Effect of Twitter Ban on Mobile Data Usage

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Through the creation of virtual networks and communities, social media is a computer-based technology that enables the exchange of ideas, opinions, and information. Social media is Internet-based by design, allowing people to share information quickly through electronic means. Personal information, documents, movies, and pictures are all included in the content. Users interact with social media through web-based software or apps on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. While social media is widely used in the United States and Europe, Asian nations such as Indonesia are at the top of the list. 1 Social media is used by about 3.8 billion people. Social media began as a means to connect with friends and family, but it was quickly embraced by companies looking to reach out to consumers through a popular new communication channel. The capacity to connect and exchange information with anybody on the planet, or with a large number of people at once, is the power of social media. There are about 3.8 billion social media users worldwide. New social media applications like TikTok and Clubhouse appear every year, joining the ranks of major social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. The number of people using social media in the United States is expected to reach 257 million by 2023. Users of social media are, on average, younger, according to the Pew Research Center. Between the ages of 18 and 29, almost 90% of individuals utilized some kind of social media. Furthermore, these consumers are more educated and affluent, with an annual income of over $75,000. Social media may take the shape of a wide range of technologically enhanced activities. Photo sharing, blogging, social gaming, social networks, video sharing, business networks, virtual worlds, reviews, and other activities are among them. Even governments and politicians use social media to communicate with voters and constituents. Individuals utilize social media to communicate with their friends and extended family. Some individuals will use social media apps to network for job possibilities, discover others with similar interests all around the world, and express their ideas, feelings, insights, and emotions. Participants in these activities form a virtual social network. Social networking is a must-have tool for companies. The platform is used by businesses to identify and connect with consumers, generate sales via advertising and marketing, assess consumer trends, and provide customer care or support. The importance of social media in assisting companies cannot be overstated. It allows for easier contact with consumers and the integration of social activities into e-commerce platforms. Its capacity to gather data allows it to concentrate on marketing and market research. It aids in the promotion of goods and services by allowing targeted, timely, and exclusive discounts and coupons to be sent to potential consumers. Furthermore, via social media-linked loyalty programs, social media may aid in the development of client connections. While social media has its benefits, many people point to its drawbacks and compare its excessive usage to an addiction. Some argue that it causes inattention, tension, and envy. Heavy social media usage has been linked to depression, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Furthermore, social media may be a conduit for incorrect information and misinformation. The effect of the capacity to disseminate false material via the platform on the 2016 American presidential election has been well-documented. This phenomena takes use of social media’s strength, enabling anybody to reach millions of people with information that isn’t vetted or fact-checked. When it comes to mobile phone plans, data consumption refers to how much data you consume over the course of a billing cycle (usually a month). When you use your phone’s internet connection to accomplish any activity, the data on your mobile phone plan is utilized. On cellphones, data is often utilized in the following ways:

• Browsing the internet
• Downloading and running apps
• Checking email
• Posting on social media
• Playing games
• iMessaging (on iPhones)
• Watching streaming video
• Listening to streaming audio

Using data when connected to a WiFi network does not count against your data consumption on your mobile phone plan. With data overage costs becoming virtually extinct and unlimited data plans becoming more popular, you may be asking why you need even be concerned about your internet use. It’s all about obtaining the finest service for the least amount of money. When a mobile phone plan includes a monthly data allocation, it usually implies that you’ll receive the best data speeds until you’ve used up your monthly allotment. You may utilize up to 5GB of data at maximum speed if your plan includes a 5GB data limit. You may anticipate sub-optimal internet rates after you exceed the 5GB data use limit. With this in mind, you may anticipate that unlimited data plans will offer you with all of the finest data available throughout your payment cycle. This is not the case, though. Most unlimited data mobile phone plans include a deprioritization threshold, often known as a data cap. This limit acts as a soft cap on your data. During times of high network congestion, if you exceed the threshold, you may experience slower speeds. The higher the tier (and thus the cost) of the cell plan, the higher the deprioritization threshold will be. Deprioritization levels typically vary from 20GB to 50GB of monthly data consumption.

