Àgídìgbo: ABUAD Journal of the Humanities

Performing Sexuality in a Digital Environment: GenZee Culture, Technology and the Politics of Morality in Northern Nigeria

Oyiza Rhoda ADINOYI — 2025-12-01

In a highly morally and religiously charged Northern Nigeria, how is the appropriation and performativity of sexuality negotiated and contested between older generations and the Gen Zees through digital technologies? The growing influence of social media platforms presents an unregulated public avenue for Gen Zee Nigerians to digitally express and perform their sexuality against cultural values. However, this digitally sponsored visibility has resulted in a near-crisis of nudity that conflicts with the region’s conservative and often guarded religious norms on bodily exposure, modesty, and moral decency. Using both primary and secondary historical sources, this study argues that social media platforms have created an intergenerational gulf that pitches the older generation against the Gen Zees’ unbridled public sexual self-expressions. This conflict has led to the state deployment of censorship, backlash, police arrest, and even physical violence on the Gen Zees. Through a qualitative analysis of selected cases of arrest and humiliations of Gen Zees, this paper finds that the tensions between inherent cultural value and the technologically-geared quest for self-expression and identity of the Gen Zees in Northern Nigeria stoke embers of irreconcilable intergenerational differences in conservative Islamic Northern Nigeria in a democratic state. Felix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze framework of assemblage is used alongside interviews and digital ethnography of selected case studies which are explored in the paper. This research aims to contribute to the understanding of youth, modernity, and technology in Africa as regards the performativity of sexuality.

Streaming Apps and Music Consumption among the Nigerian Youth

Yetunde Oluwayemisi AYOBOLU — 2025-12-30

Music is an important part of the youth lifestyle and experience as it influences both their leisure and emotional well-being. Streaming applications such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music have revolutionised the way music is consumed offering unprecedented access to a vast array of genres and artists with the provision of personalised listening experiences through curated playlists and on demand access reshaping how the youth engage with music. This research examines the impact of these streaming applications on the youth’s music consumption with the theoretical framework built around the Uses and Gratification and the Technological Determinism theories. The descriptive survey design method was adopted with the use of questionnaire for data collection. One hundred and fifty respondents were randomly selected for the study with the data analysed using simple frequencies and percentages and presented in frequencies and percentages. Results indicate that streaming applications enhance music accessibility and variety allowing youths to explore new music effortlessly. However, challenges such as potential reduction in traditional music purchasing are also noted. The study recommends optimising streaming application usage by continually innovating interfaces and recommendation algorithms, thereby catering to diverse preferences and listening habits to foster greater engagement and loyalty among users.

Graphicons as Functional Communication Tools in WhatsApp Interactions of UNILAG Undergraduates

Nwamaka Julie OKPALA — 2025-12-30

Social media as a fast-growing mode of communication has disruptive tendencies that create language change in digital contexts. A global trend of language transformation from words to pictograms (graphicons) in digital communication is observed in messaging language use, usually initiated by the young people in online interactions which eventually becomes established. This paper examines the functional use of graphicons such as emoji, sticker, GIF and meme as effective communication tools in digital conversations. Specifically, the study aims at exploring usage trends and meaningful ways the visual icons are used to achieve communication goals with or without texts. Data was purposefully drawn from 309 screenshot messages obtained from the respective class representatives of the selected classes’ WhatsApp platforms of students in Accounting, Computer and Systems Engineering Departments of the University of Lagos. 203 google questionnaires and follow-up unstructured interviews were also used to collect data. Pragmatic analysis of data was conducted using the Gricean cooperative principles or conversational maxims as the theoretical underpinning. Results show that emoji and sticker in particular, are an intrinsic part of young people’s social media communication with strong chances of sustained usage. They are used mainly for reaction, rapport management and message clarification. New functional and more expressive graphicons are recommended for technological devices. This paper not only expands literature in the field of linguistics, but also contributes to the fields of digital/computer communication and language development. It also fosters knowledge, facilitates understanding in digital user experience and adds pedagogical stimulus for students and software developers.

“Una no kon sabi anything”: The Pragmatics of Discourtesy in Selected Nigerian GenZee Celebrities’ Social Media Posts

Oluwatosin Grace ABIDOYE — 2025-12-30

GenZee celebrities, while trying to confront the unbridled criticisms of cyber hecklers, resort to discourteous lexical items to save their damaged faces. Although studies on GenZee’s language use and style on social media have been explored, significant scholarly effort has not been solely dedicated to the uncivil language choices of Nigerian GenZee celebrities (henceforth NGCs). This study investigates the discourteous patterns that characterise the social media posts of Nigerian GenZee celebrities in response to the verbal and non-verbal taunts of netizens and how the GenZees’ social identities are subtly unraveled. Jacob Mey’s (2001) pragmatic act theory serves as the theoretical basis for the analysis. Selected posts of Habeeb Hamzat (Peller) and Amadou Elizabeth (Jarvis), two popular Nigerian GenZee social media influencers/celebrities, were purposively selected and retrieved on Tiktok and Twitter (X). The descriptive design was adopted and data were subjected to pragmatic analysis. Findings reveal that the social media posts of the two NGCs are furnished with impoliteness strategies through grammatical subversion, spiritual invocation, blame-shifting/buck-passing, and pidginisation to show utmost discourtesy and displeasure to the intended recipients of their posts and to address the excesses of cyberbullies. These devices were activated through specific pragmatic acts: condescending, praying, cursing practs, questioning and asserting practs. Through specific linguistic and pragmatic features/techniques, NGCs suppressed face attacks from individuals or situations perceived as threats to protect their public self-image (faces).o contribute to the evolving body of knowledge on the discursive manifestations of impoliteness/discourtesy among GenZee speakers (precisely NGCs)

