Cita en Buhari Olaoluwa Rasheed (2024). Citizen Journalism Practice and Social Media Usage during Social Darwinism (#EndSARS) protest among youths in Lagos, Nigeria, Komunikasi, Vol. XVI No. 2 (2024) 229-246 (original) (raw)
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Since the emergence of ICT or digitalization in our contemporary world, especially in Africa, the use of social media as channels of communication has found expressions in political, economic, social, and business aspects of human dealings and engagements. This development calls for rigorous academic debate regarding the effectiveness of social media platforms as tools that citizens can use to influence government policies and decision making. The paper examines the likely outcomes of the protests regarding the change in government policy, reactions and proposed policies geared towards more regulation of social media and the implications on future social media. Drawing critical insights from the efforts of Nigerian youth on the strategic use of social media, this study engages secondary sources to understand and explain strategies and mechanisms to influence government policies and decision making via practical usage of ICT and social media in the age of digitalization. The paper concludes that the style of the #EndSars protest may inspire other youth-led social media protests in other parts of the world. Questions also arise as to the nature and the character of the Nigerian state that led to the abrupt end of the protests.
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The relationship between social media use and civic participation in a Nigerian context has sparked considerable commentary. The discussion has become more intense following the #Endsars protests in late 2020 by Nigerian youths against police brutality by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad-a unit of the Nigerian police accused of extrajudicial killings, intimidation and human rights abuses. This paper argues that increased social media use by Nigerian youths has also increased youth civic participation, thus necessitating activism. The paper adopts a descriptive and historical approach that draws on secondary sources of data. It concludes that youths are beginning to engage in civic activities beyond the traditional norms of voting to a more justice-oriented sphere by demanding equity and increased involvement in public life using social media.
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In October 2020, the Nigerian youth championed what is arguably the most organic and decentralized protest ever experienced in Nigeria through the ENDSARS protest movement. This research examines the protest motives, planning and structure of the protest. The research conducts a primary qualitative research: semi-structured interview with high-level organizers and influential participants of the protest, and secondary qualitative research: media reports, social media data and grey literatures. It finds that organic protests are redefining strategy as a preplanned activity in social movement. Hence, it concludes that the ENDSARS protest had a strategy that evolved each protest day, where patterns of actions responded to (un)expected opportunities and challenges, as they emerged. Thus, ENDSARS protest can be said to have had an emergent strategy.