Impact of Social Media on the Socio-Economic Development of Nigeria

Abstract

Advancements in technology and the internet have greatly influenced the way things are done virtually in all fields of human endeavor. These advancements, no doubt, have influenced the socio-economic developments of nations including Nigeria. The impact of social media on human capacity development has gone beyond the exchange of information; the social media have become powerful communicative forces in the economic, political, religious and educational realms of the society. This study examines the role of social media in the socio- economic development of Nigeria. Itexplores the potentials of the various social mediaplatforms to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria. Scholarly perspectives and positions in the literature are explored to demonstrate the relevance of social media and their applications in the course of making life better for the masses, particularly the indigent and information have-nots. The study spotlights key areas where successful application of social media can engender the much eeded sustainable development of society, using the Nigeriansituation as a point of reference. The study further identifies social media platforms that can facilitate this much desired socio-economic development, emphasizing that the goal of developing human and technological potentialities of Nigeria cannot be achieved effectivelyunless the society adopts IT-driven developmental strategies, especially in an information era like ours, Social media presents viable IT avenues that could be harnessed to spearhead this course.