Navigating cyberbullying in Nigeria’s digital space: Psychological, Social and Economic implications for Nollywood celebrities

Technology has become the driving force in every aspect of human engagement including the entertainment industry. It provides different digital platforms for artists to showcase their creative content, build professional networks and engage with diverse audiences across the globe. Different entertainers in Nigeria such as content creators, artists, comedians, influencers and Nollywood celebrities now relay on various digital platforms to advance their career. This current dependent trend on technology comes with lots of twists and turns as it exposes celebrities to a wide range of cyberbullying or online harassments as well as increased fan engagement. This study examines the psychological, social, and economic implications of cyberbullying on Nollywood celebrities within Nigeria’s digital space. Anchored on General Strain Theory, the paper interrogates how repeated online abuse generates emotional strain, behavioural adaptation, and professional vulnerability among Nollywood celebrities. A mixed methodological design combining historical-analytic inquiry, semi-structured research questions, and discourse-oriented content analysis of public digital interactions was employed. Results indicate that cyberbullying in Nollywood is systemic, gendered, and culturally mediated, creating anxiety, reputational instability, emotional withdrawal, and economic disruption which sometimes paradoxically amplify celebrity visibility and monetization opportunities, creating a dual scenerio of harm and benefit. Among the recommendations of this study is the need to create an enhanced digital literacy, legislating platform accountability, and mental health advocacy within the Nigerian entertainment industry. Effort should be geared towards calls for industry-wide support system and policy formulation to safeguard the mental well-being and digital safety of Nollywood celebrities.