SOCIAL MEDIA, FOOTBALL FAN CULTURE AND CYBERBULLYING AMONG YOUTHS IN AKWAIBOM STATE

This study was designed to examine the relationship between social media, football fan culture and cyberbullyingamong youths in Akwa Ibom State. The study drew its strength from the Social Identity, Online Disinhibition Effectand the Uses and Gratifications Theories. The survey research design was adopted while the population of the studyconsisted of the youths in Akwa Ibom State numbering 462,852. The sample size of the study was 384. The instrumentof data collection was the questionnaire framed on a 4-point Likert scale while weighted mean score was used for thedata analysis. Findings from the study revealed that a majority of the respondents with a weighted means score of 3.42strongly agreed alluded to the engagement in friendly rivalry or banter with fans of other teams as the new normal afar as football fan culture is concerned. More so, the majority of responses with a weighted mean of 3.14 agreed thatfootball banter can turn into cyberbullying. In addition, most respondents with a weighted mean score of 3.03 admittedthat fans enjoy football-related cyberbullying as banter, perceiving such as a form of entertainment; pointing toblurring line between banter and cyberbullying. Based on the findings, it is recommended that, first, football fansshould be encouraged to practise healthy and respectful banter on social media. Second, schools, religious bodies, andcommunity organisations should organise sensitisation programmes on cyberbullying. Youths should be educated onthe difference between football banter and cyberbullying and the dangers that such behaviours pose on society.