According to a report published by PM News on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has declared that Nigerians are the most noxious abusers of social media globally.
Speaking in a special interview with TheNEWS magazine to mark his 90th birthday, Soyinka revealed he avoids social media due to the rampant spread of “fictions” on these platforms.
Soyinka arrived at this conclusion after studying the social media habits of citizens from various countries, including Eastern Europe, India, and Ethiopia.
He noted that some scientific studies have confirmed his findings.
“The most noxious abusers of social media are Nigerians. I said it in Cairo. I repeat it here. It is grounded on solid study, and we have to find a way of rescuing social media from the trolls,” he said.
Despite his aversion to social media, Soyinka receives links from these platforms regularly, often finding them filled with misinformation.
He warned that social media might cause a third world war due to its misuse.
“Ten years back, I made a statement that if there is a third world war, it will be as a result of the misuse of social media. And the abuser will prove to be a Nigerian,” he asserted.
Soyinka lamented that while intelligent users like the late Pius Adesanmi once dominated social media, it is now overrun by “idiots” perpetuating vile propaganda reminiscent of Sani Abacha’s regime.
