THE INTERNET AS A TOOL FOR INFORMATION AND EDUCATION: THE CASE OF OTA COMMUNITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

One of the best known traditional functions of the mass media is to foster education. The mass media aid both formal and informal education: the ultimate instruments for national development. The Internet has revolutionized communication and consequently, the nature and the structure of education. This study examines the Internet access and usage among residents of Ado-Odo Ota local government area of Ogun State in Nigeria. It is commonly said that we live in an information age. Nothing has changed the nature as well as the process of sharing information and knowledge as the advent of the Internet. The potentials of the Internet have been so celebrated that several scholars have described it as the leveler of the differences between the information rich and information poor nations. Considering the seemingly limitless information and educational materials on the Internet; it is also assumed that every society would have equal right to development. However, the issue of access has limited the seeming advantages derivable from the Internet, particularly in the developing world, of which Nigeria is one. This study explores 16 communities’ access to the Internet, their means of accessing it and levels of benefits. The survey method was used for the study. For societies to benefit from the Internet, the barrier of availability must be surmounted.

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