Citizen-State Relationship: Examining the Role of Online Visibility

Since the Arab Spring and occupy movements, many studies have documented and examined governments’ reactions to social media movements in both democratic and non-democratic contexts. Studies suggest that governments are unable to fully reprise dissent, wherein social movements and protests are also unable to wholly influence policy change (Gerbaudo, 2012; Tufekci, 2014), leading to a fragile citizen-state relationship.

In Nigeria, three major social movements have emerged since the 2010s - the 2012 #OccupyNigeria, 2014 #BringBackOurGirls, and 2020 #EndSARS. Relatedly, the government, at different levels, has responded with significant digital interventions, including internet speed throttling, co-optation of digital infrastructures and people for increased presence on social media, platform ban, and restrictive social media legislative bills. However, little attention has been paid to how people active during the movements perceive these digital interventions during and after the movements and how these have shaped their relationship with the state. Thus, in this research, I rely on network theories of social capital to examine how the Nigerian government digital interventions and responses are experienced by citizens during and after social movements protests using movement actors as a case study. This also allows me to examine the complex dynamics of citizen-state relationships in the country. My findings are derived from in-depth interviews and online ethnography of thirty (30) actors across the three movements. This study suggests that online visibility plays a critical role in shaping citizen-state relationships, although along different socio-technical divides.