Ethical Issues of Social Media in Nigeria

Authors

  • Emmanuel Jibb Adams Department of Mass Communication Kaduna State University
  • Baba Dorcas Department of Mass Communication Kaduna State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47134/par.v1i2.2295

Keywords:

Ethics, Nigeria, Social Media Use, Youth

Abstract

This study sought to analyse ethical concerns of social media in Nigeria. The theoretical framework adopted is the Source Credibility Theory. The study employed Critical Discourse Analysis. The population of the study consisted of the top four (4) social networking sites in Nigeria. Out of these, Twitter was purposively selected for its widespread use for youth activism, particularly within the context of the #EndSARS protest; and for being the only social media platform the federal government had temporarily banned for ethical violations. A convenient sample of ten (10) tweets, which included retweets with text and images posted both during and within 18 months after the protest, was used to collect secondary data. Findings demonstrated a mix of ethical and unethical use of Twitter within the context of the protest. The result also revealed that although Twitter is a credible source of information, there were instances of anonymous tweets, which cast some doubts on the credibility of that specific source. The study recommends that beyond social media regulations, there is a need for the promotion of media literacy in Nigeria’s workplaces and educational system. In addition, the form of self-regulation inherent in African ethics should be applied by users of social media to facilitate harmonious communication. This study has made a modest contribution in the area of source credibility theory by proposing a conceptual framework within the context of the study.

References

Abbasi, M. A. & Liu, H. 2013. Measuring user credibility in social media. In Social computing, behavioral-cultural modelling and prediction. A.M. Greenberg, W.G. Kennedy & N. D. Bos (Eds.) London: Springer. 441448. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37210-0_48

Agbedo, O. 2021. Social media regulation: Between failed attempts and Buhari’s current move. The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2022. From: https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/cover/social-mediaregulation-between-failedattempts-and-buharis-current-move/

Agboola, K. A., Essien, C. F. & Okpanachi, M. 2016. Credibility of news on social media: A perceptual survey of Abuja residents. Advances in Multidisciplinary Research. 2(3):117-132.

Ajepe, I. F. & Aroge, M. G. 2021. Multimodal sentiment analysis of 2020 Endsars’ Lekki massacre. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL). 9(7): 80-91. DOI:10.20431/23473134.0907006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0907006

Akoja, M. I. & Nwenearizi, E. C. 2020. Exploring youth’s perception of social media as credible news source in Lagos, Nigeria. Covenant Journal of Communication. 7(2): 92-113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21039/cca.32

Amnesty International. 2021. End Twitter suspension in Nigeria. Retrieved June 26, 2022. From: https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/endtwitter-suspension-in-nigeria/

Apuke, O. D., Omar, B. & Tunca, E. A. 2022. Literacy concepts as an intervention strategyfor improving fake news knowledge, detection skills, and curtailing the tendency to share fake news in Nigeria. Child & Youth Services. 1-16. DOI: 10.1080/0145935X.2021.2024758 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2021.2024758

Asemah, E.S. & Ogwo, C. A. 2013. Application of source credibility theory in political campaigns. Makurdi Journal of Communication Research. 4(2):55-72.

Aufderheide, P. 1993. Media literacy: A report of the national leadership conference on media literacy. Aspen Institute.

Azinge, E. 2012. Communiqué on the roundtable on social media and public security. http://www.nialsnigeria.org/round_tables/ROUNDTABLE%20ON%20SOCIAL%20MEDIA%20AND%20 PUBLIC%20SECURITY.pdf

Barrett-Maitland, N. & Lynch, J. 2020. Social media, ethics and the privacy paradox. In Security and privacy from legal, ethical, and technical perspective. C. Kalloniatis & C. Travieso-Gonzalez (Eds.) DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.90906 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90906

Berlo, D. K., Lemert, J. B. & Mertz, R. J. 1969. Dimensions for evaluating the acceptability of message sources. Public Opinion Quarterly. 33(4): 563-576. DOI: 10.1086/267745 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/267745

Bulger, M. & Davison, P. 2018. The promises, challenges and futures of media literacy. Journal of Media Literacy Education. 10 (1): 1-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE-2018-10-1-1

Carr, P. R., Cuervo Sanchez, S. L. & Daros, M. A. 2020. Citizen engagement in the contemporary era of fake news: Hegemonic distraction or control of the social media context? Postdigital Science and Education. 2: 39-60. DOI: 10.1007/s42438-019-00052-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-019-00052-z

Chinweobo-Onuoha, B., Tunca, E. A., Talabi, F. O., Aiyesimoju, A. B., Adefemi, V. O. & Gever, V. C. 2021. Modelling journalists’ coping strategies for occupational hazards in their coverage of protests against police brutality (ENDSARS protests) in Nigeria. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 1–8. DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1999651 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2021.1999651

Dajo, U. & Akor, L. 2021.Youths as vanguards of change in Nigeria: The #EndSARs protests in focus. Journal of International Relations Security and Economic Studies. 1(4): 52-61.

Dalfovo, A.T. 2002. Applied ethics and the experiential dimension in African philosophy. In Ethics, human rights and development in Africa. A.T. Dalfovo, J. K. Kigongo, J. Kisekka, G. Tusabe, E. Wamala, R. Munyonyo, A. B. Rukooko, A.B.T. Byaruhanga-Akiiki & M. Mawa (Eds.) Washington, D.C: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. 8(2): 27-50.