Exploring Chaos as a Form of Order: A Literary Approach to Gen Z Culture in Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give

Ayila ORKUSA — 2025-12-30

As a demographic group, Gen-Z inherits the ‘chaotic’ culture that qualifies as modernism. These Gen-Zers are influencing the world prodigiously. So, our study explores the literary representation of Gen-Z in Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give with the aim of examining social identity and social justice as part of the major issues in Gen-Z culture. To achieve this, we employ the chaos theory as a theoretical framework to discuss the portrayal of Gen-Z culture in the above literary text. ‘Chaos theory enables us to see the physical world in new ways and to look anew at texts that I call “chaotic”’ (Jo Alyson Parker, 2007). Chaos itself is emblematic of modernism, which encourages continuity and ‘connotes a cultural sensibility rather than a particular period in time’ (Deborah Parsons 2007). Thus, the study of the cultural revolution that Gen-Z represents in literature here follows the thematic issues like police brutality and activism for discussion. The argument is foregrounded on the fact that we are living in a changing world and this change is driven by the media and the internet culture. So Gen-Z’s life in the text is influenced by the social media through internet connectivity. This portrayal is in itself a new order that represents chaos, where youth are depicted as having clarity of self-identity for the purpose of pushing back against unwanted pressure. Even though the youth seem to have lost the battle in the text on the path of pushing back, they still remain hopeful.

Youth Exposure, Engagement, and Impulsive Grassroot Activism in the Digital Political Landscape in Solomon Edebor’s Good Morning, Sodom and Olu Obafemi’s The New Dawn

Olanipekun Emmanuel ABE — 2025-12-30

Youth exposure and engagement in the digital age have significantly helped to shape contemporary socio-political behaviour mirrored through numerous social and political discourses emanating from society. As young individuals increasingly see the need to meet standards raised by contemporary realities, several social engagements affect their behaviour. However, the rise of grassroots activism in the society demands an immediate response considering its socio-political implications. This study examines the socio-political engagement in the society from the lens of Solomon Edebor's Good Morning, Sodom and Olu Obafemi's The New Dawn. Youth engagement reveals widespread social and moral decay permeating modern lifestyles. On the political plane, maladministration is depicted as a repressive force that precipitates rigorous interaction that actively calls for change. The aforementioned are emergent themes that pose issues of discourse in the selected drama texts. This paper engages a sociological theoretical framework to investigate patterns of social and political engagement within society. However, the expansion of youth engagement in social and political activities inherently results in a greater comprehension of complex political issues. This study concludes that the dynamics of political activism are essential for fostering meaningful youth engagement in shaping policies that affect the lives of the citizenry.

From ‘Adeola’ to ‘HarDeyOlar’: Unpacking the Effects of Self-Naming Trends on Identity and Language in GenZee Subcultures

Toyin Florence ADEDOTUN — 2025-12-30

This study explores the self-naming phenomenon among GenZee students in selected tertiary institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria, focusing on the alteration of traditional Yoruba names (e.g., “Adeola” to “HarDeyOlar”) as a form of cultural expression and self-identity reconfiguration. Rooted in both postcolonial and sociolinguistic frameworks, the work examines how GenZees’ engagement with self-naming reflects deeper issues of indigenous language use, identity transformation and the dynamics of modernity in postcolonial African societies. The study is situated within discussive paradigms regarding the impact of globalisation on local cultures, especially indigenous naming practices which signified traditional or cultural heritage, family history and social status within the Yoruba culture. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 60 purposively selected GenZee students from two universities and polytechnics (private and public) in Ekiti State, to capture the personal motivations behind name alterations. Using thematic analysis, the data were analysed to identify recurring themes such as perceived modernity, global identity aspirations, and the perceived obsolescence of indigenous linguistic forms. Findings reveal that self-naming serves as both an assertion of individual agency and a response to societal pressures favouring westernised or hybrid identities, potentially accelerating the erosion of indigenous language usage among youths. This study contributes to the discourse on cultural retention versus adaptation in African societies, highlighting self-naming as a significant factor in the negotiation between tradition and modernity. The implications of these trends underscore broader challenges in cultural preservation, language sustainability, and identity politics in Nigeria and similar postcolonial contexts.

Pop Culture, Commercialisation of Indigenous Music, and the Urhobo GEN-Z Audience in Nigeria

Philo Igue OKPEKI — 2025-12-30

This study examines the commercialization of indigenous music and the reaction of Urhobo Gen-Z audience in Nigeria. It assesses the role of Gen-Z in the commercialization of indigenous Urhobo music. In other words, the research argues that the Gen-Z generation has impacted tremendously on the landscape of indigenous music in Urhobo land in Delta State, Nigeria. Gen-Z is the short form for generation-Z. This group of young adults were born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s. The study employs the qualitative methodology and uses interview as a tool to complement the qualitative method. The research is anchored on Adam Smith’s (1776) theory of commercialization. Findings in this study reveal that the reaction of Gen-Z participants to the commercialization of indigenous music genre is relatively positive. Also, their consumption of indigenous Urhobo music is moderate compared to other Afrobeat music genres highly rated by Gen-Z in Nigeria. Gen-z has impacted on indigenous music of Urhobo in Nigeria due to high rate of streaming of traditional music on multimedia platforms like Spotify. The research concludes that, there is a positive reaction towards commercialization of indigenous music by Urhobo Gen-Z audience in Nigeria. The study recommends that the Gen-Z generation of the Urhobo cultural landscape should increase the rate of patronage of the Urhobo music, especially tracks infused with traditional rhythms, folk elements and popular contemporary genres.