Comprehending Audience Motivations and Gratifications for Sharing Disinformation on Social Media in North West Nigeria

This study was anchored on three objectives: (i) to examine how social media users succeed in disseminating disinformation in North West Nigeria; (ii) to evaluate the motivations of spreading disinformation by the social media users in North West Nigeria; and (iii) to ascertain the gratifications derived by the social media users from spreading disinformation in North West Nigeria. To this end, a qualitative methodology was employed to collect data through focus group discussions (FGD). The sample was purposively chosen from professional journalists located in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states. A total of 18 participants engaged in the discussion, organized into three groups of 6 professional journalists from each state. Each group consisted of 3 representatives from print media and 3 from broadcast media houses. Findings of this study uncovered some reasons why disinformation has become a present day phenomenon in North West Nigeria. Politics is one of the major reasons because politicians have misused social media to promote political agenda by hiring youths to defame the opposition party or to gain popularity from the voters. Sadly, many of these energetic youths often lack the proper education or maturity necessary to critically evaluate information and consider it thoughtfully before sharing it with others. As such, this study recommends for awareness campaigns through workshops and conferences that promote responsible social media usage. These campaigns should emphasize the importance of verifying information before sharing and the potential consequences of spreading disinformation.