International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: The rapid growth of social media has transformed communication, particularly among young people who increasingly use digital platforms for self-expression. While platforms such as TikTok and Facebook enable users to construct and express their identities, they also commercialise users' online activities. However, limited empirical research has examined the intersection of self-expression and identity commodification among students in Nigerian higher institutions.
Objective: This study examined how social media platforms simultaneously facilitate self-expression and commodify users' identities among students in selected higher institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria.
Method: A survey research design was adopted. Using Yamane's formula, a minimum sample size of 394 was calculated from a population of 27,000 and increased by 30% to 512 respondents to improve representativeness. Participants were purposively selected from 10 academic departments across Adekunle Ajasin University and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on validated measures of identity performance and the political economy of social media and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: TikTok and Facebook emerged as the preferred platforms for self-expression, reflecting respondents' preference for visually oriented social media. Participants demonstrated moderate to high levels of self-expression but were generally reluctant to share opinions perceived as unpopular. Respondents also showed strong awareness that their online activities generate value for platform owners and that algorithms influence visibility. Inferential analysis revealed significant differences in self-expression across platforms, while greater awareness of commodification was associated with stronger perceptions of the empowerment–exploitation paradox and constraints on authentic self-expression.
Conclusion: Social media platforms simultaneously enable self-expression and commodify users' identities, creating a contradiction that shapes authentic communication and democratic participation among young people.
Unique Contribution: The study provides empirical evidence supporting communicative capitalism by demonstrating the coexistence of communicative freedom and economic extraction on social media platforms.
Key Recommendation: The study recommends strengthening digital literacy programmes to include critical awareness of algorithmic governance, platform accountability, and data commodification.