Dambo, T. H., Ersoy, M., Auwal, A. M., Olorunsola, V. O. & Saydam, M. B. 2021. Office of the citizen: a qualitative analysis of Twitter activity during the Lekki shooting in Nigeria’s #EndSARS protests. Information Communication & Society. 1-18. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2021.1934063 Duru, C. W. 2016. Online journalism and the challenge of ethics in Nigeria. Journalism and Mass Communication. 6(10): 585-593.

Edogor, I. O., Jonah, A. A. & Ojo, L. I. 2015. Nigerian users’ evaluation of credibility of social media sites. New Media and Mass Communication. 40:139-150.

Emetumah, F. 2016. Social media as a factor for increased frontiers of democracy in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science. 17(4): 1-9. DOI: 10.9734/BJESBS/2016/27403 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/BJESBS/2016/27403

Fairclough, N. 2012. Critical discourse analysis. In The Routledge handbook of discourse analysis J. P. Gee & M. Hanford (Eds.) London: Routledge. 9-20.

Fairclough, N. 1995. Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Cambridge: Longman.

Fairclough, N. 1992. Discourse and social change. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Federal Republic of Nigeria. 2019. National youth policy. From: https:// www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Nigeria-National-YouthPolicy-2019-2023.pdf

Federal Republic of Nigeria. 1999. Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Retrieved January 7, 2022. From: https://edojudiciary.gov.ng/ wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1999-Nigerian constitution.pdf

Fidiyani, R., Sulistianingsih, D. & Pujiono, P. 2017. Law and ethics of communication in social media. Journal Dinamika Hukum. 17(3): 258–265. DOI: 10.20884/1.jdh.2017.17.3.1665 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20884/1.jdh.2017.17.3.1665

Hari, S. I. 2014. The evolution of social protest in Nigeria: The role of social media in the “# OccupyNigeria” protest. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention. 3(9):33-39.

Hovland, C., Janis, I. & Kelley, H. 1953. Communication and persuasion: Psychological studies of opinion change. Yale: Yale University Press.

Ige, J. B. & Ige, T. 2021. Risk perception by journalists and coverage of EndSARS protests in Nigeria. African Scholar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (JHSS-6). 21(6): 107-116.

Ihebuzor, N. & Egbunike, N. 2018.Twitter as a tool of political discourse in Nigeria: Dialogue, self-aggrandizement or party politicking? In New media and African society: Essays, reviews and research. K. A. Omenugha, A. Fayoyin & C. M. Ngugi (Eds.) Nairobi Academic Press. 178-203.

Jenkins, E. L., Ilicic, J., Barklamb, A. M. & McCaffrey, T. A. 2020. Assessing the credibility and authenticity of social media content for applications in health communication: Scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22(7). DOI: 10.2196/17296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/17296

John, I. 2012. Social media practice: Ethical issues. The Nigerian Voice. Retrieved July 8, 2022. From: https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/ news/94044/social-media-practice-ethical-issues.html

Kaplan, A.M. & Haenlein, M. 2010. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons. 59-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Kigongo, J. K. (2002). The relevance of African ethics to contemporary African society. In Ethics, human rights and development in Africa A.T. Dalfovo, J. K. Kigongo, J. Kisekka, G. Tusabe, E. Wamala, R. Munyonyo, A. B. Rukooko, A.B.T. Byaruhanga-Akiiki & M. Mawa (Eds.) Washington, D.C: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. 8(2): 51-66.

Koltay, T. 2011. The media and the literacies: Media literacy, information literacy, digital literacy. Media, Culture & Society. 33(2): 211–221. DOI: 10.1177/0163443710393382 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443710393382

Lee, J. Y. & Sundar, S. S. 2013. To tweet or to retweet? That is the question for health professionals on Twitter. Health Communication. 28(5): 509-524. DOI:10.1080/10410236.2012.700391 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2012.700391

Lirola, M. M. 2016. Multimodal analysis of a sample of political posters in Ireland during and after the Celtic Tiger. Revista Signos. 49(91):245-267. DOI: 10.4067/S0718-09342016000200005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-09342016000200005

Lowry, P. B., Wilson, D. W. & Haig, W. L. 2013. A picture is worth a thousand words: Source credibility theory applied to logo and website design for heightened credibility and consumer Assessing the possibilities and limitations of citizen moral panic: Evidence from EndSARS protest in Nigeria. International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus. 5(1): 239-250. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2013.839899

Vraga, E. K. & Tully, M. 2021. News literacy, social media behaviors, and skepticism toward information on social media. Information, Communication & Society. 24(2): 150-166. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2019.1637445 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1637445

Wada, H. 2021. Assessing the social media user’s credibility rating of shared content, and its utilization in decision making. Emerging Science Journal. 5 (2): 191–199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2021-01269

Wodak, R. & Chilton, P. (Eds). 2005. A new agenda in (critical) discourse analysis: Theory, methodology and interdisciplinarity. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.13

Zoaka, D. 2021. Twitter and millennial participation in voting during Nigeria’s 2015 presidential elections. PhD thesis, Walden University. Retrieved January 7, 2022 from: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/ dissertations/10373

Downloads

Published

2024-03-01

How to Cite

Adams, E. J., & Dorcas, B. (2024). Ethical Issues of Social Media in Nigeria. Indonesian Journal of Public Administration Review, 1(2), 25. https://doi.org/10.47134/par.v1i2.2295

Issue

Section

Articles