Naija Generati ration and New Media edia A Conversation - PDF document

Naija Generati ration and New Media edia – A Conversation Discussion will focus on how new trends ew trends in entertainment and popular culture can drive new drive new levels of youth engagement and participation in governa in governance. A session of the New Media & a & Governance: Tools & Trends Conference, ce, moderated by Chude Jideonwo (Executive Dir Director, The Future Project) May 15, 2012. Abuja, Nigeria. igeria.

They’ve got the power… Why were people so angry whe ngry when D’banj organised an endorsement conc ment concert for the incumbent president on the sam on the same night as Banky W and others were a rs were at the What About Us? Youth Debate? Why did Don Jazzy have to apo ve to apologise for his part in endorsing Presiden President Goodluck Jonathan about a year after? er? Why were there so many celebr any celebrities spread out for contestants in the las in the last elections from Stephanie Okereke for the ke for the People’s Democratic Party to KWAM 1 for AM 1 for the Action Congress of Nigeria? Why are Banky W and perhaps e perhaps elDee considered one of the strongest fac t faces of youth activism and issue advocacy in N ocacy in Nigeria? The answer lies at that intersect t intersection between popular culture and civic eng d civic engagement – the place at which citizens unde zens understand the power that celebrity, entertai y, entertainment and stardom have over society.

Let’s talk numbers… Nowhere is this power more p er more prominent, possibly more dramatic, than atic, than on social media (which are ultimately a st ately a strong driver of the talkability for new med new media). Don Jazzy has 267, 092 follower 2 followers on Twitter. His “son” D’banj has 217, 575 s 217, 575 followers on Twitter. MI has 155,423, Banky W has 1 y W has 192,411, and Wizkid (whom you must re u must remember is barely 22) has 246,590. Naeto C 0. Naeto C has 119, 010 on Twitter and a combine combined 265, 156 on Facebook. It is important to portant to note that Wizkid has more followers t llowers than all the politicians on Twitter put togeth put together, including the ones who have been wo e been working hard to worm their ways into hearts a to hearts and minds of young people. Speaking of hearts and minds, i d minds, it is completely possible that the actress e actress and singer, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is infini e is infinitely more influential when it comes to yo mes to young people and issues than any media h media house in Nigeria. With over 500,000 000 combined fans/friends on Facebook (sh book (she is the most connected Nigerian ce gerian celebrity on Facebook) she has more follow re followers than five of our top newspapers apers – Thisday , The Punch , The Guardian , The Na Nation , The Sun - combined. Even when you when you throw in Channels TV’s 38, 054, AIT’s 7, 08 7, 083 and Soundcity’s 54, 514.

“Scourge of our time”? Em… m… When you come to terms with rms with the fact that in addition to numbers, sh mbers, she also has something they can’t have whi have which is the emotional authority – then yo then you begin to understand why many causes ar causes are falling over themselves for celebrity affi lebrity affiliation and why those who aren’t cannot suc cannot successfully reach the youth audience. New Media have also become th become the most effective barometer for judging judging – at least for educated, technology-connected connected youth – where this Y! generation sta ation stand on the issues. When popular blogger r blogger Linda Ikeji, who attended and def and defended the attendance, I think it was safe to as safe to conclude that the president had lost the d lost the hearts and minds of the young and connecte d connected population. Of course media like Linda Ike Linda Ikeji – ordinarily a gossip blogger – have d have driven very important issues/causes like #A es like #ABSURape and #SaveOke. She stands as the most potent st potent symbol of the power of the present p present pop culture proliferation. There might be too ight be too many blogs and too many social networ al networks spewing rumours and conjecture witho ure without consequence and constituting what ting what president spokesman Reuben Abati has cu bati has culled “the essential scourge of our time” our time” – but their immense potential for good an r good and as drivers of positive social re-engin engineering are almost limitless.

Case studies abound… This combination of celebrity a elebrity and new media for development was was first tested by The Future Awards as far back a far back as 2005; as it was founded right on that on that intersection between pop culture and develo and development. But it was used to lethal effect f al effect for the first time in Nigeria in 2010 when E 10 when Enough is Enough Nigeria, targeting you eting young people, was founded. It is important to note though though that the use of Twitter and Facebook Facebook for youth engagement on governance issu nance issues was first road-tested by #LightUpN pNigeria , a very potent campaign that is sadly no is sadly no longer in active operation. Ignored at first by traditional aditional media: the founders of Enough is Enou h is Enough Nigeria turned to celebrity (Stella Dam tella Damasus, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Omawum , Omawumi Megbele and others), and New Media (Tw Media (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Ustream). B stream). By the time the protesters had pushed dow shed down the gates of the National Assembly, ssembly, traditional media finally took them seriousl m seriously, but they were late by several weeks, an l weeks, and perhaps largely irrelevant. That pioneering mix would late would later serve the #FuelSubsidyRemoval prote val protests well as well as the effective launch of unch of #OccupyNigeria . Without Kate Henshaw an enshaw and Ali Baba leading the pack at the Ikoyi pro Ikoyi protests and the revolving door of A – Z list c Z list celebrity at the “Ojota Mega-Jam” in Januar in January, those historic protests would never h d never have gained the traction that they did. The What About Us ? Debate, lack ebate, lacking in elaborate funding as it did, also le id, also leveraged on a massive pull of online media ine media partnerships and support – from Bell from BellaNaija.com through Cp-Africa.com, YNaija.c , YNaija.com and Saharareporters.com – to becom to become a major national milestone.

Watchu gon’ do about it? Surely – there is a reason politic on politicians spent hundreds of millions (based on (based on anecdotal rather than empirical evidence l evidence, I must quickly add) to drive their so e their social media numbers last year, and are st nd are still doing so to shore up their new me r new media street credibility, whether they posit hey position themselves as “just another Nigeri er Nigerian ruffling feathers” or not. Of course, it is also important to portant to know that it is not the “almighty formu hty formula” capable of solving any and all problems, problems, and in so far as it is limited to the ability the ability to possess or have access to these tools, its e tools, its impact remains limited to a certain cadr rtain cadre of youth: those who can keep up with the with the rapidly changing information landscape. ndscape. But, we know this is a powerful powerful tool. More powerful than anything else hing else we’ve ever had. So the question is – how do how do we use it to lethal effect for country? Underline effect – because new m use new media is great for a lot of passionate “nois nate “noise”, yes. But for effective engagement and pa nt and participation; it needs to become more than ore than that.