BEYOND SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM: WE CAN DO MORE!

So much has been said about the power of the social media. Technological advancement and innovations have revolutionized communication and has allowed for massive flow of information which in itself, has empowered millions of people world wide. Even more, the social media platform for self-expression is free of political censorship in most parts of the world thus creating a viable platform for political activism and engendering the growth of public advocacy.

The effect this information revolution has had in the world in recent times have been nothing short of tremendous especially when you consider the Arab Spring which began in Tunisia, spread to Egypt, Libya and then Syria. The mounting oppression and suppression by various the governments gave rise to social media activism, notably via Facebook, Twitter and Youtube which in turn, metamorphosed into catalysts of cataclysmic proportions for social change. The mental barrier of fear of oppressive governments was overcome when citizens of these nations took to the streets to demand for freedom.

In Nigeria, regardless of poor infrastructure, the social media has taken prominence as well. This was well manifest in the Occupy Nigeria protests that resulted from the government-approved increase in the pump price of PMS amidst mind-blowing corruption in the Oil sector and its protracted insensitivity to the pitiable plight of the masses.

Sabotage prevented the much desired change but since that time, the social media has become an avenue for Nigerians to criticize the shortfalls of government, engage a few of the policy makers in government, influence policy decisions and create proper dissemination of information amongst others.

However, the impact of the social media, though impressive is highly limited in its reach. Independent statistics conducted by SocialBakers has revealed that out of Nigeria's population of over 170million, a miserly 11.49% have access to the internet. 3.32% of the population accounts for active presence on Facebook and from 400,000 users in 2008, the total number of Nigerian users is now at least 5,052,300. In the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country, Nigeria ranks #32 globally and #3 in Africa, according to SocialBakers.

Also, a study carried out by Kenya-based Portland Communications and Britain-based Tweetminster in January 2012, tagged Nigeria as the #3 most active African nation on Twitter based on a survey of 500 of Africa’s most active Tweeters and 8th in the world with a huge percentage of these users accessing these social media service via internet enabled mobile phones, especially as Nigeria has the fastest growing mobile market on the continent.

Similarly, the Nigerian Communications Commission recently released statistics in April 2012, that the country has 99.1 million active subscriptions in the GSM and the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators’ domain. As at January 24, 2012 Blackberry users in Nigeria hit the 2.4 million mark.

While the above statistics is admirable, impressive and encouraging, it is hardly enough. What spurred this article was an interaction I had with an Uncle who is a rural dweller. On the few occasions our discussion veered into politics, I got to find out that he is a staunch supporter of the present administration, albeit for the wrong reasons. I got to discover that he was blissfully unaware of the massive scale of roguery and corruption being perpetuated at the higher echelons of government. Even after giving instances of the challenges posed by corruption that has very nearly paralyzed the economy, he still persisted in his unwavering support citing tribal sentiments.

Of course, I was highly disappointed. Tribal sentiments is the bane of our existence as nation and a factor that continues to make the much talked about "peace and unity" an utopian illusion but more importantly, it made me realize that inasmuch as political activism has taken giant strides on the social media, there's still a long way to go. Information is an empowering tool and as empowering as it is, it is quite scarce among the Nigerian populace.The Occupy Nigeria rallies which were majorly co-ordinated via the social media provided a more public platform with a wider reach to Nigerians, especially the youths. Both informed and the uninformed turned out en masse and had the rare opportunity of being educated with hard facts concerning critical issues at stake. The one year old Occupy Nigeria Movement bequeathed a more vibrant political consciousness among our youths but the job is only half done.

To create the Nigeria we truly desire, efforts must be intensified to reach out to the less informed. We must engage anyone and everyone to get them interested in the way our dear nation is run; It is our collective responsibility. As Nigeria stood in unity in January last year, regardless of ethnic sentiments and religious affiliations, we must take advantage of the ties that bind us together and revive the spirit of patriotism. We need more outdoor outreaches to add to the what we have. January should be a month where public rallies should be held to commemorate the awakening of our political consciousness.

The spirit of nonchalance and "siddon-look" attitude must be buried for the rebirth of active interest in the affairs of this country, even as the countdown to 2015 has already begun. The grunt work lies beyond the social media; as we have flooded the social media, we must also flood the streets.

Malcolm O. Ifi. 

Engage on twitter @saymalcolm

Photo Credits: The Internet