Social media exposure and the relationship between  materialistic values and deviant behaviour among Ekiti State University students

Social media platforms often expose users to idealised lifestyles, luxury consumption, and status-oriented content, which may subsequently shape attitudes towards material possessions and success. This study investigated the relationship between social media exposure and the development of materialistic values and deviant behaviour among students at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. The research assessed the levels of social media exposure, the extent of materialistic value orientation, and the prevalence of deviant behaviour among the students. A descriptive survey research design was employed for this study. The population comprised all students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, and a purposive sample of 300 students was selected. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire comprising four sections: socio-demographic information, social media exposure, materialistic values, and deviant behaviour. The instrument demonstrated internal consistency, yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data collection was conducted via online administration using Microsoft Forms. Descriptive statistics were utilised to analyse the research questions, while Pearson product-moment correlation was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings indicated that students experienced a high level of social media exposure. Furthermore, the study revealed that materialistic values existed among the respondents at a moderate-to-high level, while deviant behavioural tendencies were present at a moderate level. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between social media exposure and both materialistic values and deviant behaviour among the students. The study concluded that social media exposure is significantly associated with materialistic attitudes and behavioural tendencies among university students.