Mr Olorunyomi stressed the evolving yet fundamental impacts of the technologies on information flow and accuracy, democracy, governance, knowledge base, and mass mobilisation.
Renowned journalist and PREMIUM TIMES Publisher Dapo Olorunyomi on Tuesday outlined the pros and cons of the incursion of social media platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) into various spheres of human endeavours. He also spotlighted the roles journalists, scholars and policymakers should play to harness the full potentials of the technological platforms and tools for public good.
Mr Olorunyomi stressed the evolving yet fundamental impacts of the technologies on information flow and accuracy, democracy, governance, knowledge base, and mass mobilisation. Beyond that, he said they encode assumptions of what human beings are, while setting off "data colonialism" concerns.
He gave the remarks while delivering the 2025 Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumni Lecture at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. The lecture is themed 'AI, Social Media & the Reconfiguration of Democratic Power in Nigeria.'
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"Certainly media creates knowledge, but in creating knowledge, it also creates power. And that power has implication for how society is managed," he said.
He described the convergence of AI and social media platforms as "imprimaturs of the digital age" reshaping governance, public perception, and accountability in countries like Nigeria.
Technology's double-edged sword
While acknowledging the opportunities these technologies offer, he cautioned against risks including misinformation, disinformation, and behavioural manipulation driven by algorithms.
He described AI-driven social platforms as a "new leviathan," where struggles over authority, knowledge, and legitimacy are constantly renegotiated.
Mr Olorunyomi, a staunch press freedom advocate, pointed out that the electoral and education sectors are key areas that are affected. He explained that social media enables mass mobilisation but also spreads disinformation, while AI expands access to education but risks deepening inequality and reducing learning to technical skills.
Drawing on the perspectives of thinkers such as Amílcar Cabral, Kwesi Wiredu, John Dewey, and Hannah Arendt, he stressed that knowledge must be treated as a public good that fosters judgement, imagination, and ethical citizenship.
He warned that democracy weakens when media ecosystems prioritise speed and virality over accuracy and reasoned debate.
"Every day, 27 million Nigerians are using Facebook, or X, with seven to nine million people," Mr Olorunyomi said, noting that platforms now dominate the country's media landscape.
"AI and social media are those artefacts of political intentions and economic logic, not merely expressions of scientific curiosity. They encode assumptions about what human beings are for, whether citizens are agents capable of judgement or data points to be analysed and optimised.
"This dynamic has been described as data colonialism, a new form of extraction in which everyday life becomes a resource controlled from elsewhere," he said.
Using the #EndSARS protests as an example, Mr Olorunyomi explained that social media facilitated mobilisation but also exposed Nigeria to manipulation by external actors.
He said political elites now deploy bots, trolls, and AI-generated content to shape narratives, while algorithmic feeds fragment public knowledge and deepen polarisation.
Regulatory safeguards and other recommendations
He called for regulatory safeguards around data protection, content moderation, and AI governance, stressing that regulation must protect citizens without sliding into censorship.
Mr Olorunyomi urged journalists, scholars, policymakers, and citizens to defend knowledge as a practice that promotes human flourishing, and for universities to strengthen cultures of debate, scepticism, and democratic enquiry.
He added that if Nigeria fails to reclaim AI and social media as instruments of agency, these technologies could entrench inequality, weaken public reasoning, and concentrate power in opaque algorithmic systems.
Admonition to n students
Mr Olorunyomi, reflecting on his experience at OAU, encouraged students to pursue knowledge beyond their degrees.
"Don't go away with merely your degrees. Take away knowledge that will stand you in good stead in life," he said.
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The lecture was part of OAU's first Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series for the 2024-25 academic session, which aims to strengthen ties between the faculty and its alumni while providing a platform for intellectual engagement on national and global issues.
In his opening remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts Gbenga Fasiku, apologised for the venue change as a result of other activities on campus.
He also called on alumni to support the plans for a new humanities block with a 500-seat auditorium.
"The Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series is organised to connect with our former students, who have excelled in their careers and contributed to national development," the Dean said.
The chairman of the occasion, Idowu Obasa, announced the creation of a 20 million naira seed fund to sustain the lecture series.
"Structures, processes, and procedures are what change society. This fund is a start, but every contribution will help move the programme forward," Mr Obasa, Publisher of PM News, said.
The lecture series provides a platform for dialogue and collaboration between the Faculty of Arts, its alumni, and the wider academic and professional community
