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Why most Nigerians keep ‘vigil’ on social media

By Maria Famakinwa

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Reactions have continued to trail the recent ranking of Nigeria as number one country whose citizens spend more hours on social media averaging a total of 04:20 on every social media platform visited by an online media organization on Twitter, known as “Stats Feed” also referred to as “World of Statistics.

According to the statistics, Nigeria is being followed by Brazil with 03:44, South Africa 03:44, Philippines 03:42, Colombia 03:35, Ghana 03:23. The social media platform visited includes Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp among others. Over the past few years, social media has begun to have an increasingly great presence in individuals’ lives.

The number of social media users in Nigeria at the start of 2023, according to research was equivalent to 14.3 percent of the total population. No doubt, the technology innovation that brought about the social media ushered in a new dawn in human communication channels with some citizens utilizing its opportunities to better their lots.

 Some of the citizens who spoke with The Hope attributed the rating to the increase number of unemployed youths in the country who depends on social media businesses for survival while others blamed it on Nigerians who observed vigil on social media for ulterior motives.

A social commentator, Mr Abudol Kazeem, who believed that nothing was wrong with the ranking observed that social media has been a veritable tool for most Nigerians to make ends meet which justify their reasons for always being online. “Reports have estimated that 500,000 people graduate from Nigerian universities every year, and with an already saturated employment market, many of these graduates end up without jobs for a while.

“Amid this, many young Nigerians are exploring their creativity to escape the unemployment web hence, they switch over to social media for job opportunities. The growth of digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok has given many young Nigerians a leeway out of the burden of joblessness. And with many people turning to these platforms to stream content, many content creators now have sustained income, enabling them to contribute to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. That Nigeria ranked first among the countries who spend more hours on social media is no contest for me if it is for good reasons,” he said.

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Sharing a similar view, a computer analyst, Mrs Olajumoke Boboye, agreed that it is apparent that social media can have a range of negative influences on us, she said that there can also be positive influences. She explained that through social media, some Nigerians are making additional income legally aside the fact that social media also provide us with a platform for our knowledge to reform and for us to raise our voices about what we believe to be right.

She said: “We have realised with what we see on YouTube that there are so many young people creating great contents and sharing their stories with the world. For us, it is those unique African stories that people are telling and monetising. That is the beauty of what is happening in the creative ecosystem. And we see it developing widely, especially in different countries across Africa.

“A recent report by dw.com stated that many young Nigerians are now TikTok content creators, harnessing the platform’s potential. The report further stated that the platform’s market share in the nation had grown by 50 per cent. Many Nigerians especially the youths make a living through the social media. As more social media platforms gain ground in the country, more Nigerians would be able to escape from the unemployment markets. It is a great news if hours spent on social media can impact lives positively.”

A businessman, Mr Bernard Henry, described the ranking of Nigeria as the number one country who spend more hours on the social media as a good news. The man who disclosed that more Nigerians are harnessing the advantages of social media economically cited himself as an example. “I started my business through the social media three years ago by ordering for ties online and sell to civil servants. I have added wrist watches and shoes to my business which I get and advertise through social media.

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 “Social media is a good platform to make money if judiciously used. It is wrong to conclude that all Nigerians busy online are fraudsters, many spend hours on the internet to better their lives, connect with people for business purposes. Aside doing business, some Nigerians connect to social media to stay in touch. Relevant information can also be shared and gotten from the social media. Rating Nigeria as number one country spending hours on social media is a great news, it means that more citizens are becoming enlightened, which open them to better opportunities to cope in this harsh economic period. There are some of my friends who got huge contracts through the social media and are doing fine. Since government cannot employ all graduates, if we can utilize the many benefits of the social media, especially in the area of creating wealth, more lives will be transformed and the country will be better for it,” he said.

Speaking differently, a public servant, Mr Adewale Fadahunsi, hinted that ranking the country number one for spending more hours on the social media should not be a thing of joy instead; it further exposed how frustrated Nigerians are finding solace on social media. The man who was surprised by this asked if Nigeria was better than other countries despite spending more hours on the social media.

His words: “Social media provide comfort for frustrated Nigerians like me. If I am overwhelmed most times due to the situation of the country, I will quickly go online to get myself engaged. Likewise, some citizens forget  that people are going online for business transactions or information, majority of those surfing through the internet are doing so to while away time. There are also cases of some jobless youths who use the platform to swindle the naïve.

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“Most Nigerian youths especially, the undergraduates have taken to the illicit trade called Internet scam. They don’t mind spending the whole day online to get their targets. Are they also using the social media justly? That is why I maintained that ranking Nigeria number one country spending more hours on social media need further Investigations to reveal whether the said hours used are for good or bad. For me, I go on social media to ease tension and I want to repeat that ranking the country number one based on the hours used on the social media does not mean that we are better than  Brazil, South Africa, Philippines who were behind us.

 “Nigerian youths are always online because they are jobless unlike their counterparts from other countries who are gainfully employed and not expected to be spending their productive hours going through social media. Even some Nigerians who are working abroad would tell you not to call them during work hours because every second counts over there. You cannot tell me that a person who is busy with the daily work will have the luxury of spending hours on social media. Tell me if bankers, drivers, marketers with set targets can spend three hours going through social media for personal reasons. That is to further proof that only jobless Nigerians or internet fraudsters spend hours on social media,” he observed.

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