Regulating Social Media in Nigeria: Regulatory Annexation and the Struggle for Digital Freedom

This book investigates social media regulation in Nigeria as an example for the Global South. It centres around political economy and theoretical insights drawn from studies into internet and social media regulation, the securitisation of online harms, and practical approaches to regulating social media content. Using a methodological approach that combines policy analysis, case studies, interviews, and social media analysis, the book contributes to and extends our knowledge of social media regulatory approaches in the Global South. It specifically introduces new concepts such as regulatory annexation to enable us to understand the regulatory environment in an African context and the several ways that social media users resist what is perceived as regulatory overreach in their struggle for digital freedom.

Vincent Obia is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Sheffield researching AI regulation and digital media governance in Africa. He has a PhD in media and culture from the School of Media, Birmingham City University, UK, made possible by a Commonwealth Scholarship Award. His research interests include AI regulation, platform governance, social media cultures, and the inequalities between the Global North and South in the design, use, and regulation of digital media technologies.

Vincent Obia is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Sheffield researching AI regulation and digital media governance in Africa. He has a PhD in media and culture from the School of Media, Birmingham City University, UK, made possible by a Commonwealth Scholarship Award. His research interests include AI regulation, platform governance, social media cultures, and the inequalities between the Global North and South in the design, use, and regulation of digital media technologies.