Nobel laureate and prominent Nigerian intellectual, Prof Wole Soyinka, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of social media in Nigeria, describing it as overrun by what he referred to as "barbarians."
Speaking at the 48th President’s party and his investiture as an honorary member of the Abeokuta Club in Ogun State, Soyinka lamented the descent of Nigerian social media to its lowest common denominator.
He contrasted the intellectual engagement seen on social media in other parts of the world with the degradation witnessed in Nigeria, where even election disagreements result in accusations of ethnophobia. Soyinka called on the nation’s intellectual community to rescue the country from the "monstrosity" that social media has become.
He emphasized the need for reasoned discourse and intellectual contributions to elevate the quality of online conversations, addressing the demonization and polarization prevalent in the Nigerian digital space.
