Covenant Journal of Library & Information Science (CJLIS) Vol. 4 No 1, June 2021 ISSN: p. 2682-5295 e. 2682-5309 DOI: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx An Open Access Journal Available Online Information and Misinformation during the #EndSARS Protest in Nigeria: An Assessment of the Role of Social Media Adekoya, Clement Ola Albert Ilemobade Library, Federal University of Technology, Akure [email protected] Received: 22nd June 2021 Accepted: 23rd June 2021 Date of Publication: 30th June 2021 Abstract Purpose: Year 2020 witnessed dramatic use of social media in spreading information for mobilizing Nigerian youths for a massive protest against police brutality and financial extortion. Accompanying the #EndSARS protest was misinformation which set people against the Nigerian police. This study explored social media information and misinformation and #EndSARS protest in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive survey research design was employed for the study. The study employed the use of close-ended questionnaire to elicit data from 609 social media users across Nigeria. Findings: It was found that social media were used to listen to news about the protest, to find out the causes of the protest, and to know about the extent of police brutality during the protest. Social media were used to a high extent during the protest. Originality: This study revealed that social media are not immune to being used for spreading misinformation. Keywords: Social media, Social media information, Social media misinformation, #EndSARS protest, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Nigeria Introduction gained the attention of the national and In all democratized societies, the protest against international communities in the year 2020 was unruly behaviour in governance has been a massively promoted with maximum deployment recurrent issue. People who intend to of the social media by Nigerians. #EndSARS was demonstrate their annoyance against nefarious a decentralized protest against police cruelty in activities within the national administrative Nigeria. The social movement agitated for an end system accomplish their aims by mobilizing to the existence of the Special Anti-Robbery people that support their intentions. Such lofty Squad (SARS) which was categorized as a aims cannot be achieved without getting the vicious unit of the Nigerian Police over its record support of the generality of the people. However, of abuses. The protest started with a spotlight on the target allies require persuasive and police cruelty, but later got to some other aspects compelling information in order to join the train. such as bribery, brutality and human rights Useful at this juncture are social media, being a violations in the country (George, potent tool of social gathering against unwanted 2020). Information concerning the causes and the systems in an age of ICT. Social media are the ways the protest was staged was made available buzz of the moment. People make intensive use to the people majorly through the social media of social media platforms for news and (Uwazuruike, 2020). information these days (Adepetun, 2020). In the contemporary era, people are informed and Among these are Twitter, WeChat, Facebook, misinformed about issues through the social WhatsApp, Snapchat, Telegram, etc. When an media. For example, information and event takes place – whether issue of a pandemic misinformation about #BringBackOurGirls and outbreak, social disorder, or banditry - people COVID-19 is spread all over the world through engage the use of social media (Shaw, 2016). the social media. #BringBackOurGirls was a Social media have been powerful instruments for movement formed to agitate for the release of the disseminating information in Nigeria, either for students of Government Secondary School growth or otherwise. The #EndSARS protest that kidnapped in Chibok in Northeast Nigeria in Adekoya, Clement CJLIS (2021) 4(1) 1-11 2014. Misinformation represents fake or quarters have shown that the social media can be erroneous information circulated to deceive used to spread unreliable, unverified and people. Parrot Nigeria (2018) noted that unconfirmed information. While this claim may unconfirmed, disingenuous and non-professional be true in certain conditions, it is yet to be known pieces of information are found in unimaginable if the same condition obtained during the quantity on social media. While this affirmation #EndSARS protest in Nigeria. It is against this cannot be refuted, it remains to be known if it background that this study assesses the role of represented the situation during the 2020 social media spreading information and #EndSARS protest or not. Premised on this misinformation during the #EndSARS protest in ground, it becomes necessary to investigate the Nigeria. rationales for using social media, the extent the social media platforms are used, and the nature of Objectives of the Study misinformation circulated on social media during the #EndSARS protest. The objectives of the study are to: This article is novel as most of the earlier i. investigate the rationales for using narratives on #EndSARS protest in Nigeria were social media during #EndSARS centered around the spread of information during protest; the period without considering how ii. find out the extent of using social misinformation (fake news) about the protest media during the EndSARS protest; affected the society. Meanwhile, the current and utilisation of social media testifies to the fact that iii. ascertain the kind of misinformation social media in Nigeria are not immune to being circulated on social media platforms used to spread both verified and fake information during the #EndSARS protest. during crisis period. This study therefore intends to explore social media information and Research Questions misinformation that surrounded the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria. The following research questions guide the study: Statement of the Problem i. What are rationales for using social media during #EndSARS protest? Protest against unruly activities in governance is ii. What is the extent of using social not new in global history. The 2020 #EndSARS media during the EndSARS protest? protest in Nigeria was a clear testimony to how iii. What is the kind of misinformation people mobilize to fight against nefarious circulated on social media platforms practices within the national administrative during the #EndSARS protest? system. The use of the social media as Literature Review instruments of social mobilization was recorded Social Media Information across the length and breadth of Nigeria as people, especially youths, mobilize against Social media have over the years been deployed police brutality and financial extortion. Much of as tools of information dissemination and social the information about the #EndSARS was spread transformation. Fasuwon (2019) described social on social media platforms. A number of studies media as the novel information network and have indicated that social media information can information technology for effective also set people against the government (Conor, communication and interaction among people. 2019; Eze, 2020). The happenings during the According to Obar and Wildman (2015), social #EndSARS protest indicated the same thing in media refer to digitally-mediated interactive Nigeria. This may not be unconnected to the fact technologies which aid the formation and that misinformation was also spread through the circulation of information, views, and various social media. Discourses on protests against the kinds of expressions through online networks. unruly use of government power in different 2 Adekoya, Clement CJLIS (2021) 4(1) 1-11 Social media have radically transformed the explosion of social media and the vast use of manner people communicate and disseminate smartphones make fake news spread rapidly and information in the 21st century (Uwazuruike, easily (Fox, 2018). Social media are now vehicle 2020). The various interfaces in the social media for transmitting news and thoughts through platforms necessitate easy access to varieties of which people are assembled into violent social information, being it pictorial, tabular, written, activities (Fasunwon, 2019). The menace of etc. Social media afford people prospect and social media propaganda and fake news has come opportunity to make their views, experiences, to the fore across the globe, causing people to be and opinions known, and also get expertise and misled. proficiency (Okoro & Nwafor, 2013). Social The ubiquitous social media scenery has created media are also used to get through to one’s information network occupied by a dissonance of relatives and friends notwithstanding the opinions, true and false information. Most of the locations, and have knowledge of the recent information obtained from the social media with events all over the globe (Oghenetaga & no sufficient authentication has led to substantial Ejedafiru, 2014). Some employ social for devastation of lives, properties, and investments entertainment and for satisfying information belonging to individuals, corporate bodies and needs (Heiberger & Harper, 2008). government (Chou, Oh & Klein, 2018). Within Social media cover more space than the old the context of Nigeria, social media media. Social media platforms such as Twitter, misinformation and fake news is not novel. The Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and BBC emphasised that social media are the instruments for swift spread of rumors in the various others, are quicker and open to faster country (Parrot