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Silas Udenze

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Department of Mass Communication, Alumnus

University of Abuja, Nigeria, Media Arts, Graduate Student

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Silas Udenze is interested in contributing to knowledge, and he is ready to assume any scholarly opportunity in institutions of higher learning. I am so skeptical and investigative. Give me a NO for an answer, prove it and you are good to go. Silas is interested in researching Social/New media, Public relations/Advertising, Development communication, Popular culture and Research Methodology.
Supervisors: Dr. Ogochukwu Ekwenchi, Professor Barth O.Y Oshionebo
Phone: +2348154846838, +2348069391346
Address: Plot 926 Sabo Ago Avenue, Life Camp, Abuja, Nigeria

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Noel B. Salazar

KU Leuven

Mariya Ivancheva

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Daffodil International University(DIU)

Microsoft Research

Radhika Gajjala

Bowling Green State University

Pompeu Fabra University

Kansas State University

University of Cologne

David Selva Ruiz

Universidad de Cadiz

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

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Papers by Silas Udenze

Building сommunity and constructing identity on WhatsApp: A netnographic approach

World of Media Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, 2019

The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering ne... more The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering new connections and friendships among people living abroad. Today, technology, mainly WhatsApp, seems to proffer a new stage for diasporas to engage in diasporic identity and community construction. The study investigates the motivation behind Nigerians living in the United States (diasporas) use of WhatsApp platform for building community and constructing identity online, and how they perceive the platform. The research adopts netnography, a qualitative research methodology suited for online research. This study adopts the aforementioned research method to explore forty five (45) persons on a WhatsApp platform. Besides, the social constructivist theory was employed to guide the study. The theory reiterates how meaning is developed through the interactions of social processes involving people in the environment. Analyzing automatically archived data from the WhatsApp platform, the study di...

‘The EndSARS movement is an umbrella for other challenges’: Assessing Nigeria’s EndSARS protest through the theoretical lens of intersectionality

Media, war & conflict, Mar 28, 2024

*Exploring Nigeria`s Endsars Movement Through the Nexus of Memory*

Selected papers of internet research, Dec 31, 2023

&quot;…Not just an ordinary hospital, we are committed to making our patients have value for their money&quot;: a qualitative analysis of social media use in Nigeria&apos;s public and private hospitals

In this study, we comparatively investigated the extent to which government and private-owned hos... more In this study, we comparatively investigated the extent to which government and private-owned hospitals use social media. Using the constant comparison approach for analysing qualitative data, the study analysed data from multiple focus group discussions with 12 social media handlers from both government and private-owned hospitals in Abuja and qualitative content analysis of Facebook posts and tweets from the hospitals in Abuja. Contrary to previous findings, which assert that government hospitals use social media to propagate government information and private hospitals use social media from the business/capitalist perspective, we discovered they both use social media for marketing purposes-to enhance their corporate image and interact with their clients. The data further revealed that the topic of health education is common; that is, both the private and the public hospitals engage in disseminating health education content. By implication, this research draws healthcare institutions' consciousness, especially government-owned hospitals, to the importance of social media in the health sector.

Online Advertising in Nigeria: an Examination of Approaches in Facebook and Instagram

Galaktika media: žurnal media issledovanij, Jun 26, 2020

Thee study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of ... more Thee study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of approaches in Facebook and Instagram. Thee aim of the research is to analyse the extent Nigerian businesses are utilizing social media to advertise their products. Thee theory adopted to anchor the study is Diffeusion of Innovation Theeory. Mixed methodology was employed to generate data for the study. Survey designed was used for the quantitative method while semi-structured interviews were conducted for the qualitative method. Online questionnaires were employed to get data from 375 Internet-users; representing consumers of these online advertisements, while 6 business owners making use of online advertising through social media, were interviewed under the qualitative method. Thee results of the study show that Nigerians make use of social media sites like Facebook and Instagram as advertising platforms to a littele extent despite the huge number of consumers using these networks in the country. Thee research recommends that business owners should change their perception about social media as just a platform for fun or social activities, but to start considering it as an avenue to marketing and profict making. Also, the work recommends Nigerian businesses to engage the media professionals to handle their online activities; taking into the account that social media is so powerful it can build or destroy any business or brand. Thee work further recommends more effeort put into the Consumer Protection Council with regards to online advertising activities. Theis will aid to online consumers protection and also to a large extent curb the cyber fraud.

