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ECONOMIC AND SOCIO-POLITICAL IMPERATIVES 
OF THE NEW MEDIA IN AFRICA 

 
Chukwukelue Uzodinma Umenyilorah 

Department of Theatre and Media Arts 
Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti 

Ekiti State, Nigeria 
07030183205 

Chukwukelue.umenyilorah@fuoye.edu.ng 

Abstract 

The advent of the New Media as enabled by information and 
communication technology from the 19th through the 21st century has 
no doubt taken its toll on all fronts of human existence; especially in 
Africa and Nigeria in particular. Apart from shortening the distance 
between all parts of the world, technology and the new media has 
also succeeded in making the world a global village. Hence, it’s now
easy to relay live audio and visual signals across the length and 
breadth of the world in real time.  People now contract and execute 
businesses across countries, conferences are held and ideas are 
shared with a simple push of a computer button. Likewise, political 
leaders and diplomats are now just a click away from reaching those 
important decisions that take their countries’ fortunes to the next
level. On the flip side, ICT and the New Media have also contributed 
in no small measure, in aiding global terrorism and general insecurity 
around the world. More interesting is the fact that as developing 
economies, African countries have massively embraced the 
information technology and this has helped them in keeping up with 
the trends in the polity of other model democracies around the world. 
This paper therefore examines how much effect ICT and the New 
Media have exerted on the economic, social and political lives of 
African nations with Nigeria as a case in point for the purpose of this 
study. It demonstrates the positive and negative influences the new 
media is having on the social, economic and political lives of African 
nations 

Introduction 

Much of the developed world in the last 20 years has been transformed by 
technology, which is positively linked to global economic power and 
prosperity. History also shows that technological innovation was essential 
for human development. This is evident in the gradual but steady transition 



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from the ancient to the modern ways of doing thing. Hence, the era of the 
“Stone Age” is now history because some more advanced tools have been
developed to replace those carved out of stones and wood by the early 
men. No longer does man have to strike one stone against another to make 
fire, we now have match-sticks and lighters; just as the modern man no 
longer have to carve out spares and arrows from wood for hunting-he now 
has a barrage of sophisticated weapons in his arsenal to do so.  

People no longer have to walk unimaginable distances because there are 
now cars, boats, ships and air planes to take them to all parts of the world. 
Neither does anyone necessarily need wait for someone to come home 
from the city so they can write a letter and send through him before they 
can communicate with kits and kin-there’s now the mobile phones to do
so. 

Technology has increasingly become a human development enabler, 
supporting people to increase their incomes and thereby increase the 
quality of their lives  

A major impact of technology on Nigeria and Africa and indeed the world 
over, is in the area of communication as evidenced by the advent of the 
printing press, telephone, television, fax and the Internet, all of which 
reduced social isolation and enabled people to be better informed and 
hence more participative in the community and the economy.  

The use of technology has often been seen as synonymous with innovation 
and technological innovation viewed, by some, as a self-perpetuating 
mechanism capable of transforming social systems by permanently and 
positively altering values and patterns of beliefs. This implies that the use 
of technology in developing economies like Nigeria could transform its 
social, economic and even political structures.  

This is because new technology requires new skills so that, inherently, 
learning becomes a part of technology. Learning could result in 
morphogenic change, whereby the changes automatically cause more 
changes, which can eventually transform the entire social systems.  

The major objectives of this study include tracing the development of the 
new media from inception to the present day, with a view to examine the 
positive and negative impact of the new media on the economic and 
political lives of African countries, using Nigeria as a case in point. It will 
also make recommendations as to how the new media can be used as a 
tool for socio-political and economic development of African nations. 



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This study adopts the qualitative research method where data shall be 
generated from books and journals as well as from online sources. 

