The Social Media and the Revitalisation of Yorùbá Language and Culture

Abstract

The social media provides a space for interaction of people and languages across the globe. Today, the English language is the main medium of interaction on the social media rendering indigenous languages endangered. In spite of this, the Yoruba language continues to find its space. This paper, therefore, examines the impacts of the social media on the preservation of Yorùbá language and culture especially among the younger generation. This is with a view to ascertaining the degree of its relevance and their contributions to the revitalisation of Yorùbá language and culture. The study adopts Visser’s (2014) model of heritage revival which stresses the strategies and opportunities for cultural revival inherent in the social media and ethnolinguistic vitality theory (EVT) by Giles, Bourhis and Taylor (1977). Two major classifications are recognised; Nigeria and the diaspora platforms Facebook popular Yorùbá pages and Instagram such as BBC Yorùbá, Òwe àti Ẹwà Yorùbá pọ́nbélé, Yorùbá di wúrà, Àkànlò Èdè Yorùbá, Orúkọ Yorùba and Másòyìnbó. Proudly Yoruba German girl/ọmọ Ilorin and Yorùbá Pikin make up the platforms from the diaspora. The study finds that these platforms provide indigenous knowledge of the Yorùbá culture ranging from teaching of Yorùbá language, proverbs, traditional values, traditional music, not neglecting addressing current issues as they emerge in the society. The paper posits that this development will ensure the continued use of the Yorùbá language. The paper recommends that other languages should adopt these methods for the maintenance and revitalisation of their indigenous languages. Group administrators should address contemporary issues relating to the younger generation.

Keywords: Social Media, Language Revitalisation, Facebook, Instagram, Younger Generation