Nigeria’s networked public sphere: a double-edged sword for democracy and terrorism

While social media has empowered pro-democracy activists around the world, terrorist organizations are increasingly using it to undermine democracy because both supporters and opponents of democracy are able to freely exploit online platforms in pursuit of their objectives. This study utilizes Benkler’s concept of the networked public sphere within the parameters of democracy’s public sphere, as posited by Habermas, and the smart mobs of informed Internet users described by Rheingold to examine how Boko Haram uses social media to undermine democracy in Nigeria through six types of anti-democratic activities on the platform: propaganda, recruitment, disinformation, fundraising, and operational support. While there has been considerable research on the online mobilization of ISIS and Al-Qaeda for global terror, this study contributes to the global body of scholarly work on digital extremism through a focused examination of Boko Haram’s use of social media for terrorism in Nigeria’s fragile democracy. Boko Haram’s online presence is not the root cause of democratic fragility in Nigeria. Rather, institutional weakness, corruption, and the existence of ethnic/religious tensions primarily cause democratic fragility in Nigeria. The negative effects of Boko Haram’s online presence can be mitigated by a combination of measures, including the establishment and enforcement of adequate legal and regulatory frameworks for managing online content; grassroots digital literacy programs, which in turn can foster greater civic engagement and enhanced media literacy; and information sharing between citizens, technology companies, and government.