The Internet, Social Media and Civil Protests: #EndSARS Protest

Protests are powerful political tools aimed at enacting changes and systematic reformation within the society. In recent years, the world has witnessed unprecedented protests, with each protests having its own theme arising from peculiar issues. Nigeria has not been an exception. #EndSARS protests which gradually started between the fifth and eighth of October, 2020, and subsequently gained momentum within and outside the country has been noted to be facilitated by communication and interactions on the internet and various social media platforms. One of the defining characteristics of mass communication is its reliance on technology and in this case, the most notable is the digital technology of the internet. Its power supersedes all other forms of mass media technology. Hence, this work with the help of media theories of protests explains the power of the internet and social networks in relation to civil unrest and protests, with special emphasis on #EndSARS. The enabling factor of social media platforms and its capacity to create awareness and expose the realities and myths of the protests were also included. The paper also analyzed how shared information on social media, which include photos, videos, comments, and documents drew the attention of international human right bodies and its ramification on the social political and economic situation in Nigeria. The vulnerabilities of the internet and social media as a means of information dissemination were also discussed.