Profile & Experiences:

Dr. Janet Aver Adikpo is a scholar and lecturer in communication and media studies whose academic and professional trajectory reflects a strong commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching and research across multiple countries. She earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Mass Communication from Benue State University, Nigeria, in 2005, where her thesis examined imperialism in Nigerian broadcast media.

She was subsequently awarded the ICCR Scholarship to pursue a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Communication and Media Studies at Savitribai Phule Pune University (formerly the University of Pune), India, specializing in Video Production Sequence (Non-fiction). In 2012, she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Customer Relations Management from the Institute of Customer Relations Management, Lagos State, Nigeria. She later earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Social Sciences (Strategic Communication) from Azteca University, Mexico, in 2023. Her doctoral research demonstrated that a country’s reputation significantly shapes public perception, attracts investment and supports economic development, while also emphasizing the importance of good governance in promoting environmental sustainability.

Dr. Adikpo currently lectures in the Department of Mass Communication at Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria. She previously held academic appointments at North-Eastern University, Gombe, and the American University of Nigeria, Yola. In addition, she serves as a Facilitator (Project Supervision) and Examiner with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Throughout her academic career, Dr. Adikpo has taught a broad range of undergraduate courses in communication and media studies, supervised student research projects, facilitated seminars and contributed to curriculum development. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes critical thinking, practical media skills and the integration of digital literacy into communication education.

Beyond academia, Dr. Adikpo has accumulated extensive experience in administration, editorial work and field coordination. She began her career as an Editorial Assistant/Columnist with The New Times Newspaper, published by New Idea Management Consultants, Kaduna (2002–2004). In 2004, she undertook a student internship at Vanguard Media Limited, Lagos, Nigeria. She later served as an Editorial Assistant at the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State during her 2006/2007 National Youth Service Corps year.

Between 2007 and 2009, she worked as a Copy Editor/Proofreader at Oracle Business Limited, Makurdi. In 2008, she gained legislative experience through an internship at the National Assembly, Abuja, organized by the Women’s Rights to Education Programme (WREP). In 2010, while studying in India, she participated in a UNICEF India summer internship focused on an ethnographic study titled Education, Work and Migration of Children in Narayankhed Division of Medak District, Andhra Pradesh, under the Knowledge Community on Children in India (KCCI). From 2011 to 2014, she served as Secretary to the Wife of the Benue State Governor at Government House, Makurdi.

Dr. Adikpo’s research interests are situated at the intersection of communication, society and technology, particularly within the Global South. Her work explores political communication, digital media literacy, misinformation, civic engagement, digital citizenship, digital activism and digital media humanities. She adopts interdisciplinary approaches that combine emerging digital research methods to analyze opinionated communication and contemporary media ecosystems.

She is an active member of several academic and professional organizations, including the African Council for Communication Educators, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa and the European Communication Research and Education Association. She is also an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

List of Publications

1. Adikpo, J.A. Review of the book: Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda by Tony Roberts and George Hamandishe Karekwaivanane. Africa Today, Volume 72 Issue 2, 113–115. https://doi.org/10.2979/at.00058. (2025)
2. Adikpo, J.A. and Kapure, R.R. Incredible past and future of the ‘diginimated’ media culture in India. In Future of Media in Asia: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technology and Media Practice. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783031957697. (2025)
3. Adikpo, J.A. Journalistic Interventionism. In G. Szabó, C. Cunha, J. Ruzait?, T. Kuni? (Eds.), OPINION Glossary: Integrating Theory and Methods for Automatically Analyzing Opinionated Communication. https://www.opinion-network.eu/glossary/journalistic-interventionism.html. (2025)
4. Adikpo, J.A. Digital leadership and crisis management: A study of African Presidents' Facebook usage during COVID-19 pandemic. ASRIC Journal on Social Sciences and Humanities, Volume 5 Issue 2, 98–113. https://asric.africa/sites/default/files/2025-05/SSH%202024%209%20Vol%205%20Issue%202.pdf. (2024)
5. Adikpo, J.A. Review of the book: Mental Health in the Digital Age by Sheri Bauman and Ian Rivers. Health and New Media Research, Volume 8 Issue 2, 59–61. https://doi.org/10.22720/hnmr.2024.00164. (2024)
6. Adikpo, J.A. Review of the book: Cultural Chauvinism: Intercultural Communication and the Politics of Superiority by Minabere Ibelema. African Studies Review, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1017/asr.2023.122. (2024)
7. Adikpo, J.A. and Usman, O. Moving towards the path of environmental sustainability in Developing-8 countries: Investigating the role of country’s reputation in mitigating environmental externalities. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Volume 30, 109784–109799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29883-x. (2023)
8. Adikpo, J.A. Social media communication of selected African Presidents during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Communication Inquiry, Volume 47 Issue 2, 145–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599221144314. (2023)
9. Adikpo, J.A., Nyitse, G.T. and Ugondo, P.I. Are traditional platforms muffled by cyber-media? A review on the shift in media ownership in Nigeria. In W. Mano and L. El Mkaouar (Eds.), Media Ownership in Africa in the Digital Age: Challenges, Continuity and Change, pp. 266–277. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003111924. (2023)
10. Adikpo, J.A. Social media alternative for health communication in Nigeria. In Akwala, A.O., Ngetich, J.K. and Theuri, A.W.M. (Eds.), Dialectical Perspectives on Media, Health, and Culture in Modern Africa, pp. 19–38. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8091-1.ch002. (2022)
11. Adikpo, J.A. and Iornem, K.S. Assessing the core competence of the tourism enterprise in Nigeria: A search for practical solutions. In Akbaba, A. and Alt?nta?, V. (Eds.), Industrial and Managerial Solutions for Tourism Enterprises, pp. 128–146. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3030-6.ch009. (2020)
12. Adikpo, J.A. The diffusion of mobile telephony in popular culture. In O. Ozgen (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Consumption, Media, and Popular Culture in the Global Age, pp. 311–327. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8491-9.ch018. (2019)
13. Adikpo, J.A. Fake online news: Rethinking news credibility for the changing media environment. In Chiluwa, I. and Samoilenko, S.A. (Eds.), Deception, Fake News and Misinformation Online, pp. 152–166. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8535-0.ch010. (2019)
14. Adikpo, J.A. and Ugondo, P.I. Communication technologies for social integration of inmates in Nigeria. In Oliveira, L. and Graca, D. (Eds.), Infocommunication Skills as a Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration Tool for Inmates, pp. 194–217. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5975-7.ch009. (2018)
15. Adikpo, J.A. and Alakali, T.C. An evaluation of imperialism in the Nigerian broadcast media. Mkar Journal of Media and Culture, Volume 1 Issue 4, 1–12. (2016)
16. Adikpo, J.A. Assessment of President Buhari’s foreign trips: A public relations perspective. Mkar Journal of Media and Culture, Volume 1 Issue 4. (2016)
17. Adikpo, J.A. and Ugondo, P.I. Critical discourse on gender and power in selected Nigerian films. Kwararafa Journal of Contemporary Research, Volume 2 Issue 1. (2016)
18. Adikpo, J.A. and Ihwa, S.I. Book Production: What You Need to Know. Makurdi: Oracle Business Limited. (2009)
19. Adikpo, J.A. NYSC CDS: A Vista to Nation Building. Makurdi: Oracle Business Limited. (2007)