International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences e-ISSN : 3026-0892 p-ISSN : 3026-1422 Index: Harvard.
Boston.
Sydney.
Dimensions.
Lens.
Scilit.
Semantic.
Google, etc https://doi.
org/10.
58578/IJHESS.
Negotiating Gender Roles through Social Media Cruise:
A Discourse Analysis of Geh-Geh University Narratives Uduak Udoudom1.
Kufre George2.
Idorenyin Ekanem3.
Samuel Etifit4
1,2,4
Heritage Polytechnic.
Eket.
Nigeria.
3University of Uyo.
Nigeria uduakudoudom@heritagepoly.
kufregeorge@heritagepoly.
Article Info:
Submitted:
Revised:
Accepted: Published:
Aug 25, 2025 Sep 18, 2025 Sep 30, 2025 Oct 5, 2025 Abstract This study explores how gender roles are being negotiated through social media cruise culture, using Geh-Geh UniversityAia popular online platform created by Nigerian social media influencer Geh-GehAias a case study.
The core issue examined is the ideological contest between divergent gender role messages promoted by Geh-Geh and his critics, such as Saidaboj and Blessing CEO, whose opposing views reflect broader societal tensions around gender expectations among Nigerian youths.
Guided by Social Identity Theory, which explains how individuals align with social groups to affirm their identities and values, the study employed qualitative discourse analysis to examine online narratives and audience interactions across platforms including TikTok.
Facebook.
YouTube, blogs, and Instagram.
Findings show that Geh-Geh uses humor, everyday language, and relatable storytelling to encourage young men to embrace hard work, responsibility, and value women who support them.
contrast, critics like Saidaboj and Blessing CEO promote messages that endorse financial dependence on men and normalize "billing culture.
Audience responses revealed a polarized landscape: many young men resonate with Geh-GehAos calls for independence, while some women express dissatisfaction, citing reduced financial benefits in relationships.
The study Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025.
Pages 1186-1206 https://ejournal.
yasin-alsys.
org/IJHESS IJHESS Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.
0 International License Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit concludes that gender roles among Nigerian youths are increasingly shaped by online discourse, where traditional expectations are being redefined and Social media cruise has emerged as a powerful arena for gender The study recommends that educators, policymakers, and advocacy organizations leverage digital literacy and participatory dialogue platforms to foster healthier, more equitable gender relations among young people in the digital age.
Keywords: Gender Roles.
Social Media Cruise.
Geh-Geh University.
Social Identity Theory.
Online Narratives.
Nigerian Youths INTRODUCTION In the contemporary dAigitalA age, soAcial media has become a central space where cultural ideas, humour, and everyday life-experiences arAe constructed and circulated.
One of the most notableA phenomena emerging from this culture is what Nigerians popularly call Aosocial media cruiseAo.
siAmple terms, cruise is the act of using jokes, satire, exaggeraAtion, and sAometimes sarcasmA, to express serious issues in a playful or humorous way onliAne.
While at surface level, cruise may appear as mere entertainment, in realAity it reflects deeper struggles, tensions, and negotiationsA in society, particularly around sensitive issues such as gender roles, relationshipAs, and financial expectations.
The ideaA of cruise in Nigerian dAigitalA culture has evolved over the past decade.
During the early 2010s,Nigerian youths began to use Twitter .
ow X).
Facebook, and later TikTok, as arenAas for humour-driven cAommentaries on poliAticsA, relAationships, and everyday frustrAations.
HasAhtagAs such as #WeMove, #JustCruise, or #WahalaForWhoNoGetA became ways of softening seriouAs conversationsA whileA still sending strong messages (Udoudom.
Akpan.
Nwokeocha, & UmorenA, 202A.
A By 2015, cruise had developed into a cultural norm, witAh social media personalities and influencers turning it into an economy of attention.
Over time, what started as harmless jokes developed into a powerful communicAation tool that shapes opinions, reinfoArces stereotypes, and creates countAer-narratives to mainstream ideologies (Udoudom et al.
, 2.
Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit Parallel to this, gender roles remain one of tAhe most debated social subjects in Nigeria and globaAlly.
Genderroles are the social expectations, duties, and behaviours traditionally assigned to men and women inA society.
A In African societies, these roles were historically rooted in cultural and reliAgious tradiAtions, where men were often expected to be providers and pArotectors, wAhiAle women were caAregivers and hoAmemAakers (Ogbenika, 20A22.
HowevAer, globalisationA, education, and technology have gradually transformed tAhese expectations, creating a tension between traditional valuAes and modern ideals oAf equality (Dataphyte, 2.
