CITIZEN JOURNALISM AND ADVERTISING PRACTICE IN AN ERA OF SOCIAL MEDIA

 The It is common knowledge that we are steeped in a digital era where content consumers have also become producers. It has therefore become increasingly challenging to strictly adhere to ethical practices by citizen journalists who flood social media platforms with advertisements in bourgeoning proportion. These citizen journalists often act as though in competition among themselves as they engage in weird practices just to drive traffic, and generate more comments, likes, and revenue for themselves. This study, which leans on the Democratic Participant theory, explores social media and the practice of advertising vis-à-vis ethical practice by citizen journalists in Nigeria. The study design is conceptual and adopts a library research methodological approach. Findings indicate that although the Nigerian advertising regulatory body is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing both online and offline advertisement, advertising activities of citizen journalists on social media platforms remain a challenge to ethical practice. The study, therefore, recommends a consistent interface between the regulatory body and citizen journalists for information sharing and enlightenment on ethical practice in the online space.