Social Media: A Protagonist for Terrorism

Abstract

Terrorism is ubiquitous. Most states around the world have experienced some form of terrorism. Terrorism has undermined the profile of Nigeria and has generated a tense and fragile political system. This paper underscores that the prevalence of grievance and the lack of an innovative economic base in Nigeria are amongst the key factors that stimulate terrorism in the state. In Nigeria, terrorist activities have become endemic. A cursory look on these activities has proven that social media has become a source for propagating terrorism. This has generated multifarious security challenges as well. This paper is aimed at analyzing terrorism and social media. It further proceeds to examine the main thrust of the paper submitting that social media is a viable tool for terrorists. From this standpoint, the paper explores a case study analysis to further explain and evaluate the symbiotic relationship between social media and terrorism in Nigeria.