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Elections And Social Media In Nigeria
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1.2 Statement of the Research Problem
Among
the qualities that can grant a candidate the advantage of emerging
elected into a political office over his opponent have been identified
to include the popularity of the candidate and that of his political
party. And it is a well-known fact that among the means of gaining
popularity as it relates to electioneering in Nigeria in particular, and
the world in general, is through the efficacy of the electioneering
campaigns; entailing the ability of the candidates involved to not only
reach out to the electorates but as well their ability to remain in
touch, making positive imprints on the mindsets of the electorates, up
till the polling hour. Prior to Nigeria 2011 general elections,
campaigns in the country, used to be limited to mainly face to face
interactions and the usage of traditional media (print and electronic).
Notwithstanding, it has come to general notice that such is no longer
the case, since the experience of America during their 2008 presidential
elections, there have been a paradigm shift in the rest parts of the
world, shifting the over emphasis placed on mass media to a rapidly
growing domineering influence of social media on electioneering
processes. This latest development has raised lots of curiosity in
Nigerians, especially the politicians whom seems to be eager to
experiment whether or not the implementation of social media in their
political quests can guarantee them success. Thus it is against this
backdrop, that this research is directed towards assessing the roles of
the social media in aiding the emergence of Gen. Muhammdu Buhari of APC
as the winner of the presidential position against Dr. Goodluck E.
Jonathan of PDP whom despite being the incumbent President, lost the
poll. The pertinency of this research is to grant the researcher the
ability to draw pragmatic conclusions on the place of social media in
the contemporary political sector. This study is to investigate whether
or not a candidate's popularity on social media and the ability to
accumulate massive supports on social media leads to winning of the
election for public office after the poll. The findings of this enquiry
will serve as a foundation that will either reinforce or debunk the
thesis that the social media can promote the possibility of winning an
election ".
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The general objective of
this research is to investigate the rapidly increasing momentum of
prominence the social media is gaining in the political sector, which is
aimed at exposing its contributions to the sector using the analysis of
the roles it played in the 28th March 2015 Presidential elections in
Nigeria.
Other objectives of the study of will include;
1.
To appraise the political parties of PDP and APC incorporation of the
social media in their pre 2015 presidential election campaigns.
2.
To expose if the social media in anyway contributed to Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari winning of the election and Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan's loss.
3.
To investigate if the social media in anyway acted as a check on
electoral malpractices during the 2015 presidential elections.
4.
To evaluate whether the implementation of social media in political
sector especially elections has any effects on the political relevance
of the mass media.
5. To evaluate the reliance on social media as instruments of political campaigns.
6.
To examine the extent to which social media supporters of a candidate
or party exercise the same support on Election Day by coming out to
vote.
1.4 Significance of the Study
Social media, has become
almost an insperatable part of human life. In recent times, social media
have evolved new forms of political participation and as well greater
power consolidation. According to Policy and legal Advocacy Center
(2012), the 2011 elections in Nigeria, so witnessed a remarkable usage
of the social media as tools for political communication. It was used
for campaigns, personality promotions and as well a tool of destruction
and tarnishing of rival candidates and party’s reputation. Thus
neglecting the impacts of social media in not just local but
international politics, is a misnomer. The relevance of this study, will
expose the level of influence the social media has acquired in modern
contemporary political societies. The study will serve as a foundation
that would help politicians understand the need to efficiently combine
the social media and traditional media for efficacy in their
interactions and relations with the electorates. The study will also
help the users of social media, especially the youths to understand the
power of effective usage of the social media and how it can help them
gain command in politics.
Conclusively, the study will help the
governments officials understand the level of harm the social media
lacuna they create between the interval of assumption of office and the
expiration of their tenures in office, can do to their political career.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Elections in Nigeria prior to 2011, were characterized by high level of propaganda, dissemination of fake and uncoordinated information, scarcity of airtime and space for citizen’s participation and other forms of traditional media fostered electoral prejudices. Electorates were at the mercy of the tradition media; Television, Radio, Newspaper, Magazines, etc. to interact with their candidates. The wide gap that existed between the electorates and the candidates denied them their rights t ... Continue reading---