A Netnographic Assessment of a Laboratory Scientists' WhatsApp Group

Health & New Media Research

Adopting a qualitative methodology (netnography), this study explores the WhatsApp group experien... more Adopting a qualitative methodology (netnography), this study explores the WhatsApp group experience of scientists in the Laboratory Service Department of Natic Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. Based on interviews with ten scientists and the analysis of the archived comments of the WhatsApp group for four months (October 2019 – January 2020), the study found that the scientists of the department experience WhatsApp from diverse perspectives, including "cyberspace classroom," "formal learning," "affordability," and "convenience." The study found that a significant disadvantage arising from the use of WhatsApp is posting unwanted content. Nevertheless, this does not restrain its use as a considerable number of scientists admit to its potency in their work. Besides, this study revealed that there are two levels of determinants to using and joining the WhatsApp group: individualistic and organizational determinants. This study concludes that WhatsApp is...

Challenges of Netnography as a qualitative research method

Journal of Communication and Media Research, 2019

This discussion explores the emerging adoption of netnography as a research method and its challe... more This discussion explores the emerging adoption of netnography as a research method and its challenges. Netnography is a qualitative research methodology that is increasingly adopted in researching social media, especially online communities, in order to gain insights into the rich, and quality data that are automatically archived in the cyberspace. This discussion adopted the scholarly review of pieces of literature on netnography. The paper argues that scholars are adopting netnography in different study domains despite its business management orientation. Furthermore, the methodology is equally gaining grounds in Ph.D. scholarships. The discussion concludes that scholars from other knowledge domain, especially media studies/Mass communication should explore netnographic research methodology, particularly in studying social media.

The Coronavirus Health Crisis, Social Media, and Online Health Information Seeking Behaviour of Older Adults in Nigeria

Türkiye iletişim araştırmaları dergisi, Apr 20, 2022

The Social Media and the Changing News Ecology: WhatsApp as a Fifth Estate

A Netnographic Study of Personal Branding on Instagram

Print Media And The Challenges Of Social Media

This paper examines the print media and the challenges posed by the social media. It is no doubt ... more This paper examines the print media and the challenges posed by the social media. It is no doubt that the social media has altered the news gathering and processing paradigm but the print medium remain relevant in news dissemination. The study is anchored on technology determinism theory by Marshall McLuhan. The theory states that media technologies shape how we as individuals in a society think, feel act and how a society operates as we move from one technology age to another. In another way, McLuhan predicted that we would be in the midst of a revolution, and that the world will never be the same due to the advance in technology. Scholarly journals and conference papers formed the sources for secondary data for this study. Findings from the study reveal that the new media have caused the print media, particularly the newspaper a huge lost in revenue and advertisement. The study also discovered that the social media have altered the traditional gatekeeping theory of the print media...

Emoji and nonverbal communication: An examination of social networking sites

Etkileşim, 2020

The study explored the phenomenon of nonverbal communication with its focus on emoji. Basically, ... more The study explored the phenomenon of nonverbal communication with its focus on emoji. Basically, the researcher examined five social networking sites (SNS) - (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter) in order to ascertain which of the SNS the research population uses emoji more often. Furthermore, the researcher explored the gender disparity in the use of emoji. The study employed the quantitative research method to achieve this end, precisely the survey technique. The hyperpersonal communication theory underpins and guides the research. Findings from the study indicate that a considerable number of the research population (48.93%) considers WhatsApp's emojis as the most often used, followed by Facebook. Analysis of data further revealed that both genders-male and female use emoji evenly. The male, 71 respondents representing 50.35% use emoji and 70 respondents; that is, 49.65% of the female equally use emoji for communication purposes. The study concludes that emojis are conduit pipes through which Internet users display their expertise in the manoeuvering of computer-mediated communication, specifically nonverbal communication; hence, researchers indicate that this calls for further scholarly investigation in this research domain.

