Integrity Journal of Arts and Humanities

Digital dynamics, press freedom and the burden of regulation in the Nigerian digital space abstract built on the premise that digital media technologies have brought drastic changes in the mode of communication and information sharing with an existential threat to regulation and press freedom, the study examines digital dynamics, press freedom and the burden of regulation in the Nigerian digital space (N=380), through the theoretical optic of Media Dependency Theory. Specifically, the study examines key attributes of digital dynamics posing resistance to regulation and regulatory measures that will protect the digital rights of citizens and preserve press freedom, and purposively selected respondents, using surveys to collect data. The findings of the study revealed that the continuous becoming of the digital space portends an existential threat to regulation. The study further established that the virtual existence of the digital space poses implicit resistance to regulation. The findings further revealed that to safeguard press freedom, regulation of the digital space will require a multi-stakeholder approach to bring to bear, considering the dynamism of the space. The study, however, established that the proposed ‘Anti-Social Media Bill’ in Nigeria should be revisited and rechristened: ‘Digital Safety Bill’ to protect citizens’ rights of expression and clampdown on abusers. The study concludes, among others, that key characteristics of digital dynamics, such as flexibility, speed, virality, virtuality, and ubiquity, constitute a clog to regulation in the Nigerian digital space. The study recommends, among others, that relevant agencies of government should come up with a new regulatory body with a clear-cut mandate of safeguarding press freedom and abuse.