Assessment of New Media and Media Access in the Digital Environment
Main Article Content
Abstract
Digital technologies over the years have significantly changed and affected how information is created, accessed, and shared in the modern world. In recent times, internet-enabled devices, social media and digital platforms, have become essential to everyday communication. This study examined the relationship between new media and media access within digital environment, particularly in developing societies. The study focused on how digital platforms such as social media, mobile devices, and online information channels affect access to information, participation, and communication patterns. Data were collected from respondents within areas of Lagos State, specifically Iyana-Ipaja and, findings indicated that new media had greatly improved the speed and access to information and encouraged more users being involved. The study also encountered challenges such as inadequate internet infrastructure, high data costs, and limited digital literacy found, limiting equal access for all users. The study concluded that while new media expanded media access, some structural and socio-economic factors continue to limit a greater mass of the general population participating. The study recommended that improvements in digital infrastructure and to promote digital literacy to enhance inclusive media access.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.Penulis.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (Refer to The Effect of Open Access).
References
Adeyemi, A. L. (2022). Digital media transformation and audience participation in developing societies. African Journal of Communication, 9(1), 22–35.
Adeyemi, A. L., & Bello, S. T. (2023). Media access and digital participation in emerging economies. Journal of Communication and Media Studies, 11(2), 41–55.
Ajayi, K. (2022). Media convergence and the changing communication landscape. International Journal of New Media Studies, 6(3), 60–72.
Aondover, E. M., Aondover, P. O., & Maiwada, A. A. (2025). Reconfiguration of Media Communication in the Age of AI and Inequality. Feedback International Journal of Communication, 2(3), 194-204.
Aondover, E. M., Maradun, L. U., & Yar’Adua, S. M. (2022). Mediatization of the net and internetization of the print media in Northern Nigeria. Unisia, 40(2), 335-356.
Aondover, E. M., Oyeleye, S. A., & Aliyu, M. A. (2023). New World Information and Communication Order and its changing role in Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Kano. Unisia, 41(1).
Aondover, E. M., Yar’Adua, S. M., & Aondover, P. O. (2025). Influence of Digital Images on the Propagation of Fake News on Twitter in Russia and Ukraine Crisis. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 59-74.
Aondover, P. O., Aondover, E. M., & Babele, A. M. (2022). Two nations, same technology, different outcomes: Analysis of technology application in Africa and America. Journal of Educational Research and Review, 1(1), 001-008.
Castells, M. (1996). The rise of the network society. Blackwell Publishers.
Eze, C. O. (2023). Digital inequality and access to online communication in rural communities. Journal of Development Communication, 18(1), 33–47.
Ibrahim, H. A. (2021). Diffusion of innovation and the adoption of digital communication technologies. Journal of Media Innovation, 5(2), 88–102.
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Utilization of mass communication by the individual. In J. G. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research (pp. 19–32). Sage Publications.
Kurfi, M. Y., Msughter, M. E., & Mohamed, I. (2021). Digital images on social media and proliferation of fake news on covid-19 in Kano, Nigeria. Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 3(1), 103-124.
Maikaba, B., & Msughter, A. E. (2019). Digital Media and Cultural Globalisation: The Fate of African Value System. Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(1), 214-220.
Maradun, L. U., Yar’Adua, S. M., & Msughter, A. E. (2021). Perceived value of social media in the# EndSARS’protest in Nigeria. International Journal of English Literature and Culture, 9(3), 1.
Nigerian Communications Commission. (2023). Telecommunications industry statistics and reports.
Okoro, N., & Nwankwo, S. (2022). Uses and gratifications of new media among young adults in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Communication, 17(1), 112–128.
Olapade, S. O. (2022). New media and interactive communication systems. Journal of Digital Communication, 7(1), 15–28.
Onyejelem, T. E., & Aondover, E. M. (2024). Digital Generative Multimedia Tool Theory (DGMTT): A Theoretical Postulation. Journalism, 14(3), 189-204.
Rogers, E. M. (1962). Diffusion of innovations. Free Press.
UNESCO. (2021). Global education monitoring report: Technology in education. UNESCO Publishing.
Vitalis, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Ogunbola, O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Accessing Digital Divide and Implications in Nigeria: The Media Dimension. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 1-12.