Use and Influence of Social Media on student performance in Higher Education Institutions in Cameroon

The advent of digital has made it possible to popularize Social Media at all levels, even within Higher Education Institutions. But at the same time, the impact and influence on these social media have all attracted a lot of attention. According to studies by researchers at the University of Maryland in the USA, it appears that students describe their feelings when they must refrain from using social media literally in the same terms associated with alcohol dependence and the drug: cut off from the world, greedy, very anxious, insignificant, some even consider themselves crazy. They concluded that most students are not just reluctant, but totally unable to live and function without Social Media. Given this total addiction, very few studies are interested in this impact on the future and performance of a student, especially those in developing countries who are increasingly addicted to social media. This study examines the influence of social media on student performance in Cameroon. It aims to identify the factors influencing the addictive use of social media among students, and how social media impacts their academic performance in a learning environment. Our research model is built on Extended TAM, Personality Traits and Network reliability. We therefore suggest to adopt a mixed methods research with the sole aim of increasing the literature that already exists on social media and highlighting their use and impact in developing countries.