A Social media has become the primarAy stag e wAhere this struggle plays out, asA indAividuaAls use digital platforms toA either defAend old stereotypes or challenge thAem.
AgaAiAnst this background, one oAf the most remarAkable digAital specAtacles in 2025A has been thAe emergenAceA of Geh-Geh University of Wisdom & UndersAtanding, a self-styAled platfAorm foAunded by Emmanuel ObrusteProsper, populAarly called Geh Geh.
A Established around June/July, 2025, thAis AuuniversityAy atAtracted over 25,000 followers within 24 hours and has contAinued to grow at a staggering pace, with over 25A0,000 people reportedAly attendiAng his live TikTok and FaceAbook claAsses daiAly (Zamani, 2.
Unlike conventional universities.
Geh-Geh UAniversity is nAot aAn aAccredited ins titution, but rather an onlinAe community built around the cAhaArisma of its foundAer, whoA delivers p rovocative lessonsA about women, money, and relationships under the guise of financial and emoAtional wisdom.
The narratives emergiAng from Geh-Geh University are both entertaining and controversAial.
Lessons such as Auno woman suffered with you, she is only with you because you are the best option availableAy or Auwomen pray for rich men,A while men pray for good wAomenAy resonate deeplyA wiAth young men who feel betrayed by modern relationshipAs.
Others, like AudonAot invest in women, invest in businessesAy oAr Auyour gAirlfAriendAos love depends on whAo gives her monAeyAy, reveal a culture of suspicion, mistrust, and stinginAess being nurtured under the banner of humour.
These teachings are delivered in a light-hearted, exagAgerated cruise style,A but the growing number of followers suggests that audiences are not only laughing but also internalising these messages (Zamani, 2.
Across platforms like TikTok.
Facebook.
Youtube and Instagram.
Geh-GehAos contenAt circulates rapidly,sparking heated debates.
On TikTok, his live sessions trend daily with oveAr 180,000 International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit participants, while onFacebook and Youtube, his Aulecture notesAy are shared widely among youth On Instagram and blogs, quotes and memesA from his teachings dominate relationship discus Some of his followers testify that hiAs teachinAgs have Auopened their eyesAy to the reality of womenA andA relationships, while critics argue that he is spreading miAsogyny and reinforcing dangerous stereotypes.
In both cases, what is clearA isA that Geh-GehUniversity has become a discu rsive arena where gender roles are being rAenegotiated through the cultuAral lens of cruise.
Several studies have examined the relationship bAetween humour, digital culture,A and gender.
For instancAe.
Udoudom.
George, & Igiri .
found that humour on socAial media often serves as a coping mechaniAsm for young people facing socAio-eAconomic challenges.
Similarly.
Akanle.
Adejare, & Oshodi .
sAhoAwed that Nigerian social media humour reflectAs deeper frustrations with social and gender inequalities.
More recently, reseAarch has sAhown that social media personalities who deliver controversial gendAered messages attract strong followership becauAse they give voice to grievances many young people feel but rarely articulate openly (AALIGN, 2.
These findings suggestA thaAt GAeh-GehAos rise is nAot aAccidental but part of a larAger socio-digital trend.
As Ogbenika .
observes, language is not neuAtral.
it carries power to shape perceptions and sustain ideologies.
By framing women as untArustworthy, materialistic, and diAsloyal, the narratives of Geh-AGehUniversity risk reinforcinAg patriarchal attitAudes that hinder progress toward gendAer On the othAer hand,A some argue that by exposing hidden trAuths about relationships, these diAscourses empower men to avoidexploitation (Yusuf, 2.
Thus.
Geh-AGeh University is a perfect case study for exploring how gender roles arAe renegotiated in dAigital sApaces using humoAur and satire.
Objectives of the Study This study sought to:
examine how Geh-Geh University uses social media cruise to negotiate gender roles.
ideAntify the main gender roleA messages in Geh-Geh UnAiversityAos social media narratives.
analyseA youthAos online reaction to these gender role messages shared through Geh-Geh University.
fAiAnd out what Geh-Geh UniversitAyAos narratives reveal about changing ideas of gender roles among Nigerian youths.
Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit
METHODS
This study employed the qualitative discourse analysis method.
It relied on existing materials from social media platforms such as Facebook.
TAikTok.
Youtube.
IAnstagram, and blogs where GehGeh UniversitAy narratives were sAhared.
Posts,comments, videos, and live sessions were collecteAd as the mAain sources ofA datAa.
No fieldsuArvey or interview was carried out.
Instead, the study made use of already available online texts and videos that captured Geh-GehAosA teAachings, audience rAeactions, and the discussions that followed.
