I, THE FIRST CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Purpose Of This Research
It is widely accepted that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a true source of income, employment, and environmental sustainability. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to be the backbone of both developed and developing nations, accounting for between 70 and 95 percent of all business entities and creating between 50 and 80 percent of employment, according to recent studies (Ogbechie, & Anetor 2015). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria are important sources of employment and revenue production for the country's working poor. The SME sector employed 84.02 percent of Nigeria's total labor force in December 2017, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (National Bureau of Statistics 2017).
SMEs' ability to compete in a knowledge-based economy is being boosted thanks in large part to social media, which has played a critical role in this age of global cutthroat competition (Aremu, & Adeyemi 2011). As a strategic instrument for economic success, social media is required, according to Oso (2011), to contribute to a country's growth in all of these areas: cultural, human, social, political, and economic. Twitter is one of the many social media sites that aid in the growth of an economy.
Over the last decade, Twitter in Nigeria has grown to be a source of income, friendship, and knowledge. The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture's announcement of a Twitter ban in Nigeria has had an impact on millions of Nigerians. Nigerians were understandably incensed by the decision, which they saw as a government repression of free expression. Speaking one's mind is not the only thing at stake here (Vanguard News). As a result of the latest Twitter ban, Nigerian businesses are especially sensitive to its effects.
Nigeria's economy relies heavily on small and medium-sized businesses, which account for as much as 60 to 70 percent of the workforce. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria account for 96% of all firms and 84% of all jobs. They generate 48% of the country's GDP. There are many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) that use social media for marketing and customer service. This can be seen by the amount of merchants on Twitter, which is a clear indication. Other social media sites may be a better fit for these companies, but their postings may not get the same level of interaction as on Twitter. As a result, this research aims to analyze the impact of the Twitter ban on Nigerian small and medium-sized enterprises.
1.2 Defintion of the Issue.
A total of 39.5 million Nigerians, according to Ngozi Okonjo-estimations, Iweala's use Twitter, with 20 percent of them doing it for commercial purposes and 18 percent using it to hunt for a job (Vanguard news). Thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa's most populous and wealthiest country are in disarray as a result of Twitter's prolonged shutdown. Businesses in Nigeria who rely on Twitter for some of their operations fear the consequences of the shutdown. There will be a rippling effect on economic operations, some of which are sources of income for millions of young Nigerians, as well as online news companies that use Twitter to expand their audience and bring news closer to the people. According to this article's analysis of the consequences for financial service providers with a technical basis, "In order to keep their consumers informed about their product offers and promotions, many fintech businesses utilize Twitter. Additionally, Telecos addresses a number of consumer complaints through social media and informs customers of upcoming discounts." This new invention will have a major impact on the approach of investment platforms like Piggyvest, Flutter0wave, and others in reaching out to their clients online. Given the above, the purpose of this research is to determine the impact of Twitter's prohibition on Nigerian small companies.
Research question 1.3
The primary goal of this research is to assess the impact of Twitter's prohibition on Nigerian small companies. As a result, this investigation is focused on;
It is important to see whether the ban on Twitter has a detrimental effect on small businesses in Nigeria.
The impact on small company customer relations of a Twitter ban should be determined.
Find out whether Nigerian SMEs' income would be affected by the Twitter ban.
In this section, you will learn about the research hypothesis that will guide your investigation.
To put it another way, a hypothesis is a hypothesis that is based on experimental evidence that shows a link between at least two variables. It is a testable hypothesis that may either be accepted or rejected based on the results of a statistical test.
An experiment is being conducted to determine if the following hypothesis is true:
H01: Nigerian SMEs would not be affected by the Twitter ban.
H02: Small and medium-sized businesses in Nigeria would not be adversely affected by the Twitter ban.
Twitter's restriction on Nigerian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would have no effect on their earnings, according to H03.
Meaningfulness of Research
The findings of this research will be useful in a variety of ways. First and foremost, this research will provide the Nigerian government with information on the economic consequences of the Twitter ban, particularly with regard to the development of SMEs in Nigeria. In addition, they will learn about Twitter's economic impact on Nigeria and how it has provided job possibilities for many Nigerians. Small and medium-sized businesses will benefit from our research since it will show them what options they have for mitigating the tremendous impact of the ban. Finally, this study will serve as a resource for students, academics, small and medium-sized businesses, and even the general public who are interested in doing research on this topic.
1.6 Study's Purpose
This research focuses on assessing if the Twitter ban would have a negative influence on SMEs in Nigeria, whether the Twitter ban will damage the business customer relations of SMEs, and whether the weather ban will affect the income of companies in Nigeria. A subset of small and medium-sized businesses in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, is the focus of this research.
The study's limitations are detailed in section 1.7
The following are some of the study's drawbacks:
Economic difficulty has made it impossible for researchers to conduct a study with a bigger sample size, which would have allowed the study to cover a broader range of regions. As a result, this project will exclusively focus on Port-harcourt, Rivers State-based small and medium-sized enterprises.
A time constraint was not uncommon for the researcher, since it threatened the study's ability to adequately cover the subject matter. However, due of numerous academic, job, and social activities, it has become difficult to explain the researcher's plan to interview all of the respondents from the chosen small businesses.
As defined in Section 1.8,
Internet-based social networking
In its broadest sense, "social media" refers to any new media technology that allows users to exchange information, images, videos, text, and comments in real time through websites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, and blogs.
Known as "tweets," Twitter is a microblogging and social networking service popular in the United States.
Small and medium-sized businesses, or SMEs, are businesses with less than 500 employees.
REFERENCE
MA Aremu and SL Adeyemi (2011). As a means of securing jobs in Nigeria, small and medium-sized businesses are being used. The Journal of Sustainable Development.
The U.S. Census Bureau. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Nigeria in 2017. Available:thenationonlineng.net/smes-contribute-48-gdp
Ator FO and Ogbechie R (2015). In Lagos State, Nigeria, a review of succession planning in family-owned enterprises. European Business and Management Journal.
Oso, L. (2011). 2nd Edition, African Books Collective, Oxford, UK, Mass Media and Society in Nigeria.
Vanguard News' Steve Babaeko examines the economic implications of Nigeria's Twitter ban: https://www.vanguardngrrcom/2021/06/the-economic-implicationsofnigeriantwitterbanbystevebabaeko/
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