TREND ANALYSIS OF CONSISTENCY IN LOCAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AMONG CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS IN JOS SOUTH LGA, PLATEAU STATE

Abstract

Trending issues on digital platforms like the social media today have shaped public discourse and narratives in the cyberspace. This presents an opportunity for Civil Society Organisations to take advantage of the social media to determine the relevance of their advocacy campaigns and public perceptions and acceptance of the same. There, however, appears to be a challenge arising from the longevity of information on social media platforms and how the social media needs to be sustained, especially by Civil Society Organisations, in the social media space. The research set out to assess the nature of the consistency of trends across social media platforms, especially as it relates to civil society organisations within Jos, South local government area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The research adopted the Social Network theory and the Usesand Gratification theory as a theoretical guide. The research analysed civil society organisations within Jos South via the use of a questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. Findings reveal that cultural issues recognisable by residents of Jos South inundate media messages of civil society organisations within the Local Government area, while media messages on social media platforms from Civil Society Organisations in Jos South reflect the values of the digital public within their domain. The research recommends that the content of messages published on social media platforms by Civil Society Organizations should characterise the acceptable communication norms of individuals, and the adoption of relevant topics that are specific to the demographic peculiarity of a target public should be explored by Civil Society Organisations. Maintenance of synergy with relevant public influencers who have the capacity through their followership on the social media was also recommended by the research.