The method of analysis was discourse anaAlysis.
The study carefully examined the language, jokAes, and cruise styleA used inA Geh-Geh University narratives to understand how gender roles were presented andnegotiated.
Special attention was given to repeated words, expressions, and moral lessons drawn from the teachings.
The analysis also looked atA how followers responded and what these reAsponses showed aboAut ideas of men, women, and relationships.
This helped the study to see the deepAer meaninAgs behind the humour and how social media cruise shapAed the conversation on gender roles.
Conceptual Clarifications Negotiating Gender Roles in Digital Spaces Gender roles are the social expectatiAons and behaviours that society assigns to men and These roles are often based on culture, tradition, and shared values about what is seen as proper for each gender.
In recent years, digital spaces have become places where these roles are challenged,A defendAed, and redefined.
Social media platformAs like Facebook.
TikTok.
Youtube and Instagram alloAw young people to use humour, memes, andcruise toA talk about sensitiveA issAues such as money, love, and power.
Researchers note that online conveArsations can eithAer reinforce old stereotypes or open fresh spaces for equaliAty, depending on how users frame them (Falola, 2.
Digital spaces thus actA as public mirrors where societyAos sAtrugglesA with gender are played outA in real time (Genderpedia, 2.
For many Nigerian youths, tAhe freedom of online expressionprovides a chance to speak about gender without waiting for traditional media orA institutions (Zhang, 2.
The case of Geh-Geh UniversitAyA shows how gender roles are negotiated through cruiseA and Geh-GehAos teachings on social media often touch on menA, women, and relationships, sparking International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit lively debates among followers.
Some of his joAkes reAiAnforce common stereotypes, while others challe ngeA the power balaAnce between genders.
SAcholars warn that such use of humour can normalise inAequality if not questioned (Makama,A 2.
Yet, theAy also highlight how digitalA communities caAn reshape old belAiefs by makAing fun of unfair practices and promoting alternative views (Udoudom.
Okon.
Pam, & Brown, 2.
The debates around Geh-Geh University narratives show that digital spaces are not only sites of entertainment but also informal classrooAms where gender roles are cont ested every day.
Nigerian youths especially use cruise as both a mask for laughter and a tool for deeper reflection on equality and respect (Akanle et al.
, 2.
This makes Geh-Geh University a uAseful case study for understanding how gender is renegotiatedA in todayAos digital society.
Social Media and the Culture of Cruise In NiAgeriaA today, social media is the home ofA what young people call Aucruise.
AAy Cruise is more than juAst jokes.
It is the playful use oAf humour, satire, and exaggeration tAo talk aAbout real issues.
Platforms like FaceboAok.
TikTok, and Instagram have turned into spaAces where youthsA laugh at politics, tease about relatioAnships,A and even mock cultural taboos.
Scholars note that humour in d igital spaAces is not jAust about fun.
iAt is a new form of public tAalk that mixes play with deeper meaning (Vince, 2.
ItA allows people to criticise power, challengAe noArms, or share pain in coded laughteAr (University Times, 2.
UAnlike traditional media,A where voices are filtered, cruisAe culture gives you ng people the freedom tAo shaApe social conversations in theiAr own way (Udoudom.
William.
Igiri.
Okon, & Aruku, 2A.
BuAt cruise is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, it entertains and unites people.
On the other, it can quietly reiAnforce the same stereotypAes it pretends to mock.
Some studAies argue thatA m emes and jokes sometimes normalise inequality by mAaking harmful ideas seem haArmless (Udoudom et al.
, 202A.
Others point outA thaAthumoAur can also open the door to rethinkA poAwer and gender when audiences reAad between the linAes ( Borbon, 2A0A.
CAruise often lives in this tension: halAf play, halAf seriousA.
What looks like a joke can carry lessons about love, money, or respect (Alkazemi,A 2A0A.
is is why many scholars see it as moreA than entertainmenAt.
it is a quiet classroom wheAre society l earns,A unleaArns, and relearnAs values.
Volume 3.
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Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit Geh-Geh UnAiversity shows this tension very clearly.
Geh-Geh mAixes cruise and satire to speak about men, women,A and relationshAips.
His videos spark laughter, but thAey also trigger deAbates that reveaAl how younAgA Nigerians negotiAate gender and respect.
Some of his linAes reinforce old s tereotypes, while others push followers to question traditions.
Udoudom & Nwokeocha .
observe that these digital communities act like open stages where vaAluAes are tested in real tAime.
The critical point here is tAhat Geh-GehAoAs cruise cannot be dismissed as AujuAst jokes.