The New Media: A Brief History 

Several scholars have slightly varying views about the origin of the 
internet and its evolution from inception to the present day. In all the 
submissions however, everyone seems to agree to the fact that the new 
media is largely driven by the internet. According to Barry. M. Leiner et-
al (2007, p.48),  

The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a 
mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for 
collaboration and interaction between individuals and their 
computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet 
represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of 
sustained investment and commitment to research and development 
of information infrastructure. The Internet has revolutionized the 
computer and communications world like nothing before. The 
invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the 
stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. 

The Internet today is a widespread information technology. Its history is 
complex and involves many aspects - technological, organizational, and 
community. And its influence reaches not only to the technical fields of 
computer communications but throughout society as we move toward 
increasing use of online tools to accomplish electronic commerce, 
information acquisition, and community operations. 

Human interactions with one another across long distances have been a 
great concern to humanity for centuries. As social animals, people have 
always relied on communication to strengthen their relationships. When 
face-to-face discussions are impossible or inconvenient, humans have 
dreamed up plenty of creative solutions. One of these solutions was the 
invention of the internet; the information dissemination technology that 
drives the rest of what has now come to be known as the new media, 
including all the social networking media platforms. In the words of Drew 
Hendricks (2013), the earliest methods of communicating across great 
distances used written correspondence delivered by hand from one person 
to another; in other words, letters. The earliest form of postal service dates 
back to 550 B.C., and this primitive delivery system would become more 
widespread and streamlined in future centuries. The telegraph was 
invented in 1792. This allowed messages to be delivered over a long 



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distance far faster than a horse and rider could carry them. And although 
telegraph messages were short, they were a revolutionary way to convey 
news and information. 

Furthering the development of information and communication 
technology, two important discoveries happened in the last decade of the 
1800s: The telephone in 1890 and the radio in 1891. Both technologies are 
still in use today, although the modern versions are much more
sophisticated than their predecessors. Telephone lines and radio signals 
enabled people to communicate across great distances instantaneously, 
something that mankind had never experienced before. 

Technology began to change very rapidly in the 20th Century. And as 
Drew puts it, after the first super computers were created in the 1940s, 
scientists and engineers began to develop ways to create networks between 
those computers, and this would later lead to the birth of the Internet. 

The earliest forms of the Internet, such as CompuServe, were developed 
in the 1960s. Primitive forms of email were also developed during this 
time. By the 70s, networking technology had improved, and 1979’s
UseNet allowed users to communicate through a virtual newsletter. 

By the 1980s, home computers were becoming more common and social 
media was becoming more sophisticated. Internet relay chats, or IRCs, 
were first used in 1988 and continued to be popular well into the 1990’s.
The first recognizable social media site, Six Degrees, was created in 1997. 
It enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. In 
1999, the first blogging sites became popular, creating a social media 
sensation that’s still popular today. 

After the invention of the internet, the new media began to explode in 
popularity, offering internet users various platforms to get their 
information across to their target audience in their hundreds of millions 
and in real times. Sites like MySpace and LinkedIn gained prominence in 
the early 2000s, and sites like Photobucket and Flickr facilitated online 
photo sharing. YouTube came into the picture in 2005, creating an entirely 
new way for people to communicate and share with each other across great 
distances. And by 2006, Facebook and Twitter both became available to 
users throughout the world. These sites remain some of the most popular 
social networks on the Internet. Other sites like Tumblr, Spotify, 
Foursquare and Pinterest began popping up to fill specific social 
networking niches. 



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Today, there is a tremendous variety of social networking sites, and many 
of them can be linked to allow cross-posting. This creates an environment 
where users can reach the maximum number of people without sacrificing 
the intimacy of person-to-person communication.  

The new media has taken communication and information dissemination 
further and farther from the conventional radio and perhaps television. The 
new media offers faster platforms which are much more durable, portable 
and convenient for the users. 

Effect of the New Media: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 

The invention of ICT and the new media no doubt came with a mixture of 
influences which has changed the dynamics of everyday existence. It is 
therefore safe to suggest that the new media has had effects ranging from 
good through the bad to the ugly across all fields of human endeavors. 

