Abstract
<p>This study examines how university students in Ogun State, Nigeria, use and evaluate news obtained through social media, with particular attention to usage patterns, credibility judgements and digital literacy. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Uses and Gratifications Theory, the study employed a quantitative survey design involving 676 respondents drawn from a population of 5,305 students across Mountain Top University and Anchor University. Stratified random sampling was used, while data collected through structured questionnaires were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including regression analysis. The findings showed that social media use had a weak and statistically insignificant influence on the news-consumption habits of Mountain Top University students but had a moderate and statistically significant influence among Anchor University students. No significant difference was found in the patterns of social media use between students of the two universities. The study concludes that students’ credibility evaluations are influenced more by digital literacy, trust and institutional context than by frequency of social media use alone. It recommends university-led media-literacy programmes that encourage fact-checking and responsible engagement with digital news.</p>