Ay For many followers, hAis humour shapes hAow they think about gendAer roles, evAen when they claAiAm not to take him serAi ously (Collegian, 2.
This shows that in the culture of cruise, laughter is never neutral.
It is a tool that entertainAs but also educates, sometimesA in ways the audAience doA not even realise.
Geh-Geh University Narratives on Social Media Geh-Geh University, aA self-styled digital movemenAt foAundedA byA Emmanuel Obruste Prosper, popuAlarly known as Geh-Geh.
He calls it the AuUniversity of Wisdom and UnderstAanding.
AAy WithinA twenty-four hours of launchAing, over twAenty-Afive thousand young men signed up to atteAnd his live class.
InA less thAan a week, attendance grAew to hundreds of thousandsA across FaceboAokA.
TAikTok,A Youtube and Instagram.
His appeal lies in his uAnfiAltered teachings on women,A relationships, and money.
He describes hisA sessions asA truth-telling wrapped in humouAr and cruise.
As one pa rticipant noted.
AuI thought it was alAl cruise until I sAawA my ex-student testifying that he joinAed the school live.
Ay GehA-GehAAos growing influence oAn TikTok shows hoAw digitaAl personalities build movementAs thAat shAape youth culture through entertainment and raw talk (Zamani, 2025.
Udoudom.
Bassey.
George, & Etifit, 2024A).
On TiAkTok.
Geh-GehAos narratiAves attract massive crowds, ofAten mAoAreA than 180,000 people in oneA lAive class.
His lessons are sharp, provocAative, and delibeArately controversial.
For exam ple, he teaches that.
AuNo woman suffered with yAou,A sAhe is with you because you are the beAst optioAn avaiAlable.
Ay In another session, hAewarns mAenA never to forgive cheating, insisting.
AuA girlA that cheated on you when datAing wAill still cheAat on you as a wife.
Ay SucAh naArratives generate laughter, outrage, and heated debate among viewers.
Scholars argue thatTikTok thrives on short, punchy content thatA turns complex issues into simplified, relAatable stories (Udoudom, 2025.
Vince, 2.
In Geh-AGehAos International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit case, the format makeAs his controversiAal messages spread faster aAnd sinkdeeper into eveAryday c onversations about gender and trust (Borbon, 2.
TikTok and other social media platforms (Facebook.
Youtube and Instagra.
are built oAn performance, and Geh-Geh exploits this fully.
His style is performative, using satire, mimicry, and exaggerated storytelling to hold attention.
At one point,A he joked: AuYour babe hasAseen more ceilings thAan a carpenter.
Ay Such streeAtwise metaphors resonaAte with his audience, mostly yAoung men navigati ng urban struggles.
ReseaArchers noteA that Nigerian social media content cAreators oftAen use slang, satAiAre,and parody to reinforce authentiAcity and connect withA grassrAoAots yAouth (Odoemelam.
Bah, & OdoemelamA, 2.
By mixing jokeswith what aAppears as hard truth.
Geh-AGeh creates a sense of bel onging among his followeArs, who see his worAds as reflectiAons of theiAr hidAden fears about women and relationAships (Contra, 2.
The narrativesA on social media also touch on money and mAasculinity.
Geh-Geh warns men agaiAnst AyinvestingAy in womeAn, arAguing that resources should be spent on self-growth rather than OnAe of his recurAring lines is: AuA woman is not a business.
Stop inAvesting in theAm.
A FindA aA business and invest.
AyA This aligns wAith sAtudiAes shoAwing thatA malAe-Afocused inflAuencers often present financial caution as part of digital masculAinity culture (Contra, 2025.
Favikon, 2.
His message reinforces suspicioAn of womenAos financialAdemands while preAsenting stinginess aAs a form of self-pAroAt For many, this message rAesonates with economic realities of Nigerian youth fAacing job lessness and inflation (Odoemelam et al.
, 2.
Yet, the reAach of Geh-Geh University on social media raises sAerious concerns.
CAritiAcs argue tAhat suAch teachings may normaAlise distrust, hostility, and negative stereotypes about women.
For ins taAnce.
Geh-GehAoAs clAaim that AuWAomen cheat more than men, but they arAe very secretiveAy porAtrays relationships as conAstanAt battlefields.
Scholars warn that repeatAed exposure to such narrativAes can shape how audiences perceiAve geAnAdAer,especiAally wheAn conteAnt is delAivered in entertaining ways (Muntinga & Moorman, 2011.
Alkazemi,A 2025A).
In fact, humour often alloAws tAoxic messages to pass unchecked, since audiences laugh and share them withoutcritical thAought (Marazziti, 2.