According to Imtiaz Alli (2015, p. 1) 
Social networks, (which are a consequence of the new media) help 
businesses in a variety of ways. Traditional marketing mediums such 
as the radio, TV commercials and print ads are completely obsolete 
now and demand for thousands of dollars. And, with new media, 
businesses can now connect with their targeted customers almost for 
free; the only cost being those of energy and time. Through 
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other social site for instance, 
businesses can lower their marketing cost to a significant level. 

Again, the increasing popularity of social sites like Twitter, Facebook and 
LinkedIn, social networks has gained attention as the most viable 
communication choice for the bloggers, article writers and content 
creators. These social networking sites have opened the opportunity for all 
the writers and bloggers to connect with their tech savvy clients to share 
their expertise and articles. The audience will further share such articles, 
blog or expertise in their various social circle which further enhance the 
networks of the followers. 

The new media has removed all the communication and interaction 
barriers, and now one can communicate his/her perception and thoughts 
over a variety of topics. Students and experts are able to share and 
communicate with like-minded people and can ask for the input and 
opinion on a particular topic. Another positive impact of social networking 
sites is to unite people on a huge platform for the achievement of some 



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specific objective. This is very important to bring the positive change in 
society. 

Still writing on the positive impact of the new media on the society, Dave 
Parrack (2017) posits that “social networking isn’t for everyone, however,
it is now such a massive part of all our lives; whether we embrace or reject 
the notion. It can no longer be ignored”. And while comparing the pros
and cons of the newmedia, Parrack thinks it’s only fair to find the balance. 
According to him, what some people would conceive as negative impact 
can also be positives for others. And because there are no hard and fast 
rules to the effect of the new media, the positives could be said to 
counterbalance the negatives. In his own argument for the new media, 
Marion Doss, (2016, p. 15) is of the opinion that:  

It has never been easier to make friends than it is right now and that 
is mainly thanks to the new media and social networking sites. The 
rise of mobile phones helped change the narratives in this instance by 
connecting people in new ways, but the social networks sprang up 
and the whole idea of friendship changes again. And there’s no going
back  

It is now entirely possible to have hundreds of friends on facebook. They 
may not be friends you know personally, or can spend time with in real 
world on regular basis; in fact, one may never get to meet these virtual 
friends. But nonetheless, they are still friends. The new media makes 
communication faster. Through the use of the various social media 
platforms, people can reach out to other across distances with their 
information and in real time. This is why Robert Bejil (2017, p.53) states 
that  

Our time is being stretched thinner and thinner by work and family 
commitments. But the social networking sites offer a chance to 
communicate in a speedy and efficient manner. Writing and update 
for twitter takes all of 20 second and with cross-posting to other 
social networks switched on, the same update reaches everyone you 
want it to reach (and probably more) in an instance. 

Apart from communicating easily with close friends and family, the new 
media through social networking has also made it possible to open up the 
world, making it a smaller place. Friends and acquaintances on the social 
networks need not bother about where each person lives or who they are, 
this is because with the new media, everyone is equal regardless of 
location. The new media offers a great platform for building new 
relationships. Even though social networks can sometimes also lead to 



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relationship breakdown, still, people are moving onto other, perhaps better 
relationships on the social media. The social media connect people back 
in touch who have lots in common. And this common ground is often the 
beginning of some long lasting relationships. On the flipside however, it’s
not all rosy with the new media as it also has its downside. According to 
Imtiaz Alli (p. 55) 

One of the negative effect of the new media or social network is it 
leads to addiction. Spending countless hours on the social sites can 
divert the focus and attention from a particular task. It lowers the 
motivational level of the people, especially of the teenagers and 
students. They mainly rely on technology and the internet instead of 
learning the practical knowledge and expertise of the everyday life. 

Kids can be greatly affected by these social networking sites if they are 
allowed to use them. The reason is that sometimes people share photos on 
social media that contains violence and sex, which can damage the 
behavior of kids and teenagers. It put the negative impact on overall 
society as these kids and teenagers involve themselves in crime related 
activities. 

