Use of indigenous languages for social media communication

Abstract

The role of indigenous languages in the development of any nation cannot be over-emphasised. Thus, most developed and developing countries are teaching and adapting their indigenous languages for educational instruction. Countries, such as China and Japan, that use their languages in teaching have witnessed a lot of development and progress in every facet of life. This is a probable reason why the Nigerian government is contemplating the use of indigenous languages in teaching some subjects in the early years of public school education. For the growing popularity of new media among the youths who constitute the bulk of the population of countries like Nigeria, the integration of social media with indigenous languages can be a potential factor in facilitating learning and communication, and can even help in reaching the majority of the population on other issues that affect the health, economic, political and social lives of the people. Recent data show that 97 million Nigerians are on the internet, with 67 per cent of that number being male users and 45 per cent being students. Fifty per cent of these users live in urban areas and another 50 per cent in rural areas. Eighty-five per cent access the internet via mobile devices and 44 per cent of these users spend between three and eight hours on the internet per day. As for social media, data show that Nigerians who go online spend more time on social networking sites, as Nigerians spend 22 per cent of their time here. Facebook, which has 16 million users in Nigeria as of 2016, took the lion share as it was visited by 83 per cent of the Nigerian online community; Twitter had 57 per cent; and Google Plus had 42 per cent. The implication of the widespread use of new media is that the integration of social media and indigenous languages will help to facilitate the use of social media in propagating indigenous languages. This study intends to use the new media technology and technological determinism theory among others to examine the presence and usage of indigenous languages for new media communication and the prospects and challenges that this poses for the sustenance of Nigerian local cultures and traditions. For this study, the content analysis method is used to collect, study and interpret possible social media interactions among Nigerians using indigenous languages. The focus group discussion is also utilised to gather information from selected undergraduate students on their use of indigenous languages in their online interactions. The outcome of a study of this nature will be of value to the Nigerian society. It will serve to help the government in understanding the culture of social media users as it relates to usage of indigenous communication. The recommendations will be relevant in promoting the increased acceptance and usage of indigenous languages, which have been on the decline in recent years. The findings can thus guide policy-making in this regard. The contribution of this in saving indigenous languages, especially amongst urban educated youths, cannot be over-emphasised.