Geh-Ge hAos case illustrates how social media can blur thelineA betwAeenentertainment anAd indocAtriAnation.
Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit Despite the criticisms.
Geh-Geh UniversitAy showsA how social mAedia redeAfines public His social media AuleActuresAymaAy not be formal educationA, but they function as informal clas sroomAs where iAdeasA are spread, debatAed,A and inAteArnalised.
As researchers note, digital platformAs iAncr eaAsiAngly serve aAs sites of alAternativeknowledAge whereA younAg pAeople form identities and negotiatAe val ues (Marazziti, 2A022.
Udoudom, 20A.
For hisfolloAwers.
Geh-Geh is moAre than an entertainer.
he is a guide who speaks the Auhard truthAy about relaAtAionships.
WAhAether his advAice strengthens oAr damages relaAtionshipAs,A oAneA faAct is clear: Geh-Geh UnivAersity is now a powerAful caAse study of hAow social media reshape narratives of genAder, money, and socialA trAusAt in NiAgeriAa.
Audience Reactions and Interpretations to Geh-Geh University Narratives ThAeA popularAity of Geh-Geh UniAversity has shoAwn how digitaAl spaces can quAickly become ba ttAlefields of gendAer pAoAlitics.
A Many young men online praise Geh-GehAoAsA narratives as a wake-upA call.
They argue that his blunt words reveal the hidden struggles ofA men in relationsAhipAsA.
One follower on Facebook commented during a live session.
AuProf is saying what no onAe dares to sayA, womeAn will finiAsh you iAf yAou no wise up.
Ay For thAese men.
Geh-Geh is not justA aA cruise-masterA buAt alsAo a voice of protAection against emotional and financial eAxploitaAtion (Collegian,A 2.
YeAt critiAcAs argue that this loyaltAy comes from a place of hurt, where men are looking forsomeone tojustify their disappointme nts in love.
As one fAemaAle critiAc posted on Facebook.
AuThese boys areonly clapping because they aAre bittAer fArom heartbAreaks.
Ay This makesA Geh-GAehAos wAords feel empAowering to some, but damAaging to others (Zamani, 2.
WomAenAos reaActions, on the otAher hand, have been sharp and equally organAisAed.
Female influencers like Saidaboj useA bold and mockinAg tones to cAounter Geh-Geh.
She dismisses him as an Auoracle with zeAro in steezAyA while advising women to billA menA.
Her famous line.
Aufine giArls no supposAe suffer, if youA no get money waka,Ay wenAt viral as a TikTok sound, attracting tAhousands of duets from young women.
Blessing CEO echoed this, saying on InstagramA live.
AuAnAyA mAan who listens to GAeh-GehA is alAreadyA brAoken.
no real man will feaAr a womanAos love.
Ay TAhis shows how women interpret Geh-GehAos messages as proof of digital misogyny and respond with their own brand of digital fAeminism (Modash, 20A.
The clash between these two camps highAlights how International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit NigeriaAn digiAtal cuAltuAre thrives on poAlarisation, with each side building loyal followings by speakiAng directly to their gender groupAos frustrations (Udoudom, 2.
The cAlash creates a tuAg-of-war inA audience interpretation.
Men repost Geh-GehAos quotes with pride,captioAning them AuPremium bAreakAfast lesAsonsAy or AuStreet wisdom 101.
Ay Women ridicule thAem as Autoxic streAeAt sense,Ay with comments lAike AuThis is why Nigerian men donAot know how to loveAy.
Interestingly, some neutral audiences consume both sides as comedy, enjoying the drama without ful l agreement.
One viral comment on TikTok read.
AuNAa cruise, abeg.
Tomorrow una go sAettAle and still marry each other.
Ay This showAs how humour woArks as both a shield and a weapon in onliAne debates (Modash, 2.
While men laugh at Geh-GehAos warnings,A women use sarcasm and pAarody to downplay his authority.
Such dynamics reveal that audiencAes arAe not passiAve.
They actively interpret and rAeshapAe messageAs to fAit their oAwnA experiAencAes, whethAerA to justify choices, mock oppoAnenAts, or simply enjoy the spectaclAe (Borbon, 2.
In the end.
Geh-Geh UAniversAity is more than a space for cruise.
ItA has become a mirror of NigerAian genAderA relationAs, where love, money, aAnd powAer are constantly negotiated.
Male supporters see Geh-GeAh as a defeAnder of menAAos dignity.
Female supporters of Saidaboj and Blessing CEO see him as a symbol of howpatriaArchy tries to silence woAmen onlinAe.
Both sideAsA amplifyA their messages with memes, live stAreams, and viral quotes.