Another downside of the social media is that the user shares too much 
information which may pose threats to them and which more often than 
not, are not even verifiable.  
Impact of the New Media on African Politics 
The new media have been used to trigger and initiate changes in the 
governments and societies. In fact, the new media can make a difference 
in the national politics of a state. However, according to Narnia Bohler-
Muller and Charl van der Merwe (2011, p. 15),  

It is important also to consider this side of the debate about the 
potential of social media to influence or bring about socio-political 
change on the African continent. The first is the fact that the tools 
themselves are actually ineffective, and second, that these tools can 
produce as much harm to any process of democratization as they can 
produce good.  

This critique that social media can as well be ineffective has been mostly 
used by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker and stems from the fact 
that casual participants to activities and actions such as large-scale social 
protests seek social change through low-cost activities such as joining a 
particular Facebook group like the “Save Darfur” group, which was



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created on Facebook. Gladwell is of the opinion that such actions cannot 
bring about any useful political action.  
Shirky however says that even though this critique is correct, it is not 
central to the question of the power of social media in the sense that the 
fact that actors who are barely committed and who just joins Facebook 
groups and makes comments online does not mean that actors who are 
very committed cannot use social media affectively to influence socio-
political change.  
The second critique that social media tools can be used to influence or 
bring about socio-political change and political improvement has to do 
with the fact that the state is gaining increasingly sophisticated and more 
technologically advanced means of monitoring and interdicting social 
media tools. Authoritarian states are increasingly shutting down 
communications networks and grids in their countries to deny dissidents 
the opportunity and resources to coordinate and broadcast documentation 
of any event in real time. The recent incidence in South-West (English-
speaking) Cameroon is a glaring case in point. 
In Nigeria for instance, the Bring Back Our Girls campaign has also 
largely been a social media campaign which has drawn attention from all 
over the globe. Again, politicians and political office seekers in Nigeria 
have also come to realize the power of the new media in executing their 
political campaigns as against using just the radio and (or) the Television. 
Apart from attracting a huge cost, those regular media (radio and TV) have 
their own peculiar limitations unlike the new media. 
It is thus necessary to point out that social media tools can and will be used 
as tools of state oppression. However, the success of social networking in 
providing momentum and support to the popular uprisings in Tunisia and 
Egypt cannot be denied. In this context, Africa as a continent is 
experiencing a period of enormous change, and there is no doubt that 
social media will play a role in ensuring active continental political 
participation  
ICT, the New Media and Economic Development in Nigeria 
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted 
actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of 
living and economic health of a specific area. Such actions can involve 
multiple areas including development of human capital, critical 
infrastructure, regional competitiveness, environmental sustainability, 



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social inclusion, health, safety, literacy, and other initiatives. And Slovan 
Michelle (2013, p. 37) explains the intertwined nature of the internet and 
economic development better when he posits that: 

The day the World Wide Web goes down is the day we will truly 
appreciate the worth and usefulness of the internet as a tool not just 
for economic development but for our existence. The day that 
happens is the day some call DOOM DAY or Armageddon in a more 
religious language. The engine of globalization is the internet. The 
earth rotates on its axis but that rotation is being powered by the 
internet. 

Young people are not just 70 % of the Nigerian population, they also now 
have the tools and the means to effect changes from their population 
strength. This tool is the new media made possible by the invention of the 
internet. No longer do Nigerians need to pay an upwards of N250, 000 to 
place job vacancies in a Newspaper to advertize their enterprises, now  
people can simply tweet it and get real live responses from target 
audiences and this has enormous economic implications. 
Ours is an empowered generation. We never had a voice but the dynamics 
have radically changed. We now have the loudest voice. Since the pre-
colonial and colonial era, African countries have desired to achieve 
progress in their economic development as observed in the developed 
countries. However, up until now, the African countries have continued to 
depend on the industrialized nations for guidance, largely due to the slow 
pace of technological development in Africa. 

