When Social Media Becomes A Mob: The Case Of Comfort Emmanson And Nigeria’s Culture Of Online Incivility -By Isaac Asabor

The Nigerian social media space has become many things at once, a platform for information, entertainment, activism, and connection. But it has also mutated into a court of law, a boxing ring, and, quite often, a market square where insults fly faster than reason. Increasingly, incivility has become the norm rather than the exception. What should be a space for engagement and dialogue is now a jungle of trolls, name-callers, and character assassins.

This dangerous trend was embarrassingly pronounced in the recent saga involving Comfort Emmanson and members of staff of IBOM Air. Before facts were fully examined, and before she had the chance to tell her own side of the story, the so-called “social media court” pronounced her guilty. Even worse, her dignity was further violated by the reckless circulation of her half-nude pictures, taken in a moment of humiliation, stripped of context and privacy. Instead of empathy, the digital mob responded with cruelty, name-calling, and shameless mockery.

At this juncture, it is germane to opine that this view could not have been better expressed on another day other than now as there is no denying the fact that Comfort is the victim today. Tomorrow, it could be anyone.

Based on stories gathered online, the saga began to evolve immediately she boarded a flight from Uyo to Lagos on August 10, 2025. What should have been a routine trip turned into a nightmare that has since upended her life. As she narrated in a recent video, the chain of events began when a hostess, Juliana, asked her to switch off her phones. One of her devices was faulty, and she struggled to turn it off. With the assistance of a nearby passenger, she managed to comply.

But things quickly escalated. Upon landing, as she tried to leave the aircraft, Juliana allegedly blocked her exit. The situation spiraled into an altercation. Comfort says she was physically assaulted, dragged back into the aircraft, her wig pulled off, her clothes torn, her phones destroyed. She was insulted, branded a “prostitute,” and humiliated.

The worst indignity, however, came when airport staff and others recorded her in a vulnerable, exposed state instead of helping her. Those videos were released into the unforgiving streets of social media, where her body became a subject of ridicule, turned into memes and WhatsApp stickers. Her words capture the trauma vividly: “I am devastated. I never imagined I would be humiliated like this. My body is now everywhere online, even used as WhatsApp stickers. I feel ashamed to step outside. I work in real estate, but how do I face clients knowing my body has been seen worldwide? How will I get married? Even my unborn children will one day come across this. My dignity and reputation have been destroyed.” The foregoing statement is not merely a cry of pain; it is an indictment of the society we are becoming.

Long before her video emerged, social media had already taken sides. Without context, without evidence, without decency, Comfort was judged and condemned. In fact, the vitriol was swift and merciless as some labeled her a prostitute without proof, others circulated her exposed photos, gleefully stripping her of privacy, even as many joined the chorus of ridicule, piling on insults in the name of “banter.”

This is not new. In fact, it is symptomatic of how Nigerian social media handles controversies: a mob gathers, evidence is ignored, insults dominate, and dignity is destroyed. It is a trend we must confront.

Pondering over the anatomy of incivility that now characterized Nigeria’s online space, it is not out of place to ask, “Why does this keep happening? In fact, as the foregoing question cannot be explicitly answered in this context, it is not out of place to note three characteristics of internet trolls that usually stand out under the condemnable situation.  First is that hidden behind avatars and usernames, many people abandon civility. The keyboard becomes a weapon, and empathy evaporates.

Secondly, in the era of virality, speed matters more than truth. People want to be the first to react, even if they are the last to think, and thirdly, in this era of shaming others as if it is culture, it is not an exaggeration to opine that Nigerian social media thrives on mockery. Instead of reasoned debate, there is a hunger for the next scandal, the next “dragging.” But this shaming culture dehumanizes real people with real lives.

Unfortunately, it is easy to see this case as just one person’s misfortune. But the damage is broader. This is as it causes psychological harm. Comfort herself admitted she is struggling with shame and the fear of depression. For someone in her shoes, the line between resilience and breakdown is very thin.

Secondly, reputation is damaged. According to her, she works in real estate, a field that depends heavily on trust and credibility. How does she face clients when her body has been exposed online?

In a similar vein, there are future consequences. As she rightly said, even her unborn children may one day stumble upon these images. That is a lifelong scar, inflicted in minutes.

Given the cost of our collective incivility, it is expedient to urge Journalists and others in the media sector that there is an urgent need to resort to embracing ethics in their reports.  As a journalist, I must emphasize that reporting and commentary should not dehumanize. There is a difference between holding people accountable and destroying their dignity. Unfortunately, many in the media amplify social media mobs without scrutiny, thereby legitimizing unverified claims and magnifying harm. Without a doubt, ethics demand restraint. Ethics demand empathy. Comfort deserved both. She got neither.

Personally, this has to stop. You might have asked, “Why must this stop? Well before answering the foregoing question, it is germane to opine that we must confront the hard truth that holds that the incivility dominating Nigerian social media is unsustainable. The reason for the foregoing view cannot be farfetched as it corrodes trust. In fact, if public discourse is dominated by insults and mob justice, fewer people will dare to speak up on real issues.

Secondly, it destroys lives. Comfort’s story shows how easily reputations and futures can be ruined, even as it makes us less human, despite the fact that a society that mocks victims instead of helping them is a society in moral decline.

Without a doubt, we cannot continue like this as it has now become exigent for us to trend on social media space towards a more civil space. In fact, change must come from multiple fronts, and the fronts cut across the fact that users must think before they post. There should be the realization of the fact by everyone that sharing half-nude pictures of someone against their will is not “content”; it is cruelty. If you cannot add reason or empathy, silence is better.

In a similar vein, platforms must act responsibly. Not only that, social media companies operating in Nigeria must do more to remove abusive content swiftly. Allowing such humiliation to spread unchecked is complicity.

Also in a similar vein, media must uphold ethics. Journalists should resist amplifying mobs. Verify facts, give room for both sides, and protect the dignity of the vulnerable.

Also, there should be legal accountability. Nigeria needs stronger enforcement of cybercrime and defamation laws to deter reckless online behavior. People must know that weaponizing social media against others comes with consequences.

Be that as it may, there is no denying the fact that Comfort needs respite. Beyond policy and debate, there is an urgent human need here: Comfort Emmanson must be given respite. She is a victim, not a villain. She deserves empathy, not ridicule. She deserves protection, not exposure. She deserves healing, not further trauma.

If this society pushes her into depression or worse, the guilt will not rest solely with Juliana the air hostess, or IBOM Air. It will rest with all of us who mocked, shamed, and circulated her pain.

In fact, the tragedy of social media mob justice is that it spares no one. Comfort is the victim today, but tomorrow, it could be anyone, your sister, your daughter, your friend, even you. One misunderstanding, one leaked video, one manipulated narrative, and you may find yourself at the mercy of the same mob.

This culture of incivility must stop. Nigerians must reclaim social media as a space for dialogue, not destruction. We must remember that behind every trending name is a human being with dignity, emotions, and a future.

Comfort’s case should be our turning point. If we do not learn from it, we will repeat it. And with every repetition, our collective humanity will wither. So, let us choose civility. Let us choose empathy. Let us choose to be better.