New Media Can Deepen Democracy, Liberate Muted Voices
APROFESSOR of Developmental Communication, Department of Communication and Language Art, University of Ibadan, Ayobami Ojebode, has appraised the use of new media, as “the liberators of muted voices and a tool for deepening democracy in Nigeria.”
Delivering his Inaugural lecture, the 466th at the University of Ibadan, the professor narrated opportunities the social media has offered for societal changes.
According to him, “social media provides opportunities for equitable, horizontal communication among network members. “
“Given the abysmal performance of mass media as facilitators of participatory development and some of the reasons for that performance, it was not a surprise that much hope was vested on social media right from its emergence.”
The professor said: “In Nigeria, 29m people use social media and have through this platform demonstrated its power as the ultimate liberator of voices.
“Significant changes have happened in matters of governance and accountability, as citizens trooped online to make their demands known,” he added.
Using the recent cases of how Nigerians got the popular pastor of a famous Abuja Church to step aside over allegations of sexual violence and how the Federal Government backed down on its proposed cattle rearing projectRUGA, Ojebode said new media is a tool for empowerment, accountability and harnessing democracy in Nigeria.