A As one male fan posted.
AuProf hasA savedA me fArom was tiAng 20k on a girl that no eAven rate me.
Ay But afemale supporter of Saidaboj clapped back with.
AuIf y our 20kA is paining you, go and buAild yAoAurself.
womAen are not beggars.
Ay These voices proAve that whaAt beginsA as AujokesAy can carry serious social weiAght (Marazziti, 2022.
Udoudom, 2.
This critiAcAalA divide is whyA Geh-Geh UnivAeArsitAy is not just entertainmeAnt but also a living case stuAdy of how digital narratives shapeA tAhAeA way men and women see each otherA tAoday.
Theoretical Framework This study is anchored on the Social Identity Theory.
This theory wasA devAeloped by Henri Tajfel andJohn Turner iAn the 1970s.
It explains how peopleA form idenAtity fArom group membership.
The theory has three main ideas.
FirsAt, people categorise theAmselvAes and otheArs into groups.
Second, people adopt tAhe identity of the group they belong to.
Third, people seek positive diAsAtinction fAorA Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
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Samuel Etifit their groups.
This process often leads to in-group favouritismA and out-grouAp criticAism.
The thAeory was first used tAo eAxplain pArejudice and intergrAoup conAflict.
LaAter sAtudies appliAeAdA it to online groups, fandoms and politiAcalA tribAesA.
This theory helps explain why Geh-Geh and SaidabAoj each attract strong, ofteAn opposing Geh-GehAos followers form a menAos iAn-group.
They celebrate lines like AuYour babe is onAlyA witAh you because yoAu areA the best option.
Ay Such slogans act asA groupA markers.
They bond members anAd sAet tAhem apart from women or from men who do not Auwise up.
Ay SaidabojAos followers foArm a womeAnAos in-group.
They use her clips and songs as badges of identity and resiAstance.
OnA TikTok, membeArs ofA each group reApost, duet and comment in ways that streAngthen group identity.
SocAial Id entitAy Theory makes clear wAhy sociAal media drama is not only about ideas.
It is about belonging.
eople take pleasure aAnd pride inA bAelonginAg.
They alAso defend the group by mockAing opponents.
This explains the sharp tone, the memes and the viral dueAts.
FoAr your discourse analysis, social identitAy concepAts help track how laAnguage builds group boundaries, how hAumourA and insAult functiAonA as group glue, and how in-group scripts shAape fAollowersAo sense of self.
The theory also poiAnts to the risk ofpolAarisation wheAn groups harden into echo chambers.
That is aA key issue to note when stAudyin g Geh-Geh UnAiveArsAity and its ripple across TikTAok and other platforms.
RESULTS
Figure i: GehGeh University Logo Figure ii: Vanguard News Reportage International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit Figure i: Reactions Figure iv: The Punch Reportage Figure v: Audience Reactions Figure vi: Reactions by Fans.
Figure vii: Audience Reactions.
Figure vi: Saidaboj & GehGeh Volume 3.
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Samuel Etifit Figure ix: GehGeh Lecture Figure x: FanAos Reaction Figure xi: Audience reactions Figure xii: Coach GehGeh Figure xi: 1st Femal Graduate International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Figure xiv: FanAos Reaction Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit
DISCUSSION
Discourse Analysis 1: How does Geh-Geh University use social media cruise to negotiate gender roles? Data from TikTok and Facebook have shown that Geh-Geh University uses socAiAal media cruise to playfully but powerfully quAestion the place of men and womAen in relaAtionships.
His short clips, jokeAs and slang act as tools for perfoArAmance.
By mockAing unfaithful partners, wAarning men aboAut AuAbaby mAamasA,Ay or teasing women for material demaAnds.
Geh-Geh reshapes gender talk iAnto something that is funny, rAeAlatable and shareable.
In the light of Social Identity TAheory, hAis wordAs help young menA form an in-group identity.
A They see tAhemselves as smarter, united, and difAferent from those who ignore his advice.
This identitAy is strengthened by the humoAur, the inside language, and the collectiveA reacAtiAon online.
This is not a neutrAal process.
As Tajfel and TurAnerA showAed in the Social IdeAntity Theory, p eople often defend their group by drawing lines against the out-group.
YoAung women who dAisAagree with Geh-Geh, orinfluencers like Saidaboj, form their own inA-groups.
They use coAunter-cruise nAarratives, such as AubiAll menAy or AuAfine girls no supposeA suffer,Ay to resisAt Geh-AGehAos teaching.
This contest miArrors what GoAffman .
said about framing, where each side presents a differeAnt picture of reality.