Constructing Identity and Communality on a Social Media Platform: An Exploration of #Igbotwitter Tweets

Journal Communication Spectrum, 2022

Awareness and Use of Whatsapp for Banking and Financial Services: A Study of Social Media Users in North-Central Nigeria

by bibian ugoala and Silas Udenze

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of Communication and Media Studies, 2020

Social media have become a fundamental ingredient in both the social and economic life of contemp... more Social media have become a fundamental ingredient in both the social and economic life of contemporary society. Social networking platforms have become an interesting vehicle for the banking sector to manage contact and interaction with their existing and potential customers. This study investigates users' awareness and the use of WhatsApp for banking activities in North-Central Nigeria. Based on a quantitative research approach, the study surveyed 400 respondents who have adopted WhatsApp Banking. The study's significant findings revealed a low level of awareness of this banking method among social media users. Besides, the percentage of users that utilised the platform for banking-related activities corroborated the deficient awareness as discovered in the study. Nevertheless, the audience is sceptical that the country's poor internet infrastructure might not permit the innovation to thrive. Hence, the study recommends that the banks concerned should endeavour to creat...

Online Advertising in Nigeria: an Examination of Approaches in Facebook and Instagram

Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 2020

The study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of a... more The study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of approaches in Facebook and Instagram. The aim of the research is to analyse the extent Nigerian businesses are utilizing social media to advertise their products. The theory adopted to anchor the study is Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Mixed methodology was employed to generate data for the study. Survey designed was used for the quantitative method while semi-structured interviews were conducted for the qualitative method. Online questionnaires were employed to get data from 375 Internet-users; representing consumers of these online advertisements, while 6 business owners making use of online advertising through social media, were interviewed under the qualitative method. The results of the study show that Nigerians make use of social media sites like Facebook and Instagram as advertising platforms to a little extent despite the huge number of consumers using these networks in the count...

Youth and Political Apathy: Lessons from a Social Media Platform

International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Review, 2014

These days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the conduct of politics even in advanced... more These days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the conduct of politics even in advanced democracies. This general apathy is witnessed among all social categories but is especially rife among the youth. Governments and political office seekers in democratic countries are for this reason having to look for fresh and novel ways to get eligible voters among their populations but especially the youth or first-time voters to participate in politics and governance. In these countries, besides the more immediate reward of electoral victory for the individual or party that successfully mobilizes apathetic or first-time voters, governments are equally well aware that opinion polling is an essential barometer for evaluating governance and for gauging the pulse of the people on issues. Nigerian government has been trying out ways and means to get the citizens and youths to take an interest in its politics and policies. Setting up the National Orientation Agency (NOA) is one such exper...

Investigatingacademics ’ Awareness & Use Of Linkedin For Professional Networking

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has engendered communication and collaboration acr... more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has engendered communication and collaboration across boundaries. The social media platforms are veritable tools that have made this scenario feasible. At the heart of the study is the investigation of academics’ awareness and use of LinkedIn for professional networking. The study adopted the survey research methodology. Primary data was collected through questionnaire. The Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) was employed to guide the study. Findings from the research point to low level of awareness and use of LinkedIn by lecturers in the University of Abuja. The study concluded that the scholars should expose themselves to the use of LinkedIn in order to further academic collaboration in this ICT age.

Building сommunity and constructing identity on WhatsApp: A netnographic approach

The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering ne... more The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering new connections and friendships among people living abroad. Today, technology, mainly WhatsApp, seems to proffer a new stage for diasporas to engage in diasporic identity and community construction. The study investigates the motivation behind Nigerians living in the United States (diasporas) use of WhatsApp platform for building community and constructing identity online, and how they perceive the platform. The research adopts netnography, a qualitative research methodology suited for online research. This study adopts the aforementioned research method to explore forty five (45) persons on a WhatsApp platform. Besides, the social constructivist theory was employed to guide the study. The theory reiterates how meaning is developed through the interactions of social processes involving people in the environment. Analyzing automatically archived data from the WhatsApp platform, the study di...

