Navigating Identity and Citizenship in Nigeria: The Role of Media Literacy in Shaping Global Perspectives in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The current study examined the impact of AI-mediated digital environments on identity formation and civic participation among young Nigerians and evaluated the role of media literacy in ethical participation in the digital age. The motivation behind this enquiry was the growing exposure of Nigerian citizens, in particular the younger generation, to misinformation, online manipulation, and algorithmic identity formation, with the background of weak media-literacy systems. The study was based on the Critical Media Literacy Theory (Kellner and Share, 2005) and had a qualitative design, which involved gathering secondary evidence in the form of peer-reviewed journals, textbooks, newspapers, government reports, and international news portals. Thematic patterns were then identified by content analysis in relation to digital identity, misinformation, and civic behaviour. Empirical evidence suggests that AI-based platforms have a significant effect on identity formation and social reality interpretation among the Nigerian youth through the internet. The percentage of users who did not have the media-literacy skills to critically question the content they were exposed to was quite high, and it made them vulnerable to disinformation and ideological manipulation. These vital media skills are not well cultivated in formal schooling, but informal places like community technology hubs show some promise of addressing this deficiency. Other significant differences in media-literacy access along urban-rural lines were also revealed in the analysis, thus continuing to create digital inequality. The study therefore hypothesizes that media-literacy proficiency is an essential element of democratic consolidation in Nigeria; AI curated spaces are only ethically manageable through a set of interventions in both formal and informal educational systems. The study suggests, therefore, the following recommendations: (1) integrating critical media literacy into national curricula; (2) launching nationwide campaigns to increase awareness of algorithmic influence; and (3) supporting informal educational efforts on a community level that would be localized.