions explore Internet technology as a tool of leisure as they constitute more than half of the Nigerian population Jegede et al., 2019).

10 The Population of the Study

This study was conducted among students of Obafemi Awolowo University in the South Western part of Nigeria. Obafemi Awolowo University is one of the biggest universities in Nigeria. It is among the second-generation universities founded by the First Republic politician, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo.

11 Sampling Method and data Collection Procedure

A stratified random sampling method was adopted for this study to enable the researchers to divide the University into groups. This sampling technique is adopted because of the impracticability of capturing the whole 13 faculties that now exist in the University. The oldest faculties of the University are identified, they are five in number. The faculties captured for the purpose of this study are listed below:

  1. i.

    Agriculture.

  2. ii.

    Arts.

  3. iii.

    Economics and Social Studies (now renamed Social Sciences).

  4. iv.

    Law and.

  5. v.

    Science.

Faculty of Social Sciences was selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique to further divide the population to cluster samples to allow for effective representation. The faculty consists of six Departments. The following are the Departments:

  1. i.

    Demography and Social Statistics.

  2. ii.

    Economics.

  3. iii.

    Geography.

  4. iv.

    Political Science.

  5. v.

    Psychology and.

  6. vi.

    Sociology and Anthropology.

Economics was randomly selected and 200 copies of questionnaires were administered by two well-trained research assistants (on a stratified random basis) on undergraduate students of the Department from 100 to 400 levels as well as postgraduate students.

12 Ethical Consideration

A letter of consent was attached to every copy of the questionnaire, informing the respondents that the research is being conducted purely for academic purposes, that the information gathered with the help of the questionnaire would be solely used for that purpose. The respondents were assured of their absolute confidentiality. Administration of the questionnaire commenced only after individual respondents had given their consent.

13 Objectives of the study

  1. i.

    To find out how students spend their leisure time.

  2. ii.

    To examine the popularity of digital media as a tool of leisure among students of Obafemi Awolowo University.

  3. iii.

    To find out the students’ preferred media platforms.

14 Research questions

  1. i.

    How do students spend their leisure time?

  2. ii.

    How popular is digital media as a tool of leisure among students of Obafemi Awolowo University?

iii. Which of the media platforms are most preferable by the students?

15 Theoretical Framework

Uses and gratification theory is adopted for this study. The theory is a media audience theory that examines consumer motivation for accessing channels of media of mass communication as well as using contents of the mass media. Uses and gratification theory “explores how and based on which motives recipients use the media as well as which gratifications are obtained thereat” Tanta et al., (2014:87). The focus of the theory at the outset was on the traditional media of books, newspapers, film, radio, and television but it has now included the Internet. Katz, Blumber, and Gurevitch propounded the uses and gratification theory. Katz, Blumber and Gurevitch cited in Tanta et al., (2014:87), identify five basic assumptions of the uses and gratification theory which are that:

  1. 1.

    the audience is active and its media use is goal-oriented;

  2. 2.

    its initiative in linking need gratification to a specific medium of choice rests with an audience member;

  3. 3.

    the media compete with other resources for need satisfaction;

  4. 4.

    people have enough self-awareness of their media use, interests, and motives to be able to provide researchers with an accurate picture of that use;

  5. 5.

    value judgment of media content can only be assessed by the audience.

16 Method

The survey method is selected for this study. The survey method is chosen because of the intention of the researcher to measure the attitudes and orientations of the selected sample. The survey method is considered most appropriate because it makes it possible to describe the sample selected for the research.

Research Instrument

200 copies of questionnaires were distributed for this study. Out of the 200 copies of questionnaires that were administered on the sampled population, 183 were retrieved which indicated 90.7% response rate.

17 Data Presentation/analysis

Table 1 reveals that 46.7% of respondents were males while 53.4 were females.

Table 1 Gender distribution of respondents
Full size table
Table 2 Respondents’ age
Full size table

The majority of the respondents, as shown in Table 2, are between the age bracket of 15 and 30 years, 8.7% were 31 and above.

Table 3 Distribution showing how often respondents surf the Internet
Full size table

Table 3 reveals that 44.8% of the respondents said that they surfed the Internet on a daily basis, 26.8% said that they were on the Internet quite often, 13.8 said that they visited the Internet often. Only 9.8% said that they occasionally surfed the Internet, while 1.6% said that they never surfed the Internet.

Table 4 Respondents’ preferred leisure activity
Full size table

According to Table 4, the majority of the respondents, that is 48.1%, picked browsing as their preferred leisure activity, 12% chose online videos, 7.6 listened to music online, 7.1% preferred strolling, 5.5% chose to hang out with friends and 4.9% preferred to visit leisure sights.

Table 5 Respondents that consider the Internet as a powerful medium of leisure-related activity
Full size table

Table 5 shows that 65% of the sampled population recognized the Internet as a powerful medium of leisure-related activity, 24% of the respondents were not sure that the Internet is a powerful medium of leisure activity while 11% did not think that the Internet is a powerful medium of leisure-related activity.

Table 6 Respondents most preferred social media for leisure activity
Full size table

According to Table 6, WhatsApp was the respondents’ preferred social media for leisure with 38.8% users, followed by Facebook with 26.8%. 13.1% preferred Instagram, 10.9% chose YouTube while 7.1% preferred Twitter.

