A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SAFE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR USERS APPLICABILITY: A STUDY OF FACEBOOK, TELEGRAM, SIGNAL AND WHATSAPP

ABSTRACT: 

Social media has become part and parcel of man, it is a man's daily routine. Young people of different age groups, including the old, are directly or indirectly connected to the cyber space. Most people used social media to make calls because it is considered to be economical compare to regular calls. While others used it for chatting and connecting with thousands of friends across the globe. Many used it to create acquaintances as well established amorous affairs. Whatever reasons could be, all is to connect and be connected. This article examines A Comparative Analysis of Safe Social Media Platforms for Users Applicability: A Study of Facebook, Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp. The article employs the survey method, and to achieve the objectives and answer the research questions. Research questions were set out to guide the study. The uses and gratification theory and technological determinism theory are used for the study. Data collected and analyzed reveal that, any information posted on Facebook, is saved directly to the saver online or on the cyber space and also saved to user's account. But if you delete the data saved in your account, as a user, the one on the saver remains there which they can use to manipulate you at any time. But in telegram and signal no one have access to your data, you control your data. Anytime you want to delete it, no one can see it. In order word, there is maximum privacy in telegram, WhatsApp and signal compare to Facebook. Findings shows that Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp have not had any recorded cases of hackers breaking into users accounts to temper with their users data. But Facebook was recently reported to have been hacked by Cambridge Analytica (CA) who created psychological profiles on 50 million Facebook users via a personality prediction app, created by a researcher named Aleksandr Kogan. The study recommends that Social media platforms should be properly monitored by the operators and host of the medium. They should ensure that, activities of hackers are judiciously checked to prevent them from hacking into people's or users accounts.

Keywords: Comparative analysis, Safe, Social media, Platforms, Users applicability, Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Signal