A Study on Utilization Pattern of Mass Media Tools by the Postgraduate Students

Abstract

This study was carried out during the year 2019-2020 in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut to know utilization pattern of mass media tools by postgraduate students. The data was collected from 110 postgraduate students with the help of pre-structured interview schedule. It was found that 80.91 percent respondents belongs to age group 21-25 years , 71.82 percent of the respondents were males and 28.18 percent females,63.64 percent respondents were belonging to rural areas and 85.45 percent belongs to Hinduism religion,91.82 percent respondents were unmarried and 81.82 percent were studying in Master’s degree. The most of respondents 60.00 percent were spending their leisure time in studying, 100.00% of the respondents were having smartphone and 96.36 percent of the respondents were staying on campus in the hostels. The respondents’ parents 50.00 percent were having annual income of up to 1 lakh. The respondents’ fathers 40.91 percent were having education up to graduate level and have 49.09 percent respondents fathers were engaged in agriculture, while the maximum of respondents mothers 39.09 percent were having up to middle school education level and 71.82 percent were housewives. The postgraduate students 96.36 percent have access and use Internet, 96.36 percent to connect to social media tools and 89.09 percent newspaper daily and 99.09 percent respondents reported using English language on the mass media tools.97.27 percent of the respondents were using mass media tools for searching information regarding course of subject and research work and 93.64 percent students access their mass media tools in the university hostels. In mass media sources, social media (87.27%) were being used by the respondents daily. The majority of 80.00 percent of the postgraduate students were spending less than 1 hour time for using newspapers, 44.55 percent were spending 1-3 hours’ time in using social media and for 3-5 hours and for more than 5 hours social media was also used by 8.18 percent, 5.45 percent respectively. 37.27 percent and 33.64 percent respondents were spending 3-5 hours’ time and more than 5 hours in studying. Maximum 95.45 percent of the respondents indicated that mass media tools have a positive impact on them and poor Wi-Fi connection in the university hostels was reported as a constraint by 74.55 percent postgraduate students.81.81 percent of the postgraduate students were in favor of using mass media tools in the class rooms at the time of teaching.