VOLUME 05 ISSUE 07 July 2026
1Hadiza Rabiu Mohammed, 2Lubabatu Kabir, 3Monde Esther Donald
1Department of Language Arts and Communication Studies Federal University of Education, Zaria
2Directorate of General Studies Education Federal University of Education, Zaria
3Department of English and Drama Kaduna State University, Kaduna
DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i7n07Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
The rapid expansion of digital communication technologies has fundamentally altered the social and communicative landscape of university campuses worldwide, giving rise to new forms of online aggression collectively described as cyberbullying. This article examines cyberbullying discourse among Nigerian university students through the lens of Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), with the aim of uncovering the linguistic strategies, power relations and ideological assumptions embedded in online bullying interactions. Drawing on qualitative data collected from WhatsApp group conversations, Facebook posts, X (formerly Twitter) exchanges and Instagram comments among students at Nigerian universities, the study applies Fairclough's three-dimensional model of textual analysis, discursive practice and social practice to interrogate how language functions as an instrument of aggression, exclusion and identity construction. The analysis reveals that cyberbullying discourse among Nigerian university students is characterised by derogatory labelling, strategic identity denigration, gendered insult patterns, ethnic stereotyping and the deployment of humour as a vehicle for indirect aggression. These discursive practices are shown to reproduce and reinforce broader social hierarchies and ideological tensions within Nigerian higher education. The findings carry significant implications for English language education, pragmatic competence development and digital citizenship curricula in Nigerian universities, underscoring the urgent need for critical language awareness programmes and institutionally embedded digital ethics education.
KEYWORDS:cyberbullying, critical discourse analysis, Nigerian university students, online aggression, digital citizenship, identity construction, English language education
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Cite this Article:Mohammed, H. R., Kabir, L., & Donald, M. E. (2026). Cyberbullying Discourse among Nigerian University Students: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Online Language Practices and their Implications for English Language Education and Digital Citizenship. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCHS, 5(7), 1883-1893. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i7n07