TELEGRAM AND THE #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTS: ANALYZING ORGANISATIONAL CUES IN DECENTRALISED MOVEMENTS

The #EndBadGovernance protests that swept across Nigeria from August 1 to 10, 2024, represented a watershed moment in the country's digital activism landscape, demonstrating the transformative potential of social media platforms in mobilising mass dissent against systemic governance failures. This study examines the role of Telegram—alongside other digital platforms—in organising and coordinating the protests, with particular attention to the platform's distinctive affordances that enabled decentralised collective action. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach that combines content analysis of protest-related communications across multiple platforms, qualitative interviews, and secondary data analysis, this research investigates how Telegram's features (encryption, channel-based broadcasting, group chat functionality, and anonymity provisions) facilitated organisational cues in a movement characterised by its leaderless structure and horizontal coordination. The study is anchored in Bennett and Segerberg's (2013) logic of connective action framework, complemented by affordance theory and social movement literature on digital mobilisation. Findings reveal that Telegram served as a critical infrastructural backbone for the protests, enabling secure real-time coordination, information dissemination, and resistance against state surveillance and censorship. However, the platform's effectiveness was mediated by existing digital divides, misinformation challenges, and state repression, including internet shutdowns and the weaponisation of the Cybercrimes Act against activists. The study concludes that while Telegram's organisational cues significantly enhanced protest coordination, the movement's sustainability and long-term impact depend on addressing structural vulnerabilities in Nigeria's digital ecosystem and building resilience against state repression. Recommendations include strengthening digital literacy programmes, developing decentralised communication infrastructures, and advocating for legal reforms to protect digital rights.
Keywords: Telegram, #EndBadGovernance, decentralised movements, connective action, organisational cues, Nigeria, digital activism