Studies like Vince .
on social media culture support the idea that young peopl e use humour and banter to build idenAtity and community online.
Yet others, such as Alkazemi .
, warn that such diAscourses can also reinforce harmful gender sAtereotypAes if notcriAtically ex amAined.
The main fAindings show that Geh-Geh University does not only entertain but aActiveAly nego tiates gender roles by creatAing group identities through hAumour.
Young men use his cruise as a badgAe of belonging, while yAoung women and rival influencers form their own opposing groupAs.
this way, cruise acts both as a bondinAg tool and as a battAlefield foAr gender ideas.
The negotiation of roles is less about reaching agreement and more aboAut strengthening in-grAoup pride and challenging the out-group.
Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit Discourse Analysis 2: What are the main gender roleA messages in Geh-Geh UnAiversityAos social media narratives? Data from social media posts reveal that ThAe gender role messages in Geh-Geh UniversAityAos social media narratives centre on male independence, caution in relationships, and respect for women who show loyalty.
Geh-Geh repeatedly adviAses men not to spend recAklessly on womeAn and to channel theirA resources into meaningful investmenAtsA, such as buyAing a tricyAcle for a womanAos father instead of giving her quick cash.
These messages stress the value of responsibility, disAcAipline, and financial wisdom as markers of masculinity.
In contrast, critics like Saidaboj encourage women to bill men,A link love with money, and eveAn normalise cheating when finaAnces are low.
The clash of thAesAe views highlights the contest over what gender roAles should mean inA the digital age.
From the perspecAtive of Social Identity Theory, these messages shape group identitiAes among young people online.
Male followers use Geh-GehAos words to form an in-group identity where being Aua real mAanAy means working hard, reAsisting manipulation, and valuing women who stand by them.
On the other side, women whoA support Saidaboj form a counter in-group that prom otes finanAcial dependence on men and challenges male frugality.
The Auopen letterAy fArom the Auladies advocateAy is an example of how women collectively respond, showing that tAhese narratAives are not only entertainment but also battlegrounds for gender identity and group pride.
The findings align with scholars sAuch as Subramanian and Rao .
, who argue that masculinity is constructed through practices that maintain dominance but can also shift when chaAllenged.
GeAh-GehAos emphasisis on respoAnsibility shows a reshapinAg of traditional masculinity in ways that value independence without waste.
Yet, other researchers like Ogbenika .
aAnd Scheffer-Wentz .
woAuld chalAlenge hisnarrative, warning that teaching men to withhold resources may still reinforceA unequal power relations rather than achieve genuine gender justice.
hus, the debate mirArors wider tensionAs in feminist and masculinity studies about whether shifts in practice really dismantle or merely repackage old hierarchies.
TheA main fAindings show that Geh-Geh UniversityAos genAdAer role messages promote male in dependence, hard work, and loyalty inA relationsAhips, while rejectiAng wasteful spending and blind These teachings build a strong male in-gAroup identAity, supported by Social Identity International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit Theory, and stand inA sharp contrast to Saida BojAos promotion ofA financial billing and transactional The contest between these two narratives reveals that social media cruise is more than entertainmenAt.
it is a sAite where young Nigerians actively negotiate andredefine what it means to be a man or a woman in todayAos society.
Discourse Analysis 3: How do youths online react to the gender role messages shared through Geh-Geh University? Data from social media reveal that young peoAple online respond to Geh-Geh UniversityAos gender role messages with both admiration and resentment.
ManyA male audiences see Geh-GehAos teachings aAs empowering because they encourage independence, financial responsibility, and respectA for women who support their partners during difficult times.
In contrast, some female audiences express frustration, as shown in the open letter where aA AuLadies advocateAy laments that men no longer Auspend foolishly againAy or take them to eateries.
This reflects how digital narrativ es about genderA roles do noAt only shape behaviour but also spark contestation between young men and womeAn.
Using Tajfel & Turner .
Social IdentiAty TheoryA, these reaActions can be understood as expressions of in-group and ouAt-group dynamics.
MAale followers identify strongly with GehGehAos narratives as part of a growing Auresponsible menAy identity, while many young women feel e xcluded and threateAned because such teachinAgs reduce their access to financial benefits fArom men.
By contrast, inAfluencers such asA SaAidaboj and Blessing CEO present gender norms that favour female advantage, stressing that men shoAuld provide whilAe women expect rAewards for TAhis clash of group identities explains why disAcussioAns around Geh-Geh University often becomeA polarised on social media.
Scholarly debates also mirror these contrastiAng views.
For example.
Udoudom.
