THE EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE USE ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA ON NIGERIA’S NATIONAL INTEGRATION

Abstract

Globalisation has broken barriers that hitherto exist among mankind. It has contracted distance and made communication easier across the breadth and length of the globe through the instrumentality of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It also increased the speed with which communication is passed and received across the spectrum. Through social media platforms, messages are rarely censored, hence the danger of misinformation, disinformation and fake news that can lead to destructive
outcomes. This paper focused on the conversations on social media and their consequences on national integration. It demonstrated the current trends in the computer mediated discourses as seen on Facebook handle. The alarming rate of hate speeches and their possible effect as seen in these discourses which are capable of causing chaos necessitated the need for this study. It explored these trends with the view to ascertaining their challenges to national integration. About fifty utterances in response to three particular excerpts from events in Nigeria gotten from Facebook accounts constitute the data with which this current trend of conversation is demonstrated. The paper discovered that in the midst of this social media revolution, issues such as crime, violence, conflict, elections and insurgency are discussed on the social media. Their examination revealed that there are predominantly hate speeches especially in reaction to issues of national interest. Most of such discourses are laced with inappropriate use of hate languages that communicate hatred amongst users. Judging from the basic components of speech act
theory, the paper foresees possible destabilising acts which might be in the form of war and possible disintegration. As parts of its recommendations, the paper brought to limelight the need to put in check in the destructive use of provocative statements on the
social media.