In Nigeria for instance, the economic dependence level led to the 
recommendations of policies encapsulated as Austerity Measures and 
Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) by the IMF and World Bank in 
1983 through 1992. On the political level, Nigeria and the rest of the 
African countries were also subjected to the United Nations' resolutions 
on democracy, constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law. 
(Echesi, 2014, p. 12) 
Over the years, Nigeria and indeed many other countries of the third world 
have enjoyed enormous economic benefits from the rest of the world as a 
result of the introduction of the ICT. For instance, emerging businesses in 
Africa can now freely draw from the experiences of their counterparts in 
the developed world. Global business partnership is fast developing. This 
is why Nigeria can now not only boast of her own indigenous 



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communication company in Globacom (GLO) but has also gone into mega 
partnership deals with other giant brands around the world. 
The ICT has simplified the process of foreign interventions in Africa and 
the rest of the third world. The presence of the USAID, UK DFID, UNDP, 
UNICEF and many others are readily evident around the world and their 
activities and progress are made visible with the help of the internet and 
new media. Project reports and numerous education materials from these 
global interventionist organizations are now readily available in the 
cyberspaces and are also accessible to everyone who has internet access. 
This way, the new media is helping to better the lives of people. 
According to Lee-Roy Chetty (2013, p. 2), technological innovation and 
Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) “represent a way for
developing nations to foster economic development, improve levels of 
education and training, as well as address gender issues within society”. 
Entrepreneurship is crucial for economic development around the world. 
In countries such as Nigeria, Egypt and Indonesia, micro-entrepreneurs 
generate 38% of the gross domestic product. (Lee, p. 8). Analysis from the 
World Bank in 2011 indicates that small businesses create a 
disproportionate share of new jobs. They generate new ideas, new 
business models, and new ways of selling goods and services. 
In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, approximately poor state of roads the 
near-no-access to electricity, means that people would have very limited 
access to their target markets. The combination of poor infrastructure and 
poverty makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to access financial resources 
and information. The availability of the internet and consequently, the new 
media has however made it possible for people to access the desired 
financial information for their small businesses at a much reduced cost. 
A basic form of technology such as a simple mobile phone can assist 
people to communicate with one another, access market information, sell 
products across geographic areas, reach new consumers, enter mobile 
payment systems, reduce fraud and crime, and empower women and the 
disadvantaged. Also, small holder farmers can access valuable 
information about the latest farming techniques via their mobile devices. 
According to a survey undertaken by the United Nations Development 
Programme (UNDP) in 2014, it was found that 55% of women around the 
world earned additional income due to owning a mobile phone, and 41% 
increased their income and professional opportunities. Mobile payment 



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systems represent a way to reduce the cost of financial transactions and 
thereby help entrepreneurs. If people can transfer funds quickly and 
efficiently, it becomes easier for small and medium-sized businesses to 
sell their products. This improves the efficiency of the marketplace and 
removes barriers to business growth. And as Lee-Roy (p.13) puts it, 
“mobile technology offers extensive help on various forms of social and
economic development because wireless communications broaden access 
to information, improve capital access, overcome geographic limitations, 
and expand market access”. 
Internet and Social Media as Tools of Socio-Political Development of 
Nigeria 
The internet and social media have advanced social development by 
helping to curb the challenges of corruption, terrorism, security, public 
education and the likes. More critically, social media is helping to bridge 
the divide amongst Nigeria’s millennial generation. Young Nigerians are
talking. The government is beginning to listen too; or at least get a feeling 
of the political temperature in the country without necessarily going into 
a National Conference. The man from Owerri does not necessarily need 
to go to Adamawa or Ibadan to make friends with people from those parts 
of the country. 
While Nigerians at home might not have appreciated the paradigm shift 
brought about by the invention of the internet. As a result of the January 
2012 fuel subsidy removal protests, other sub-Saharan Africans saw that 
as a pointer to the way forward. The internet served well in mobilizing the 
Nigerian masses for that protest. And as Farid (2015 p.19) did say: 

