Twitter Ban in Nigeria: a Scandal to Democracy
Chapter One
Objective Of The Study
The basic aim of this study is to critically portray the erratic decision of twitter ban in Nigeria as a scandal to democracy. The specific objectives include:
- Determine if twitter ban is constitutional in Nigeria.
- Determine if the Twitter ban was democratically executed.
- Determine if bridging masses access to social media is democratic.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media are computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networksUsers typically access social media services via web-based technologies on desktop computers, and laptops, or download services that offer social media functionality to their mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablet computers). When engaging with these services, users can create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities and organizations can share, cocreate, discuss, and modify user-generated content or pre-made content posted online. They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between businesses, organizations, communities and individuals. Social media changes the way individuals and large organizations communicate. These changes are the focus of the emerging field of technoself studies. Social media differ from paper-based media (e.g., magazines and newspapers) or traditional electronic media such as TV broadcasting in many ways, including quality, reach, frequency, interactivity, usability, immediacy, and permanence. Social media operate in a dialogic transmission system (many sources to many receivers). This is in contrast to traditional media which operates under a monologic transmission model (one source to many receivers), such as a paper newspaper which is delivered to many subscribers or a radio station which broadcasts the same programs to an entire city. Some of the most popular social media websites are Baidu Tieba, Facebook (and its associated Facebook Messenger), Gab, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Viber, VK, WeChat, Weibo, What sApp, Wikia, and YouTube.
EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media have evolved through Web 2.0, a term coined to describe a new wave of Internet innovation that enables users to publish and exchange content online Kaplan and Haenlein (cited in Eun 2011:6). Social media encompass a wide range of electronic forums, including blogs, microblogs (e.g., Twitter), social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), creative work-sharing sites (e.g., YouTube), business networking sites (e.g., LinkedIn), collaborative websites (e.g., Wikipedia), and virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life). Among these social media, social networks and microblogs are the most popular, accounting for 22.7% of all time spent online in the United States ACNielsen (cited in Eun 2011: 6). According to Dominick (2009:283) Web 2.0 is the idea of a second generation Internet that is highly participatory, allowing users to improve it as they use it. Social media contents are primarily written and published by their users and not owners or employees of the site. For instance, most adverts, videos and pictures on Facebook and Twitter are uploaded by visitors of the sites.
Jenkins et. al (cited in Stagno: 2) observe that Web 2.0 has been growing tremendously as it facilitates the production and dissemination of information, allows for the involvements in participatory culture to share individual expressions or creations and bring people with similar interests and goals to connect with each other on blogs, social networking sites and others. Few years ago, websites were quite static and passive. There was no much interaction going on as they were mostly corporate websites. The only way an individual could participate online was to send an email or form to the owners or web master of the website and hope that they would get back to him. This type of arrangement was called Web 1.0, referred to as “first generation Web where users generally consumed content. The audience went to web pages and looked at content provided by the website owner” Dominick (2009:283). But today, users have become producers which mean that they simultaneously consume and produce information (Bruns, cited in Stagno 2010:1). Igbinidu (2011:26) explains that the first exploitation of the potential of the social media especially to spread a candidates message, gain support and get the public engaged was through the 2008 presidential campaign by the then Senator Barack Obama who eventually became American president. The Obama campaign reached five million people on 15 different social media platforms. As at November 2008, Obama had approximately 2.3 million Facebook supporters; 115,000 Twitter followers and 50 million viewers of his YouTube videos. Facebook is a social network for connecting people with those around them,friends, family, coworkers, or simply others with similar interests. Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 alongside his roommates and fellow computer science classmates Eduardo Saverin, Austin Maskovitz and Chris Hughes at Harvard University in the U.S (Locke cited in Nnaane 2011:15).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
AREA OF STUDY
Lagos, sometimes referred to as Lagos State to distinguish it from Lagos Metropolitan Area, is a state located in the southwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The smallest in area of Nigeria’s 36 states, with a population of over 15 million, Lagos State is arguably the most economically important state of the country, containing Lagos, the nation’s largest urban area. It is a major financial centre and would be the fifth-largest economy in Africa if it were a country. Lagos State is bounded on the north and east by Ogun State. In the west it shares boundaries with the Republic of Benin. Its southern borders are with the Atlantic Ocean. 22% of its 3,577 km2 are lagoons and creeks.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out to examine twitter ban in Nigeria as scandal to democracy using public opinion garnered from Lagos State resident via public opinion as case study.Thus residents of Lagos state form the population of the study.
SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION
A study sample is simply a systematic selected part of a population that infers its result on the population. In essence, it is that part of a whole that represents the whole and its members share characteristics in like similitude (Udoyen, 2019). In this study, the researcher adopted the convenient sampling method to determine the sample size.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of Three hundred and Forty-One (341) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which three hundred and two (302) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 302 was validated for the analysis.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The table below shows the summary of the survey. A sample of 302 was calculated for this study.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
The basic aim of this study is to critically portray the erratic decision of twitter ban in Nigeria as a scandal to democracy using Lagos State as case study. Specifically the study determined if twitter ban is constitutional in Nigeria. It determined if the Twitter ban was democratically executed. It determined if bridging masses access to social media is democratic. The study adopted a survey research design and conveniently enrolled participants in the study. A total of 302 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from residents of Lagos State. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (spss).
CONCLUSION
The social media explosion of the last decade has had remarkable effects on many aspects of everyday life. where need be.
Findings from the study reveals that the current twitter ban constitutes a gross abuse of office, as it elevates the personal interest of the President above that of the country and her citizens. Twitter ban was not democratically executed. The ban is a grave violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which the trio of the President, the Minister of Information and the Minister of Justice swore to uphold. By infringing citizens’ fundamental right to the freedom of expression and association, it violates section 39 of the Constitution, while undermining the social and economic rights guaranteed Nigerian citizens by Chapter 11 of the Constitution. The ban is a violation of and assault on a number of international, continental and regional instruments that Nigeria willingly subscribes to. Indeed, the ban clearly falls below their expectations of the realm of the rights and freedom that citizens should freely enjoy.
RECOMMENDATION
From the findings from the study, the researchers therefore recommends that:
- The federal government of Nigeria should endeavour to go back to their drawing board and make necessary amendments to the ban on Twitter usage in Nigeria.
- The federal government of Nigeria should recognize that the ban on Twitter is affecting different spheres of the economy. They should adhere to the terms and rules of ECOWAS and revoke the ban since the ban is a bridge of the fundamental rights of the citizen.
REFERENCE
- Agboola SH (2009). “Democratic Practices in the Third World”. J. Third World Democracy, I(4):342-367.
- Ajazeera New: How Nigeria’s Twitter ban stands to impact people, businesses:https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/6/7/nigerian-twitter-ban-how-government-restriction-affects-people.
- Ajazeera New: Nigerians on Twitter react to Nigeria’s Twitter suspension: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/4/nigerian-twitter-users-blast-govt-ban-of-social-media-giant
- Edwards, A., Housley, W., Williams, M., Sloan, L., Williams, M. (2013). Digital Social research, social media and the sociological imagination: Surrogacy, augmentation and re-orientation. International Journal of Social Research Methodology
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- Geddes B (2010). Political Experiences in Nigeria, Retrieved Jan 10, 2014
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- Gladstone WE (1892). Gladstone to Samuel Smith MP, 11 April 1892 Matthew, H. C. G., (ed.), The Gladstone Diaries, Vol. 13, 1892-1896, (Oxford University Press), 1994, p. 19.
- http://www.pilibrary.com/articles1/political%20experiences%20in%20 nigeria.htm
