THE ROLE OF NEW MEDIA IN YOUTHS' PROTESTS AND AGITATIONS: AN INTERROGATION OF CIVIC ACTIVISM IN #ENDSARS

Abstract

The digital age, with its new media, has brought transformation and innovation to
information transmission. This has not only diversified communication routes but
also made it easily accessible to people in a globalised community. It has created a
means through which people express themselves and share ideas, especially
regarding happenings in the world around them. The new media has also introduced
a new dimension to protest culture among citizens, especially youths. The
#EndSARS protest of 2020 against police brutality and Special Anti-Robbery Squad
(SARS), unfortunately, turned tragic and has left a twist in the youth’s unrest and
protest culture in Nigeria. Youth grievances further spurred the protest focused on
other discontent situations, such as poverty, unemployment, non-inclusion in
governance, poor infrastructure, and insecurity. This paper focuses on new media as
a popular phase of digital technology. It probes the use of new media, its effect,
success, and challenges within the context of the #EndSARS protest. Furthermore, it
examines the role of the new media in propelling, coordinating, and organising the
protest and the protesters. To achieve this, the study adopts a quantitative research
method through a questionnaire designed as a research instrument to gather data
from youths (18-39) who are the target audience. The questionnaire investigated the
role of the new media during protests and examined how digital technology has
become central to recent civil agitations among Nigerian youths. The findings of this
research establish that social media platforms have transformed civil protests in the
digital age. It also reaffirms the role of digital platforms in connecting, transforming,
and revolutionizing protests and agitations for the present and the future. The paper
concludes that if properly harnessed by youths and the Government, the new media
will become a pedestal to build a new generation of patriotic, responsive, and active
citizenship in Nigeria.