Table 7 Distribution showing hours respondents spend surfing the Internet
Full size table

Table 7 shows that majority of the respondents, that is 37.1 spend as much as 4 to 5h daily surfing the Internet, 29% spend between 3 and 4h, 20.8% of the respondents said that they spend between 2 and 3h on the Internet and 7.1% spend less than 2h daily surfing the Internet.

Table 8 reveals that 47.5% of the sampled population preferred digital media to any other media platforms, 21.9% preferred television, 14% chose radio over any other media while 8.7% preferred newspaper and 7.7% respondents were not sure of their preference.

Table 8 Distribution showing respondents’ preferred media platform
Full size table

18 Discussion of Findings

Africans, as indeed people in other continents of the world, have a long history of engagement in leisure activities. Boxing and soccer developed from “indigenous athletic tradition out of the established conception of leisure” Akyeampong & Ambler (2002:2). The first research question (RQ1) seeks to find out how Nigerian youths spend their leisure time in this age of media technologies. The data provided in Table 4 show that 48.1% of the respondents chose browsing as their most preferred leisure activity. For them, exercising occupied a distant second position with just 12%. This is followed by online videos and online music with 11.5% and 7.6% respectively. 7.1% of the respondents preferred strolling; 5.5% liked to hang out with their friends while 4.9% preferred to visit tourist attraction sights. Most respondents, according to Table 5 considered the Internet as a powerful tool for leisure-related activity, 11% of the respondents thought otherwise while 24% of the respondents were not sure of whether or not the Internet could be linked to leisure activity. According to data provided in Table 6, WhatsApp was considered a preferred medium of leisure activity, 26.8% preferred Facebook; Instagram and YouTube’s share of the preference is 13.1% and 10.9% respectively while Twitter’s share is 7.1%.

We inquire to know about the popularity of digital media among Nigerian students (RQ2) and we discovered that digital media is very popular as Table 3 indicates that 44.8% of the respondents connect to digital media on daily basis, 26.8% use the technology quite often while 9.8% and 3.3% respectively either occasionally connect digital or seldom connect to the technology for their leisure needs; 1.6% never connect the media. In terms of exploring the media as a tool of leisure activity, Table 4 reveals that 62. 2% of the respondents considered digital media as their preferred platform of leisure activity. Data provided in Table 7 shows that 37.1, which is the majority of the respondents, spend between 2 and 5h surfing the Internet on daily basis, 86.9%. According to Table 8, 47.5% of the respondents preferred digital media to any of the traditional media, 21.9% make television their preferred choice, 14.2% went for the radio while only 8.7% preferred the print media.

We decided to find out the preferred media platforms of the respondents (RQ3). Digital media appear to be the most preferred platform for information and leisure than any of the traditional media platforms. Table 6 shows that WhatsApp, with 38.8% of respondents, is the most popular social media platform for leisure activity, followed by Facebook, with 26.8%. Instagram and YouTube share of the respondents’ preference for social media platforms are 13.1% and 10.9% respectively, Twitter’s share is 7.1% and other Internet platforms’ share is 3.3%. Table 8 reveals that 47.5% of the respondents preferred digital media to any other media platforms, 21.9% preferred television, 14% chose radio over any other media while 8.7% preferred newspapers and 7.7% of the respondents were not sure of their preference.

19 Summary of Findings

Internet surfing appears to be the most important leisure activity of students of Obafemi Awolowo University as 48.1% of the sampled population indicated so. Another 19.1% of the sampled population watched videos or listened to music on and offline. 12% enjoyed their leisure time by exercising, 7.1% and 5.5% respectively engage in either strolling or hanging out with friends during their leisure activity.

The majority of the respondents, that is 65%, considered the Internet as a powerful medium of leisure-related activity. It was also discovered that social media is regarded as media of leisure activity. In Nigeria, the preferred social media platforms of students presently are WhatsApp with 38.8%, Facebook with 26.8%, Instagram with 13.1%, YouTube with 10.9%, and Twitter with 7.1%.

20 Conclusion

The Internet/digital media have become the preferred platform of leisure activity in Nigeria most especially among youths as indeed in so many countries of the world as the majority of the sample youths, (that is, 48.1%) said that they spend their leisure time surfing the Internet. Only 12% said that they engage in exercise during their leisure time. Even though these findings considerably heighten the fear that Nigerian youths may soon be affected by the plague of sedentary life as experienced by youths in developed countries (Bichescu, 2014), the youths spend a lot of time with their digital devices for leisure purposes (Mann & Waalia, 2010).

Nigeria is lagging in the development of leisure-related infrastructural facilities in physical education (Mgbor 2006) as well as ineffective development control and poor planning nature of Nigerian cities (Simon, 2015), coupled with the populace’s poor attitude to leisure (Igbojekwe et al., 2013). It has been suggested that the provision of leisure/recreational facilities could help reduce youths’ restiveness in Nigeria (Adesogan et al., 2018). In light of these obvious gaps, the Internet has indeed turned to be a formidable platform for leisure activity in Nigeria.

21 Recommendations

  1. i.

    There is a need for sufficient investment in recreational facilities and the sensitization of the citizens on the importance of leisure activity as only 4.9% of the respondents visit tourist sites.

  2. ii.

    Everything should be done to facilitate access to encourage physical activity such as exercising and strolling. As it stands right now, 67.2% of the youths engage in Internet-related activity as against 19.1% that have interest in exercising and strolling and just 5.5% of the respondents’ hang out with friends.