Fake news and its Impact on national cohesion: the Nigerian story

This discussion paper explores fake news and its impact on national cohesion: the Nigerian perspe... more This discussion paper explores fake news and its impact on national cohesion: the Nigerian perspective. Recently, fake news has become a global phenomenon and impacts nations' economic and socio-political activities. The current discussion paper utilizes secondary sources to buttress the effects of fake news on Nigeria's national cohesion. The paper opined that fake news intentionally fabricated and disseminated information to deceive and mislead others into believing falsehoods. Further, the study discovered that some of the adverse effects of fake news include ethno-religious crisis, electoral violence, and economic instability, among others. Also, it identified the causes of fake news as the mistrust of the ruling class by the masses, social media and affordable data, capitalist motives, late release of information by agencies of government, inadequate capacities of media outlets to verify and release authentic information etc. As a result of fake news, it is recommended ...

Assessing Music Piracy And Its Imperatives For Upcoming Artists: A Qualitative Insight

This study investigates music piracy and its imperatives for upcoming artists. The study adopted ... more This study investigates music piracy and its imperatives for upcoming artists. The study adopted unstructured interview method; qualitative research methodology in sourcing its primary data. Findings from the study show that music piracy is synonymous with upcoming artists. Upcoming artists believe that music piracy has assisted them in their careers. However, from the scholarly literature, established music stars are of the opinion that music piracy is inimical to the music industry. Despite this belief, upcoming artists strongly hold the view that music piracy remains a pathway to stardom.

Building сommunity and constructing identity on WhatsApp: A netnographic approach

World of Media Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, 2019

The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering ne... more The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering new connections and friendships among people living abroad. Today, technology, mainly WhatsApp, seems to proffer a new stage for diasporas to engage in diasporic identity and community construction. The study investigates the motivation behind Nigerians living in the United States (diasporas) use of WhatsApp platform for building community and constructing identity online, and how they perceive the platform. The research adopts netnography, a qualitative research methodology suited for online research. This study adopts the aforementioned research method to explore forty five (45) persons on a WhatsApp platform. Besides, the social constructivist theory was employed to guide the study. The theory reiterates how meaning is developed through the interactions of social processes involving people in the environment. Analyzing automatically archived data from the WhatsApp platform, the study di...

‘The EndSARS movement is an umbrella for other challenges’: Assessing Nigeria’s EndSARS protest through the theoretical lens of intersectionality

Media, war & conflict, Mar 28, 2024

*Exploring Nigeria`s Endsars Movement Through the Nexus of Memory*

Selected papers of internet research, Dec 31, 2023

&quot;…Not just an ordinary hospital, we are committed to making our patients have value for their money&quot;: a qualitative analysis of social media use in Nigeria&apos;s public and private hospitals

In this study, we comparatively investigated the extent to which government and private-owned hos... more In this study, we comparatively investigated the extent to which government and private-owned hospitals use social media. Using the constant comparison approach for analysing qualitative data, the study analysed data from multiple focus group discussions with 12 social media handlers from both government and private-owned hospitals in Abuja and qualitative content analysis of Facebook posts and tweets from the hospitals in Abuja. Contrary to previous findings, which assert that government hospitals use social media to propagate government information and private hospitals use social media from the business/capitalist perspective, we discovered they both use social media for marketing purposes-to enhance their corporate image and interact with their clients. The data further revealed that the topic of health education is common; that is, both the private and the public hospitals engage in disseminating health education content. By implication, this research draws healthcare institutions' consciousness, especially government-owned hospitals, to the importance of social media in the health sector.

