ALL THAT MATTERS IS JAPA: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF MIGRATION DISCOURSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Abstract

Migration or japa has achieved ubiquity in everyday offline and online discourse in Nigeria. This study focuses on migration discourse (spoken and written) churned out by Nigerians on social media with the aim of highlighting ideologies and discursive and social practices in them. The present study is prompted by the growing discourse on japa on social media. Seven migration texts obtained from the social media handles of Nigerian immigrants observed between July and August 2024 formed the data for the study, and Fairclough’s three-tier model of CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) was applied in textual analysis. Findings reveal that personal pronouns like I and we were used to construct and deconstruct in group and out-group identities by the immigrants, and the identity of immigrants is constructed as Japarians. Deictic expressions were also employed to create distancing and US vs THEM in-group glorification and out-group derogation. The study concludes that migration discourse on social media fosters ideologies that motivate the youth to believe that japa is the panacea for a better life in present-day Nigeria.