Social Media as a Determinant of Awareness, Knowledge, and Acceptance of Intersex Persons in Nigeria

Social media platforms have reshaped global communication by enabling rapid informationexchange, opinion formation, and social mobilisation. For intersex persons, who have longexperienced invisibility, misunderstanding, and medicalised stigma, these platforms offer newpossibilities for visibility, awareness creation, and public engagement. This paper examines howsocial media influences awareness, knowledge, and acceptance of intersex persons, with particularattention to the Nigerian context. Drawing on social constructivist theory and the uses andgratifications framework, the study reviews and synthesises existing literature from internationaland African scholarship to explore how platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, andTikTok shape societal perceptions of intersex identities. The review shows that digital spacesprovide avenues for amplifying intersex voices, fostering peer support, and challengingdiscriminatory narratives, while also presenting risks related to misinformation, online harassment,and the limited visibility of minority content. The paper adopts a conceptual review approach toexamine these dynamics and highlights the importance of inclusive, strategic, and rights-baseddigital engagement that can support broader social acceptance and reduce prejudice.