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Mediatising Panopticism
Mediatising Panopticism

Knowledge and Perceptions of Governmentality of Social Networks among Nigerian users

Author(s): Bridget Okwuchi Alichie
Subject(s): Communication studies
Published by: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti
Keywords: censorship;cyberspace;governmentality;Internet;Social Networks (SNs);

Summary/Abstract: The global explosion of the Internet and associated Social Networks (SNs), with its positives as veritable tools of expression and communication, has been widely caught in a negative web rooted in emerging mechanisms of cyber governance regimes across the globe. To this end, this study focuses on the Nigerian knowledge and perception of Internet and SN governmentality regimes as it relates ratified global, regional and local legislations. Drawing upon Bentham’s Panopticon concept and Foucault’s theory of governmentality and the state, it traces traditional censorship mechanisms and links to contemporary trends of cyberspace governmentality. Employing online ethnography and relevant secondary literature, the study assesses its impact on the virtual culture of Nigerian users while negotiating feasible measures for advancing users’ rights to free speech.

  • Issue Year: 2/2017
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 9-23
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: English