Witchcraft and Computers: Points of Convergence and Divergence (Published)
Justifying a claim that cannot be empirically verified plunders one into deep philosophical waters. The question of verifiability comes to mind especially on metaphysical issues such as witchcraft which might be somewhat difficult to establish. Incessant calls for physical evidence to substantiate the assertion become the order of the day. Attempts to therefore make a synergy between a computer system which is a physical component, and witchcraft, a metaphysical reality, by drawing out the points of convergence and divergence could be demanding. The obvious difficulty in achieving this aim would be made open when one clamours for the existence of metaphysical entities with no experimental means of sustaining it. This may prompt us to question the ground for holding on to such claims. Will it be possible to scientifically prove the existence of witchcraft powers? Will the argument to support the metaphysical reality of such an entity be sufficient to establish its existence? How do we then reconcile the modus operandi of witchcraft to that of computer system? Based on the disparity between computer and witchcraft, is there any possibility of making a synergy between them? The crux of this paper is to expose the arguments on the existence of witchcraft based on their modus operandi and some other immanent facts, with the view of likening this with the operations of computer system.
Citation: Oloidi, Olugbenga Ebenezer (2021) Witchcraft and Computers: Points of Convergence and Divergence, Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol.9, No.9, pp.29-40
Keywords: Computer, Internet, Networking, Witchcraft, Witches, coven
The Occupy Moment: Hong Kong Student Movement in Korea and the Function of Social Media (Published)
With the diffusion of social network sites and applications, social media have become one of the most popular Internet (communication) services. Most of the information exchange that occurs on these social networking sites is not only personal information or entertainment, but also new ways to stimulate citizen engagement in politics because of the fast flowing of videos and news reports. They are incorporating more political issues and public affairs into these social media platforms. The ‘Umbrella Movement’, which triggered global attention, is a typical case that illustrates the importance of social media in the social movement. During the entire 2014 campaign, social media and social media platforms played a key role in providing students a new way to obtain immediate information from different perspectives and allowing some student leaders to announce strategies or directions to other students or participants in the movement. In an era when students’ time and attention are increasingly directed towards social media and social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, these platforms allow students to obtain political information without needing the intermediate role of mass media. Reactions, feedback and conversations generated online are stimulating and facilitate social participation.
Keywords: Facebook, Internet, Netizens, Social Movement, communication
PROSPECTS OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGY IN NEWS PRODUCTION: A STUDY OF VOICE OF NIGERIA AND NIGERIA TELEVISION AUTHORITY (Published)
This research work looked at the influence of the internet in news production with a focus on the Voice of Nigeria and Nigeria Television Authority. The objectives of this study were to determine how accessible internet is to workers of the media houses under study and to ascertain how often the internet is used in news production in these media houses. This study employed the survey method, 50 copies of questionnaire were distributed to newsroom workers of the selected media houses. From this research, it was discovered that most journalists are aware of the use of the internet and subsequently embrace it in their news gathering efforts. Also, the journalists, attested to the fact that internet has improved the speed of news production in their organisation, supporting the finding that majority of news room officials in the studied media houses get their reports through the internet on a daily basis.
Keywords: Internet, News Production, Technology, communication
Prospects of Internet Technology in News Production: A Study of Voice of Nigeria and Nigeria Television Authority (Review Completed - Accepted)
This research work looked at the influence of the internet in news production with a focus on the Voice of Nigeria and Nigeria Television Authority. The objectives of this study were to determine how accessible internet is to workers of the media houses under study and to ascertain how often the internet is used in news production in these media houses. This study employed the survey method, 50 copies of questionnaire were distributed to newsroom workers of the selected media houses. From this research, it was discovered that most journalists are aware of the use of the internet and subsequently embrace it in their news gathering efforts. Also, the journalists, attested to the fact that internet has improved the speed of news production in their organisation, supporting the finding that majority of news room officials in the studied media houses get their reports through the internet on a daily basis.
Keywords: Internet, News Production, Technology, communication
Interrogating the Crisis of Postmodernist Theorizing in Contemporary Nigerian Novels (Review Completed - Accepted)
The post Second World War era of unprecedented information explosion is not without its negative consequences for Nigerian literary sensibilities. In the fast emerging ‘borderless’ world, creative attention shifted to the articulation of the Euro-American ideals. The Internet assisted in no small measure to ‘flood’ the globe with Western norms and, consequently, Nigerian novelists shifted their thematic and stylistic thrusts to reflect the West, at the detriment of their own cultural idiosyncrasies! Thus, against the backdrop of the resolve to appropriate an indigenous theoretical alternative, this study investigates the bastion of Euro-American critical standard that is at variance with the developmental yearnings of Nigerians. It employs the deconstructive approach to critique the epistemological foundation of Western intellectual discourse. It asserts that due largely to diverse cultural experiences between Africa and the West, Western system of thought is inadequate to advance development for a non-Western society. It submits that only a sustained quest into the core African worldview would elicit a credible theoretical standpoint for national development
Keywords: Deconstructive approach., Internet, Nigerian novelists, Second World War, indigenous theoretical alternative