It took just the click of the computer button to get the message of the 
protest on the facebook pages, twitter handles and blogs to tell every 
Nigerian with access to the internet that the #OccupyNigeria #Abuja 
protests would be at Ascon filling station or that Fuel Subsidy was 
not the issue but corruption, mismanagement, cronyism and all the 
known and unknown vices of those in power. It was about the way 
Nigerians defined the issues and set the government on the defensive 
path. The government had to be sent scampering for ad-hoc solutions. 
(p. 22)  

There is a shift in Nigeria’s politics that is being run and defined by the
internet and social media. The internet and social media affects politics 
and brings about institutional changes and set the nation on the path of 
trying to do the right thing. 



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Democracy is about the people. The internet and social media today offer 
Nigerians the unique opportunity of expressing themselves freely without 
the censorship suffered by conventional media houses. It allows everyone 
to debate freely on the socio-political and economic dynamics of the 
country. This helps to promote and improve our democracy and sets about 
the process of Good Governance. The internet and social media have 
become the crucial bridge through which the governed and the 
government reach out to one another. 
The New Media and Global Politics 
The past decade has so far seen many important elections on the African 
continent. With powerhouses like Nigeria and South Africa holding 
national and local elections respectively, an independence referendum in 
South Sudan, plus a presidential election in the fast growing Uganda. All 
of these elections provide windows into the development of democracy 
and freedom on the continent.  
2011 was also the start of a new decade on the African continent, one that 
follows significant economic development fueled by the high prices of 
natural resources. While the continent has widely consolidated economic 
reform in the first decade of the 21st century, democratic reform still lags 
in comparison.  
Crisis in Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan, among others
highlight the ongoing struggles that the continent faces in terms of 
democratic consolidation.  
During this past decade also, another increase was under way: mobile 
penetration. The substantial growth of mobile technology has alerted 
development agencies and organizations to the empowerment that mobile 
devices bring to people of developing and emerging countries. The field 
of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been merged 
with these developmental bodies into a field of ICT for Development 
(ICT4D). This emerging field has captured the interests of a range of 
specialties, from government bureaucrats, to information system 
companies, to multinationals, and to health organizations. 
In terms of democracy, ICT plays a significant role in the future of 
Africa’s evolution. Explaining this in more details, Bailard (2009, p. 9) 
submits that: 

Because the term ICT is so broad, any device, whether it be a radio, 
television, mobile phone, or iPad can be classified in the ICT arena. 



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Traditional ICT technologies, such as radio and the television have 
played substantial roles in elections and democracy since their 
invention for obvious reasons: the ability to communicate messages 
to the masses. However, both of these technologies have used one-
way conduits to broadcast messages. Even telephone campaigns have 
been a one sided affair in developed democracies, with campaign aids 
calling or texting to inform potential voters the pros of their candidate 
and the cons of the opposing candidate. These traditional modes of 
communication are well established in western countries, and have 
been employed by democracies and autocracies to meet their 
objectives. 

However, in the developing world, the infrastructure to conduct 
communication through these traditional modes of fixed line telephony, 
over the air television, and radio was first constructed by the western 
countries seeking to impose colonial or imperial control over these 
regions. Thus, these networks were generally only established in urban 
areas where the concentration of people was the greatest and the need to 
control the masses was the highest.  

While radio became the medium of choice because of cost and scalability, 
these developing countries reminded significantly behind the rest of the 
world in communications technology. This state remained for much of the 
second half of the 20th century. 

With the advent of mobile technology this paradigm of communication 
has changed. Now citizens are more connected to each other, to the events 
in their country, and thus closer to the government. However, this 
proximity means little if communication remains a one-way avenue. Thus, 
the creation of social media, which creates a forum for two-way 
communication, is the real paradigm shift as it allows citizens and 
government to communicate back and forth. This has many consequences 
for democracy. 

