ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT DURING THE 2020 ENDSARS PROTEST IN BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

The researcher investigated the role of social media in conflict management during the 2020 EndSARS protest in Benin City, Edo State. The rationale of the study was to establish the role of social media in conflict management during the 2020 EndSARS protest among residents of Benin City, Edo State. The objectives of the study were to determine the role of social media in managing conflicts during the EndSARS protest, find out how social media was used to spread information during the protest, identify the strengths of social media in managing conflicts during the protest and the weaknesses of social media in managing conflict during the EndSARS protest in Benin City, Edo State. The study was grounded in the agenda-setting theory and the social responsibility theory. The research employed a survey research design, using structured questionnaire to collect data from 384 internet users in Benin City, Edo State using the purposive sampling technique from the total population of 5,880,824 while descriptive statistics was used in analysing the gathered data in order to provide answer to the raised research questions. Findings revealed that social media served as a vital communication tool (M = 4.08), mobilising support (M = 4.06) and providing victims with a platform to share their experiences of police brutality (M = 4.15), among others. Findings also showed that social media strengths during the protest were that it facilitated peaceful organisation (M=3.93), amplified protest voices (M=4.06), enabled international solidarity (M=3.97), disseminated timely updates (4.09) and helped manage rumours (M=3.78) while chief among the notable weaknesses are the spread of false information (M=4.03), hate speech and inciting content (M=4.06), unverified media contents (M=4.03). The researcher concluded that social media has become an indispensable tool in modern conflict scenarios and its ability to inform, connect, and mobilise people makes it a powerful instrument for both protest and peace, especially during EndSARS protest in Edo State. Based on the findings and conclusion, recommendations made were that government agencies and civil society organisations should develop and implement digital literacy programmes focused on conflict-sensitive communication to empower citizens to use social media constructively during periods of social unrest, among others.