CHINEDU CHRISTIAN ODOEMELAM (Ph.D) Disrupting Advertising Models: How Social Media are used as New Business Frontiers among Student Entrepreneurs in some Universities in South-South Nigeria CHINEDU CHRISTIAN ODOEMELAM (Ph.D) DEPT OF MASS COMMUNICATION, IGBINEDION UNIVERSITY, OKADA, EDO STATE, NIGERIA judahmandate@gmail.comchristian.odoemelam@iuokada.edu.ng  

INTRODUCTION Advertising provides visibility for businesses Small-scale businesses stimulate economic growth and development However, they suffer from lack of funds for advertising in mainstream media Premise that social media have potentials to create visibility for small scale businesses

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM In developing economies like Nigeria, over reliance on white collar jobs and oil related mono-economy combine to keep majority of the populace in a vicious circle of poverty

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Uses and gratification theory Domestication of technology theory

METHODOLOGY Survey was adopted population was a subset of students from three universities in the south-south Nigeria. multi-stage sampling techniques was used Copies of questionnaire were used to collect data.

FINDINGS Majority of the respondents (82.2%) are of the view that advertising can help their businesses grow Student entrepreneurs who advertise on social media are on the margin Facebook was the platform students mostly used for advertising social media are effective in reaching the target customers Gender and the type of businesses students are interested in had no influence on the use of social media for advertising

CONCLUSIONS We conclude that social media platforms foster economic development and define new frontiers for small businesses among student entrepreneurs.

RECOMMENDATION We recommend the need for curriculum on entrepreneurship in Nigerian universities to leverage on the potentials of social media in promoting advertising among Nigerian students

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IMPLICATIONS AT THREE LEVELS At one level, the study informs policy formation on ICT and business growth by providing a context for debating on the alternative media as advertising platform for small scale businesses. At another level, the study sets agenda for the discourse on entrepreneurship and the place of ICTs among young entrepreneurs. Finally, the study extends the discourse on the theories of domestication of technology and the uses and gratification perspective, by examining how new information and communication technologies are put to use in the business sphere.