TWITTER

Sarcasm is a figurative language that uses words that mean opposite of what the speaker says. Detecting sarcasm is a difficult task, even for humans because when utterance is decoded by the listener, it takes a level of understanding to detect sarcasm. This study approaches this challenging problem primarily from a linguistic perspective, focusing on the discourse analytic aspects of sarcasm. Twitter is a social media platform that allows people or social media users to express themselves using sarcasm. To achieve different communicative purpose, Sarcastic terms has been detected to be absurd or further expressed in a mimicking manner. In this study, the qualitative research method was adopted due to its naturalistic research approach as regards the case study. The collation of data was primarily user generated contents on twitter like comments, videos and pictures, memes of social media users in Mummy G.O’s trend on Twitter. The theory adopted in the study was the Media Discourse Analysis, it is the analysis of the interactions that take place through a broadcast platform. Further looking into the findings of this study, it hasbeen conclusively observed and noticed that the mental representation of social media users is expressed through absurd terms and mimicry to incite hurt or mockery in Mummy G.O’s Discourse on Twitter.

This research specifically examines the use of the Twitter hashtag in the mobilization of Lagos youth for the #EndSARS protests of 2020. This study became necessary and was carried out due to the fact that there has been no extensive research done to measure the extent and influence of the Twitter hashtag in the mobilization of Lagos youth for the #EndSARS protests of 2020. The objectives of this study were to determine the extent of the access to information on the #EndSARS protest through the Twitter hashtag, to ascertain the perception of Lagos youth to the information available to them on the #EndSARS protest and to investigate the extent to which Lagos youth were able to influence the Twittersphere using the Twitter hashtag. The survey design was adopted for this study with the aid of a 15-item questionnaire which was administered to 400 respondents purposively selected from the three senatorial districts in Lagos state. Data obtained were analyzed and presented with the aid of frequency tables, simple percentages and mean score. The key findings of this study showed that the Twitter hashtag was instrumental for spreading information about the #EndSARS protests, Lagos youth had a positive outlook towards this information and they were able to influence the Twittersphere to a very large extent using the Twitter hashtag. Therefore, this study concludes that the Twitter hashtag was indeed effective and influential in spreading information about the 2020 #EndSARS protests and in the mobilization of Lagos youth for the protests. To this end, it is recommended that the Twitter hashtag should be used more as a tool for the exchange of information as well as online activism. Also, this study proved that the Twitter hashtag was effective for mass physical mobilization therefore; it is recommended thatshould be sustained.