Role of Social Media in Enabling Communication Mobilisation and Management during 2020 #EndSARS Protests in Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract Views: 0

The current study focuses on the use of social media for the purpose of communication in the process of mobilising and managing the 2020 #EndSARS protests across Nigeria. The study specifically sought to ascertain the effectiveness of the platforms and the challenges encountered in efforts at mobilisation and management of the protests. Primarily, the research is based on secondary data. Additionally, theoretical foundation of the study is laid on medium theory. It was established that social media platforms, especially Facebook and Twitter (now X) featured prominently in the mobilisation and management of the protests. The study also argues that there was a need for social media platforms on the basis of the scale of the protest. The user base of social media platforms in Nigeria is substantial, making them essential for amplifying the protests. Since communication strategy is crucial throughout the life of a social movement, such as the #EndSARS, there was a need to explore the use of social media platforms. However, platforms, such as Twitter (now X), Facebook, and others became effective in different ways. Hence, the study identified the challenge of the capacity to identify real communicators saddled with the responsibility of managing activities of the protests. The study concluded that social media played prominent roles in the success of the 2020 #EndSARS protest in Nigeria