George, & Igiri .
arguAe that digital spaces help young men renegotiate masAculinAity away from materia listic pressures, a view that supports Geh-GehAosA emphasis on independence.
HoweAver.
SchefferWentz .
suggests that onlinAe narratives which challenge womenAos traditional dependence can also deepen gender conflicts, especially where economic inequalities remain.
This contrary position Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit is also reflected in how some young woAmen online blame Geh-GehAos teachings for reducing male spenAding power, thus threatening their sense of social security.
The main findings show that young people onliAne aAre divided in their reactions to GehGeh UniversityAos gender roAle messages.
Male audiences generally embrace Geh-GehAos values of sel f-reliance and discipline, while female audiences.
especially those influenced by figures like Saidabo j and BlessiAng CEO -resist teachings that limit male financial obligations.
In summary.
Geh-Geh University creatAes a strong identity shift for men, but also provokes dAiscontent amonAg women who see such change as undermining their social and economAic advaAntages.
Discourse Analysis 4: What do Geh-Geh UniversitAyAos narratives reveal about changing ideas of gender roles among Nigerian youths? Geh-Geh UniversityAos narratives revAeal that ideasA abAout gender roles among Nigerian youths are beginning to shift fArom dependency and material expectations to self-reliance and While voAices like SaidabojA encourage young women to depend on men for bills and rewards.
Geh-Geh stresses that young men should work hard, invAest wisely, and value partners whAo stand by them in difficult times.
This shiAft shows how digital spaces are being used by youths to redefine masculinity and queAstion long-standing norms of male financial obligation and female Through Social Identity Theory, these changes can be seen as a processA oAf identity regrouping.
Male youths increasingly identify with an in-group tAhat values independenAce and discipline, separating themselves from the out-groAup that embraces AubAilling culture.
Ay However, this identAity recAonstruction is contested.
Female reactions, such as the open letter accusing GAehGeh of causing AuhungerAAy among ladies, show that while men celebrate theirA new identity, women feel excluded and threatened, creating teAnsion in online dAiscourse.
The findings of this study echo Subramanian and Rao .
5A), who argue that digital plat forms are helping Nigerian youths reframe masculinity away from materialistic pressures, but contr astA with Marazziti .
, who warns that challenging womenAos financial dependence may increase International Journal of Humanities.
Education, and Social Sciences Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit gender conflicts.
The main findings are that Nigerian youthsA are renegotiating gender roles through onlinAe narratAiveAs: young men are emAbracing independence and redefining responsibility, while many young women resist thAese chAanges because they reduce aAccess to male fAinancial This reveals aA generational shift in gender norms,A but also highlights the conflicAts that co me with such change.
CONCLUSION
This study has shown that Geh-Geh UniversityAosA online nAarratives play an important role in how young Nigerians think about gender roles tAoday.
By using humour and cruise.
Geh-Geh shifts attention from old ideasA of men as constant providers to new iAdeas of self-reliance, smart investment, and valuing true partnership.
While many young men celebrate these teachings, young womAen often see them as a thrAeat to long-standing benefits they used to enjoy from meAnAos This mix of support and resistance shows that soAcial media has become a real space where culture and identiAty are being argued and reshaped.
The Geh-Geh case reflects a wider change among Nigerian youths who are usinAg digital spaces to questionand renegotiate gender expectatiAons.
SocAiaAl Identity Theory helps explain why menA quickly align with Geh-GehAos values, forming new in-groupAs of independence, while women push back to protect older norms.
The study finds that gender roles are not fixed buAt are actively contested online.
What is clear is that social media cruise is no longer just entertainment.
it has become a tool for debate, influence, and cultural cAhange among young people.
Recomendations Social media researchers and communication scholars shAould carry outA continuAous monitoring andA analysis of how influencers like Geh-Geh frame genderA issues through cruise, in order to document patterns and show hoAw entertainment blends with serious cultural neAgotiationA.
Digital content regulatAors and cuAltural organisations in NigeAria should create awareness campaigns that highlight both the positiAve and negatAive gender rolAe messages shared by online Volume 3.
Issue 3, 2025 Uduak Udoudom.
Kufre George.
Idorenyin Ekanem.
Samuel Etifit influencers, so that young audiences can critically enAgage with such content insAtead oAf accepting it Youth adAvocacy groups anAd NGOAs working with young people should provide safe online and offline platforms where youths can openly discuss and debate these gender role messages, to help reduce conflict and misunderstanding between maAle and female perspectives.
EducationaAl institutions shouAld include digital literacy and gender studies in school curricula to help youAng people understand how online narratives shape their ideas of gender,A identity, and relationships iAn NigeriaAos changing society.
REFERENCES