Social media, in terms of democracy, is increasing used to mobilize 
citizens, hold government officials accountable, and to document abuses 
and fraud. These modes of usage take on added significance when viewed 
from the interconnectivity of the world through the World Wide Web. The 
Internet allows this national communication to be viewed by the rest of 
the world, as well as allow for the engagement between stakeholders 
inside and outside of the country. The message that social media users 
intentionally or inadvertently spread now has an audience as wide as 2 



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billion. Social media also allows for the bypassing of traditional media 
groups that often have corporate or ideological bias that shapes their 
reporting. The democratic values of social media mean that anyone from 
around the world can engage with an event happening anywhere in the 
world regardless of their government’s view of the event and provided the
proper access exists. 

Mobilization has always been a key part of political movements. 
Spreading the message of your group to as many people as possible has 
always been seen as one of the greatest challenges because of the lack of 
interconnectivity. Whether that was due to geographic distance, the socio-
economic gap, or the digital divide, influencing those people who are not 
part of the movement is necessary to meet political and democratic 
objectives.  

Before now, election fraud and abuses previously worked fairly 
straightforwardly in rural parts of Africa. With no international monitors 
being able to traverse to each district in the countryside, national and local 
elections were often accompanied by significant fraud and abuse because 
of the anonymity culprits could be assured would cover their tracks. With 
no evidence of ballot stuffing, voter violence, or other tricks of the ruling 
party’s cronies, there was very little that could be done from domestic and 
international viewpoints. Hearsay and conjecture are unlikely to ever bring 
down a government, or bring about international sanctions. However, 
documented human rights abuses and confirmed electoral discrepancies 
certainly can bring about international attention and this is what the New 
Media has been able to do in recent times. Now, with a broadband mobile 
connection and a camera phone, election monitoring quickly becomes a 
task everyone can take part in. 

All of these methods used to mobilize, hold politicians accountable, and 
report election conditions are quickly adopting social media as a medium 
to conduct business. Each usage requires access to ICT technology. 
Twitter, Facebook, and custom crowd sourcing apps require a broadband 
internet infrastructure in order to transmit photos and video, plus provide 
access to the websites of social media tools.  

The other side of the New Media: Terrorism and Security Issues 

Much as the ICT and the invention of the social media have made great 
contribution to the overall socio-political and economic dynamics of the 
world, it has not been all rosy with the innovation. 



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In a study by Gabriel Weimann from the University of Haifa, Weimann 
(2012) found that nearly 90% of organized terrorism on the internet takes 
place via social media. According to Weimann, “terror groups use social
media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and internet forums to 
spread their messages, recruit members and gather intelligence”.  

Terrorist groups take to social media because social media tools are cheap 
and accessible, facilitate quick, broad dissemination of messages, and 
allow for unfettered communication with an audience without the filter or 
"selectivity" of mainstream news outlets. Also, social media platforms 
allow terror groups to engage with their networks. Whereas previously 
terror groups would release messages via intermediaries, social media 
platforms allow terror groups to release messages directly to their intended 
audience and converse with their audience in real time: 

The activities of the ISIS in the Middle East and the Boko Haram Group 
in Nigeria are presently starring us in the face as the cyber spaces are 
constantly bombarded with the gory images and videos of their clandestine 
activities. And according to an online source 
www.bbcworld.co.uk/terrorwatch, “the Taliban has been active on Twitter 
since May 2011, and has more than 7,000 followers. Tweeting under the 
handle @alemarahweb, the Taliban tweets frequently, on some days 
nearly hourly. Also, In December 2011, it was discovered that the 
Somalia-based terror cell Al-Shabab was using a Twitter account under 
the name @HSMPress. The account has amassed tens of thousands of 
followers and tweets frequently” Alex Laverty (2013). 

An while speaking to the media recently on the trend of terrorism in 
Nigeria, the president of the Nigerian Senate, Yakubu Dogara 
acknowledges that “the new media has made recruitment a lot easier for
the various terrorist organizations; not only in Nigeria, but across the 
globe.  

