THE IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN SHAPING GLOBAL POLITICAL AWARENESS AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS

This study examines the influence of social media on the global political awareness of Nigerian youths. It explores how digital platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok shape exposure to international political issues, interpretation of political content, credibility perception, and participation in civic activities. The research is guided by Habermas’s Public Sphere Theory, complemented by insights from the Networked Public Sphere Theory. Using a quantitative survey design, data are collected from 380 students across selected tertiary institutions in southwestern Nigeria and analyzed with descriptive statistics through SPSS. The findings show that Nigerian youths are highly exposed to global political content through social media and that these platforms serve as informal spaces for political learning and discourse. However, the study finds that while awareness levels are high, critical evaluation of online information and translation into offline political action remain moderate due to misinformation, limited trust, and socio-economic barriers. The results also reveal that social media democratizes information and fosters civic dialogue, yet it operates as a double-edged space that promotes both engagement and distortion. The study concludes that social media functions as a transformative but imperfect public sphere that reshapes how Nigerian youths learn, discuss, and participate in global politics. It recommends improved digital literacy education, integration of digital citizenship into civic curricula, and stronger institutional support for youth political engagement online and offline.