Online Advertising in Nigeria: an Examination of Approaches in Facebook and Instagram

Galaktika media: žurnal media issledovanij, Jun 26, 2020

Thee study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of ... more Thee study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of approaches in Facebook and Instagram. Thee aim of the research is to analyse the extent Nigerian businesses are utilizing social media to advertise their products. Thee theory adopted to anchor the study is Diffeusion of Innovation Theeory. Mixed methodology was employed to generate data for the study. Survey designed was used for the quantitative method while semi-structured interviews were conducted for the qualitative method. Online questionnaires were employed to get data from 375 Internet-users; representing consumers of these online advertisements, while 6 business owners making use of online advertising through social media, were interviewed under the qualitative method. Thee results of the study show that Nigerians make use of social media sites like Facebook and Instagram as advertising platforms to a littele extent despite the huge number of consumers using these networks in the country. Thee research recommends that business owners should change their perception about social media as just a platform for fun or social activities, but to start considering it as an avenue to marketing and profict making. Also, the work recommends Nigerian businesses to engage the media professionals to handle their online activities; taking into the account that social media is so powerful it can build or destroy any business or brand. Thee work further recommends more effeort put into the Consumer Protection Council with regards to online advertising activities. Theis will aid to online consumers protection and also to a large extent curb the cyber fraud.

A Netnographic Assessment of a Laboratory Scientists' WhatsApp Group

Health & New Media Research

Adopting a qualitative methodology (netnography), this study explores the WhatsApp group experien... more Adopting a qualitative methodology (netnography), this study explores the WhatsApp group experience of scientists in the Laboratory Service Department of Natic Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. Based on interviews with ten scientists and the analysis of the archived comments of the WhatsApp group for four months (October 2019 – January 2020), the study found that the scientists of the department experience WhatsApp from diverse perspectives, including "cyberspace classroom," "formal learning," "affordability," and "convenience." The study found that a significant disadvantage arising from the use of WhatsApp is posting unwanted content. Nevertheless, this does not restrain its use as a considerable number of scientists admit to its potency in their work. Besides, this study revealed that there are two levels of determinants to using and joining the WhatsApp group: individualistic and organizational determinants. This study concludes that WhatsApp is...

Challenges of Netnography as a qualitative research method

Journal of Communication and Media Research, 2019

This discussion explores the emerging adoption of netnography as a research method and its challe... more This discussion explores the emerging adoption of netnography as a research method and its challenges. Netnography is a qualitative research methodology that is increasingly adopted in researching social media, especially online communities, in order to gain insights into the rich, and quality data that are automatically archived in the cyberspace. This discussion adopted the scholarly review of pieces of literature on netnography. The paper argues that scholars are adopting netnography in different study domains despite its business management orientation. Furthermore, the methodology is equally gaining grounds in Ph.D. scholarships. The discussion concludes that scholars from other knowledge domain, especially media studies/Mass communication should explore netnographic research methodology, particularly in studying social media.

The Coronavirus Health Crisis, Social Media, and Online Health Information Seeking Behaviour of Older Adults in Nigeria

Türkiye iletişim araştırmaları dergisi, Apr 20, 2022

The Social Media and the Changing News Ecology: WhatsApp as a Fifth Estate

A Netnographic Study of Personal Branding on Instagram

Print Media And The Challenges Of Social Media

This paper examines the print media and the challenges posed by the social media. It is no doubt ... more This paper examines the print media and the challenges posed by the social media. It is no doubt that the social media has altered the news gathering and processing paradigm but the print medium remain relevant in news dissemination. The study is anchored on technology determinism theory by Marshall McLuhan. The theory states that media technologies shape how we as individuals in a society think, feel act and how a society operates as we move from one technology age to another. In another way, McLuhan predicted that we would be in the midst of a revolution, and that the world will never be the same due to the advance in technology. Scholarly journals and conference papers formed the sources for secondary data for this study. Findings from the study reveal that the new media have caused the print media, particularly the newspaper a huge lost in revenue and advertisement. The study also discovered that the social media have altered the traditional gatekeeping theory of the print media...

