Digital Economy and Nigerian Youth: Exploring Religious Transformation, Digital Evangelism and Human Development

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital technologies is reshaping Nigeria’s economic, social, cultural, and religious landscapes. Nigerian youth, as active participants in digital environments, engage in entrepreneurship, education, employment, content creation, social networking, and religious practices through online platforms. This study investigates the impact of the digital economy on Nigerian youth, focusing on religious transformation, digital evangelism, content creation, and human development. Grounded in a humanistic perspective, the analysis draws on the Digital Religion framework and the Capability Approach to explore how digital technologies influence young people’s economic opportunities, religious identities, social relations, and moral orientations. Employing a qualitative design, the study utilizes semi-structured interviews and a review of relevant literature, examining experiences across Christian, Muslim, and non-religious contexts. Findings reveal that digital platforms expand access to religious teachings, foster new forms of community, and enable religious organizations to reach youth beyond traditional worship spaces. However, challenges such as misinformation, polarization, commercialization, cybercrime, unequal access, and value erosion accompany these opportunities. The study concludes that Nigeria’s digital transformation must be human-centered, inclusive, and ethically grounded, aligning with the socioeconomic and spiritual aspirations of young people. Recommendations include strengthening digital literacy, promoting responsible digital evangelism, supporting youth-focused digital entrepreneurship, and fostering collaboration among government, educational institutions, technology stakeholders, and religious organizations.