Social media and insecurity of cultural values: Implications for social work practice in Nigeria

Societies define their relevance and gauge the extent to which they are protected from decadence, through their values orientation and conformity. Once these values are eroded or at threat, they scream for the ‘good old days’ regardless of development they claim to have attained. With the world increasingly intensified into a single whole as a result of sophisticated and quick technologies, of which social media is principal, cultural exchange seems common. It is now obvious that social media contents and usage portend cultural and developmental implications for societies. It is in this regard that this paper brews a research and practice perspective for social workers who are trained to be culturally sensitive. It proposes a social media security measure that will see to curtailing the undue influences exercised on indigenous cultural values of Nigerians. This security measure will be championed by social workers and achieved through inter-disciplinary cooperation, social media and physical sensitization and advocacy, as well as clinical/structural interventions. The paper draws its references from theoretical and empirical literature while dependency and critical theory serve as its theoretical
framework.