An interesting twist to it all however, is that fact that the government and 
her security agencies seem to be in a thug with the terrorist groups for 
attention in the New Media. On the one hand, the government and its allies 
would do just about anything to enforce a media blackout on the activities 
of terrorist groups, while on the other hand, the terrorists would do same 
to secure as much media attention as they can. The New Media therefore 
appear caught between the cross-fire. 

 



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Conclusion/Summary 

Historically, revolutionary movements began with people gathering 
together in the marketplace or town hall to discuss their common 
grievances. Social media at the moment partly play the role of this public 
space, facilitating social interaction, information sharing, and fast and easy 
communication. There have been spaces such as these in almost every 
society throughout history with the atmosphere at the market being 
politically effective, as in eighteenth century Paris. 

The invention of the ICT and the subsequent introduction of the Social 
Networks have given the world more than the bargain. The trend in the 
New Media has no doubt gone beyond mere connectivity and universal 
socialization. It has also proved to have a lot of social, economic, political 
and even religious implications 

The world has been made smaller and life itself made a lot easier with this 
invention called the internet. A lot of businesses have recorded massive 
growth while a lot more ideas have been translated into tangible businesses 
with so many prospects; all thanks to the Information and 
Communications Technology 

People now make contacts across the length and breadth of the world in 
real time. Bridges have been built and distances made virtual by 
technology. World leaders and governments share ideas and trends in 
governance, borrowing inspirations and exchanging knowledge with one 
another.  Overall, the world has recorded tremendous improvements in all 
aspects of life as a result of the invention of the ICT and the New Media. 

On the flip side however, ICT and the New Media have also advanced the 
threat to global peace. The rate of spread of cyber crime has become 
overwhelming; just as the internet seem to have become another terrible 
weapon freely in the hands of terrorists around the world. Access to the 
internet has no limits from all parts of the world and there is little or no 
control over what people do with the invention. This is why people are at 
freewill to put ICT and the New Media to either a good use or a wrong 
one.  

In the face of the ever-present controversy about the freedom of the Press 
in Nigeria and in most of the other African countries, online and mobile 
communications have proved to be readily available for anyone to express 
himself. Social media activists, bloggers, tweeters and speak-to-tweeters 
keep the world updated even if the television cameras have been switched 



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off. Through the use of internet technology, organizations such as 
ANONYMOUS will continue to protect the freedom of those who speak 
out against oppression and corruption in the polity.  

Governments must engage their people on issues of good governance and 
democracy, or other African leaders may face the same fate as their 
compatriots in North Africa. The tide of popular expression is rising and 
resonating across the continent 

Recommendations 

In essence, with the presence of the ICT, the internet and the social media, 
it will be far more difficult, if not impossible, for governments to commit 
atrocities that remain hidden and silent. 

I therefore wish to the following recommendations 

1. African governments should reconcile their laws and policies 
with this broader democratic contribution provided by the users 
of social media-based tools. In a sense this can be understood as 
a form of ‘direct’ democracy where many voices can and want to
be heard.  

2. Mechanisms should thus be put into place which would assist 
governments in monitoring and evaluating political, social and 
economic developments and trends that would then enable them 
to respond to their people in a more productive and positive 
manner. 

3. As opposed to viewing the advent of the ICT as a threat to their 
political monopoly, governments in Africa should learn to from 
their America and European counterparts among others, to 
embrace ICT and explore its use to improve the lives of their 
citizens. Embracing ICT does not just improve the quality of life 
of a people, but also keeps them up-to-date with the trends 
around the world. 

4. Governments should realize that the new media have come to 
stay. As such, they should start to maximize the opportunities 
provided by ICT and the new media to improve governance. 

5. The positive impact of the new media and their negative impacts 
are like two sides of the same coin, as such people should be 
careful the way they use the internet and the new media 



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