Statement of research problem

The move by the government came just days after a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari was removed for breaching the site’s rules, though no mention of this was made in its statement. Mr Mohammed has previously criticised the US social media giant’s decision to take it down, calling it “double standards”. The tweet sent by Mr Buhari on 1 June referred to the 1967-70 Nigerian Civil War and to treating “those misbehaving today” in “the language they will understand”. A Twitter spokesperson said at the time that the post “was in violation of the Twitter Rules”. And in a statement on Friday, the company – which in April announced its new African headquarters would be based in neighbouring Ghana said it was “investigating and will provide updates when we know more” about the Nigerian ban. The government gave no details on how the ban would work in practice, or any explanation of how Twitter had undermined Nigeria’s corporate existence.

According to the e-Conomy Africa 2020 report prepared by the IFC the Finance arm of the World Bank and Google, the Africa internet economy has the potential to reach $180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2% of the GDP of Africa in just 4 years. A key data point in the report states that a “10% increase in digital connectivity leads to 2.5% increase in GDP per capita.” The report says this growth will be driven by faster and better internet connectivity, a rapidly expanding urban population, a growing talent pool, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and the African Free Trade agreement which creates “regional harmonization.” In summary, a growing urban population, harnessing better internet to trade across borders will utilize the internet and grow GDP. According to StatCounter ranking of social media apps in Africa, there are big three apps on the continent based on market share as of May 2021- Facebook with 58%, YouTube with 24%, and Twitter with 11%.Nigeria have been called an internet giant because as of 2019, there were 125 million internet users in Nigeria and this translates to a 60% penetration rate when compared to the African continent which is at 36% internet penetration. When looking at Statcounter ranking data for Nigeria, the most popular apps used are Facebook at 56% and Twitter at 25% of the market share. Also, Nigeria, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit report “the Inclusive Internet index”, scores highest in “affordability.”however, there is every tendency that twitter users might not want to use other sites as they get valid information from twitter and as such mobile data usage will be low and it will even last longer.

Objectives of the study

The primary objective of the study s as follows

• To find out the responsible for twitter ban in Nigeria
• To find out the effect of twitter ban on mobile data usage in Nigeria
• To find out how mobile data usage has increased or decreased with the ban of twitter
• To find out ways mobile data usage can be increased in Nigeria

 

Research questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study

1. What are the factors responsible for twitter ban in Nigeria?
2. What are the effect of twitter ban on mobile data usage in Nigeria?
3. Do you think mobile data usage has increased or decreased with the ban of twitter?
4. Do you think mobile data usage can be increased in Nigeria?

Significance of the study

The significance of this study cannot be underestimated as:

• This study will examine stress management practices of career women in Lagos state Nigeria.
• The findings of this research work will undoubtedly provide the much needed information to government organizations, career women, companies and academia.

Scope of the study

This study examines effect of twitter ban on mobile data usage in Nigeria . hence, this study will be delimited to twitter users in lagos state. Nigeria

Limitations of the study

This study was constrained by a number of factors which are as follows:

just like any other research, ranging from unavailability of needed accurate materials on the topic under study, inability to get data

Financial constraint , was faced by the researcher ,in getting relevant materials and in printing and collation of questionnaires

Time factor: time factor pose another constraint since having to shuttle between writing of the research and also engaging in other academic work making it uneasy for the researcher

Operational definition of terms

Effect: a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause

Twitter: give a call consisting of repeated light tremulous sounds.

Mobile data usage: is how much data your phone uploads or downloads using mobile data

REFERENCES

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57363779

https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/whatisdatausage?__cf_chl_captcha_tk__=cbf3ef0e558ed12e2a734fbd703cc6d262fdbc49-1623922780-0

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media.asp