Emoji and nonverbal communication: An examination of social networking sites

Etkileşim, 2020

The study explored the phenomenon of nonverbal communication with its focus on emoji. Basically, ... more The study explored the phenomenon of nonverbal communication with its focus on emoji. Basically, the researcher examined five social networking sites (SNS) - (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter) in order to ascertain which of the SNS the research population uses emoji more often. Furthermore, the researcher explored the gender disparity in the use of emoji. The study employed the quantitative research method to achieve this end, precisely the survey technique. The hyperpersonal communication theory underpins and guides the research. Findings from the study indicate that a considerable number of the research population (48.93%) considers WhatsApp's emojis as the most often used, followed by Facebook. Analysis of data further revealed that both genders-male and female use emoji evenly. The male, 71 respondents representing 50.35% use emoji and 70 respondents; that is, 49.65% of the female equally use emoji for communication purposes. The study concludes that emojis are conduit pipes through which Internet users display their expertise in the manoeuvering of computer-mediated communication, specifically nonverbal communication; hence, researchers indicate that this calls for further scholarly investigation in this research domain.

Constructing Identity and Communality on a Social Media Platform: An Exploration of #Igbotwitter Tweets

Journal Communication Spectrum, 2022

Awareness and Use of Whatsapp for Banking and Financial Services: A Study of Social Media Users in North-Central Nigeria

by bibian ugoala and Silas Udenze

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of Communication and Media Studies, 2020

Social media have become a fundamental ingredient in both the social and economic life of contemp... more Social media have become a fundamental ingredient in both the social and economic life of contemporary society. Social networking platforms have become an interesting vehicle for the banking sector to manage contact and interaction with their existing and potential customers. This study investigates users' awareness and the use of WhatsApp for banking activities in North-Central Nigeria. Based on a quantitative research approach, the study surveyed 400 respondents who have adopted WhatsApp Banking. The study's significant findings revealed a low level of awareness of this banking method among social media users. Besides, the percentage of users that utilised the platform for banking-related activities corroborated the deficient awareness as discovered in the study. Nevertheless, the audience is sceptical that the country's poor internet infrastructure might not permit the innovation to thrive. Hence, the study recommends that the banks concerned should endeavour to creat...

Online Advertising in Nigeria: an Examination of Approaches in Facebook and Instagram

Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 2020

The study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of a... more The study examined online advertising in Nigeria; it also sought to ascertain an examination of approaches in Facebook and Instagram. The aim of the research is to analyse the extent Nigerian businesses are utilizing social media to advertise their products. The theory adopted to anchor the study is Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Mixed methodology was employed to generate data for the study. Survey designed was used for the quantitative method while semi-structured interviews were conducted for the qualitative method. Online questionnaires were employed to get data from 375 Internet-users; representing consumers of these online advertisements, while 6 business owners making use of online advertising through social media, were interviewed under the qualitative method. The results of the study show that Nigerians make use of social media sites like Facebook and Instagram as advertising platforms to a little extent despite the huge number of consumers using these networks in the count...

Youth and Political Apathy: Lessons from a Social Media Platform

International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Review, 2014

These days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the conduct of politics even in advanced... more These days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the conduct of politics even in advanced democracies. This general apathy is witnessed among all social categories but is especially rife among the youth. Governments and political office seekers in democratic countries are for this reason having to look for fresh and novel ways to get eligible voters among their populations but especially the youth or first-time voters to participate in politics and governance. In these countries, besides the more immediate reward of electoral victory for the individual or party that successfully mobilizes apathetic or first-time voters, governments are equally well aware that opinion polling is an essential barometer for evaluating governance and for gauging the pulse of the people on issues. Nigerian government has been trying out ways and means to get the citizens and youths to take an interest in its politics and policies. Setting up the National Orientation Agency (NOA) is one such exper...

