Mediating Electronic Dangerscapes: A Multimodal Analysis of a State-sponsored Newspaper Warning Advertisement in Nigeria

Abstract

In recent years, Nigeria’s image has always been negatively depicted in the global media, as the country’s name is associated with some of the world’s most sophisticated cybercriminals. The situation with the country’s perceived dented reputation, most especially in the Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the United States of America, is ripe for the anti-cybercrime discourse to take root, and subsequently, become a fertile ground for various parties to contribute to the grand discourse from different perspectives. This article highlights the way Nigerian government, through its revenues generating agency, the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), utilizes a print media warning advertisement (WA) to discursively construct and showcase its efforts in combating cybercrimes. The study utilizes Fairclough’s three-layered model for approaching discourse to analyse the FIRS-sponsored WA, which was published in The Guardian newspaper on 2 May 2013. The study incorporates analytical tools from the visual grammar (VG) and the multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) to examine the visual dimensions constituting the frame of the WA. The study revealed how the Nigerian government, through the FIRS sponsored WA, has attempted to discursively draw the attention of the general public to the potential dangers associated with the cybercriminals and their activities as well as suggesting the best ways to escape falling into their traps. The study recommends that governments and other civil societies should explore other means of creating more awareness to the general public, given the speed at which cyber-related crimes upsurge globally at the present time.

A Critical Visual Analysis and Communication of Jide Okonkwo’s Facebook Challenge Illustration

“…It is important to consider how taking biblical instruction as explicated by these illustrations and their textual portions could potently function in social control instead of using a gun. The presence of a gun in Figure 2(f) shows an arrest being conducted by security personnel in order to control criminal practices common in Nigeria (Jibril, 2020). From their production to distribution and consumption phases, certain of the reactional processes provide an imaginary space for a viewer to interact with the piece.…”

“…The participants at the background of this piece are either terrified or unhappy, or they are trying to create nuances following the arrest of a suspect by a security operative. This is not unconnected with several security or criminal issues for which such populous cities as Lagos are known (Jibril, 2020). The atmosphere in this piece is suggested by the speech process in Yoruba language: kilode (what happened?…”

“…The engagement with these visual compositions points to the various visual and semiotic characterisations, as well as social contexts known of social media with reference to Nigeria and Africa (Alozie, 2010; Jibril, 2020; Voorveld & van Noort, 2014). Jide Okonkwo’s ‘Daily Bible Illustration Challenge’ was a series of digital illustrations distributed on Facebook.…”