Douala : Social Media Eroding Reading Habits?

Reading has been a great source of information and knowledge at all the times and in all ages. It is one of the oldest cultures necessary for success not only for academic purpose but for all walks of life. But in the advent of ICTs, the reading habit in young adults like students is being challenged.
The use of the new technology like TV, radio, cell phones, computer, and the internet have reduced the time for reading for many young adults in the city of Douala particularly students. They linger on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram which have grabbed their attention and have become time killing machines and erode reading habits. In the place of reading books, they turn to watch either short videos. Guess their contents and the lesson the unfortunate ones learn from them!
The social media has many options and facilities for the user, such as texting, images sharing, audio, and video sharing, fast publishing, linking with other parts of the world. Students have embraced the social media very fast. If care is not taken, it can easily become a distraction to the learning process than its intended benefits.
Carine Ekeh, university student, says she uses social networking sites for educational and self-learning purposes, share information and to connect with friends and family, especially who live far from their home. 
To Tantoh Regina, secondary school student, the influence of friends was the primary reason for the use of social media. 
Nevertheless, the splendid growth in social media applications and increased adoption of the applications by schools during the period of Covid-19 pandemic have revolutionised the way teachers teach and students learn. Digitalisation has actually gained grounds in learning than teaching. Students and...