From Virality and Digital Celebrity: Algorithmic Amplification of Trivial Content in Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract

Social media platforms have changed how public attention is created, making it possible for ordinary individuals to achieve digital celebrity within a short time. In Nigeria, content with little educational or civic value often receives greater visibility because platform algorithms prioritise posts that generate high engagement. While earlier studies have explored digital celebrity, influencer culture, and algorithmic recommendation systems, limited attention has been given to how algorithmic gatekeeping promotes trivial content and shapes celebrity formation in Nigeria. This study addresses that gap by examining how platform algorithms amplify trivial content and influence online visibility. Guided by Algorithmic Gatekeeping Theory proposed by Karine Barzilai Nahon (2008), the study adopts a quantitative content analysis of 600 purposively selected posts from five prominent Nigerian digital creators published between January and June 2026. The analysis focuses on content type, engagement patterns, algorithmic visibility, and celebrity formation. The findings are expected to show that platform algorithms consistently reward highly engaging but low-value content, enabling rapid digital celebrity regardless of its social value. The study concludes that algorithms have become powerful gatekeepers of public attention in Nigeria's digital space. It contributes to communication scholarship by providing empirical evidence on how algorithmic gatekeeping reshapes online visibility and digital celebrity in emerging media environments.

Keywords: algorithmic gatekeeping, algorithmic amplification, digital celebrity, trivial content, Nigeria.