Social Media Activism

Abstract

This chapter focuses on social media activism and the factors that trigger activism in developing countries. It philosophically reexamines the aftermath of the EndSARS protest via the lens of social media ecology. The epistemological and ontological underpinnings of EndSARS media ecology anchor on social media affordances. It evaluates social movements such as #EndSARS to identify their impact on addressing ills that have retarded development in Africa, particularly the Nigerian state. The chapter combines extant literature with empirical data to discuss socio-politico-environmental realities and issues contributing to social and political disorder in Nigeria. It also proposes solutions on how people can utilize lessons learned from the ‘EndSARS' debacle to advance cause-oriented activities and value reorientation. Finally, the chapter suggests a paradigm shift from a violent mass movement to a peaceful one, using the public relations perspective of crisis management.The chapter focuses on social media activism and the factors that trigger activism in developing countries. The EndSARS protest and its aftermath were philosophically reexamined via the lens of social media ecology. The epistemological and ontological underpinnings of EndSARS media ecology were traced to social media affordances. The chapter also evaluates social movements such as #EndSARS for the purpose of identifying its impact in addressing ills that have retarded growth and development in Africa, particularly the Nigerian state. The chapter combines extant literature positions with empirical data to discuss socio-politico-environmental realities and issues contributing to the growing phenomenon of social and political disorder in Nigeria. The chapter also proposes solutions on how to utilize lessons learned from the ‘EndSARS' debacle to advance cause-oriented activities and value reorientation. Finally, the chapter proposes a paradigm shift from a violent mass movement to a peaceful one, using public relations perspective of crisis management.