Facebook is reducing productivity in Ghana

Facebook is a social media, launched, operated and privately owned by Facebook Inc. in February 2004. Founded by an American computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg, born on 14th May 1984 and his college roommate Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes while in Harvard University, facebook has over 845 million users all over the world as of February, 2012.Ghanaians who are no exception in relation to the use of facebook, are suffering a loss in productivity due to its excessive use.

Currently, over 700,000 Ghanaians are registered with facebook. Out of this number, 470,560 are males, representing 68.3% and 218 480 are females representing 31.7%. Those between the ages of 18 and 24 dominate the social networking site making up 44.9%, followed by 25 to 34 years old who represent 32.0%.Many people, especially the working force in Ghana, spend much of their time facebooking.Internet fraud popularly known in Ghana as ‘Sakawa’ which has its origin from the use of facebook, has not only scared foreign investors but also driving many people away from their workplace as they hope to make quick money through their fraud activities on this social networking site.Bankers use their working hours to browse the internet on material not related to their work, but rather, on facebook. This leaves customers to queue-up in various banking halls. People who mostly fall victims to the use of facebook are Senior High and tertiary students.

Speaking with some facebook users, they said it is a platform for them to socialize and to make new friends from within and outside their territories. Some said facebook provides easy access for them to date people the world over. Others added that the facebook social network is a source of entertainment which helps them to release stress aftera hardday’s work.

In an interview with some Senior High School teachers concerning facebook of which most of their students fall victims to its use, they lamented that facebook is making many students perform poorly because they spend much of their time on it instead of studying. This development has,therefore,contributed to the gradual failure in their examination. But to some students, the facebook is a social platform for students to share ideas with friends, and do not see anything wrong with its use.

By Zadok Kwame Gyesi and Asieme Emmanuel