Investigatingacademics ’ Awareness & Use Of Linkedin For Professional Networking

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has engendered communication and collaboration acr... more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has engendered communication and collaboration across boundaries. The social media platforms are veritable tools that have made this scenario feasible. At the heart of the study is the investigation of academics’ awareness and use of LinkedIn for professional networking. The study adopted the survey research methodology. Primary data was collected through questionnaire. The Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) was employed to guide the study. Findings from the research point to low level of awareness and use of LinkedIn by lecturers in the University of Abuja. The study concluded that the scholars should expose themselves to the use of LinkedIn in order to further academic collaboration in this ICT age.

Building сommunity and constructing identity on WhatsApp: A netnographic approach

The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering ne... more The social media serve as a means of expediently connecting people across the world, fostering new connections and friendships among people living abroad. Today, technology, mainly WhatsApp, seems to proffer a new stage for diasporas to engage in diasporic identity and community construction. The study investigates the motivation behind Nigerians living in the United States (diasporas) use of WhatsApp platform for building community and constructing identity online, and how they perceive the platform. The research adopts netnography, a qualitative research methodology suited for online research. This study adopts the aforementioned research method to explore forty five (45) persons on a WhatsApp platform. Besides, the social constructivist theory was employed to guide the study. The theory reiterates how meaning is developed through the interactions of social processes involving people in the environment. Analyzing automatically archived data from the WhatsApp platform, the study di...

Fake news and its Impact on national cohesion: the Nigerian story

This discussion paper explores fake news and its impact on national cohesion: the Nigerian perspe... more This discussion paper explores fake news and its impact on national cohesion: the Nigerian perspective. Recently, fake news has become a global phenomenon and impacts nations' economic and socio-political activities. The current discussion paper utilizes secondary sources to buttress the effects of fake news on Nigeria's national cohesion. The paper opined that fake news intentionally fabricated and disseminated information to deceive and mislead others into believing falsehoods. Further, the study discovered that some of the adverse effects of fake news include ethno-religious crisis, electoral violence, and economic instability, among others. Also, it identified the causes of fake news as the mistrust of the ruling class by the masses, social media and affordable data, capitalist motives, late release of information by agencies of government, inadequate capacities of media outlets to verify and release authentic information etc. As a result of fake news, it is recommended ...

Assessing Music Piracy And Its Imperatives For Upcoming Artists: A Qualitative Insight

This study investigates music piracy and its imperatives for upcoming artists. The study adopted ... more This study investigates music piracy and its imperatives for upcoming artists. The study adopted unstructured interview method; qualitative research methodology in sourcing its primary data. Findings from the study show that music piracy is synonymous with upcoming artists. Upcoming artists believe that music piracy has assisted them in their careers. However, from the scholarly literature, established music stars are of the opinion that music piracy is inimical to the music industry. Despite this belief, upcoming artists strongly hold the view that music piracy remains a pathway to stardom.

YOUTH AND POLITICAL APATHY: LESSONS FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Reviews, 2014

These days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the conduct of politics even in advanced... more These days, voter apathy is widely known to characterize the conduct of politics even in advanced democracies. This general apathy is witnessed among all social categories but is especially rife among the youth. Governments and political office seekers in democratic countries are for this reason having to look for fresh and novel ways to get eligible voters among their populations but especially the youth or first-time voters to participate in politics and governance. In these countries, besides the more immediate reward of electoral victory for the individual or party that successfully mobilizes apathetic or first-time voters, governments are equally well aware that opinion polling is an essential barometer for evaluating governance and for gauging the pulse of the people on issues. Nigerian government has been trying out ways and means to get the citizens and youths to take an interest in its politics and policies. Setting up the National Orientation Agency (NOA) is one such experiment. But how successful has the National Orientation Agency's e-polling platform been at interesting the Nigerian youth to participate in politics and governance? This question was at the heart of this study of the undergraduate students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and the National Orientation Agency's e-polling platform. It employed the survey method. Data was collected through questionnaire. Findings point to low awareness and image problem arising from the perception of NOA as government's propaganda machine to be impediments to youth participation in NOA e-polling. The study concluded that the effectiveness of the practice of e-polling in the country will depend on its improvement.