Patterns of Young Adults’ Perceptions and Usage of Mobile Phone: The Case of University Students in Nigeria

This exploratory study draws on focus group discussi ons with semi-structured questionnaire development a d convenience sample procedure to examine the uniquen ess of mobile phone to the university students in t wo study locations: Benson Idahosa University, Benin City and Delta State University, Abraka in Nigeria, with the social constr uction of technology (SCOT) as a theoretical set up. Data deri v d from the participants’ opinions on the respecti ve questions through verbal discourse were coded by hand and analyzed thr ough constant comparison method to arrive at consen ual and nonconsensual opinions of participants. The findings r evealed the influence of parents and disposable inc ome in the respondents’ capacity to owe mobile phone usage and several patterns and functionalities to students was captured relative to determinant majority opinions. These findings pr ovide insights for researchers and educators to und erstand the benefits of mobile phone in Nigeria and the advancement of m obile phone research in Nigeria.