Abstract

Freedom of expression entails citizens’ right to “freely express themselves through any media and frontier without outside interference such as censorship, and without fear of reprisal, such as threats and persecutions”. It is an essential requirement of a democratic society and a key condition for its progress and entrenchment of good governance. Social media has become a veritable tool for freedom of expression which connects, networks and enables citizens to ventilate their viewpoints and share opinions with others. Many Nigerians are increasingly using social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram to receive information and impart ideas. They enjoy the freedom to upload, comment, like or share stories of interest to them as received from various information sources. President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokespersons are leveraging the popularity of social platforms to share official communications with citizens using both official and personal accounts, thereby eliciting their reactions. Employing media determinism theory, this paper presents a textual analysis of readers’ comments and responses on Presidential communication posted on Facebook by Garba Shehu (Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity). It categorizes the comments into useful and abusive and argues that abusive comments could render ineffective what would have been an important feedback channel between citizens and the government. It recommends the exercise of freedom of expression in the social media in accordance with the Nigerian law and in a manner that enhances the quality of information exchange between government and its citizens and fosters meaningful social media engagement among Nigerians for the benefit of all.             

Key Words: Freedom of Expression, Social Media, Readers’ Comment, Presidential Posts

JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 15, No. 1, April 2023, pp. 169-180.

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

About the author

* Ibrahim Siraj, Ph.D. is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

Article Citation

Siraj, I. (2023). Uses and abuses of freedom of expression in the social media: An analysis of readers’ comments on Presidential Facebook posts. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 15 (1): 169-180.

Full Article

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