EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON VOTING BEHAVIOUR IN NIGERIA
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EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON VOTING BEHAVIOUR IN NIGERIA
CHAPITRE ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The introduction of the internet and technology has exposed the majority of the world population to many interactive platforms on which various types of information are exchanged, which may have a considerable impact on human behaviour, decision-making, and judgement (CES, 2012).
Social media are new information networks and information technology that use a type of communication based on interactive and user-generated content to develop and maintain interpersonal relationships.
The introduction of the Internet as the new mass medium of the twenty-first century has significantly altered the mass media. As a result of the fast speed, low cost, and broad scope of information distribution, there is equal access to the production and consumption of news (Prat and Strömberg, 2011).
Today’s social media has transformed the world into a “global village,” with the rapid diffusion of knowledge overcoming time and distance constraints (Friedman, 2007). Social media has progressively become an essential way of influencing society, and this effect is solely based on its social characteristics of contact and involvement.
As social media grows in popularity and reach, its influence on voters’ political and cultural opinions cannot be overstated. Social media practically changes how users connect, communicate, and make decisions on social, cultural, and political issues in today’s world.
Voting behaviour is a type of political behaviour displayed by electorates that can be impacted by a variety of elements such as emotion, ethnicity, and religion,
causing people to make particular decisions. Gender, race, culture, and religion all have a significant impact on how a voter behaves and the decision he takes when selecting a candidate of his choosing.
However, major external elements such as political socialisation, socio-cultural perspectives, tolerance of varied political viewpoints, and the media, including the internet, can all impact a voter’s behaviour. The impact of these effects on voting behaviour is determined by the voter’s attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and the source of available information.
Because of its ability to provide immediate and affordable access to the production and consumption of current information in any area of the world without editorial screening, social media has become a strong medium that may influence voting behaviour (Sunstein, 2001). Social media not only gives information on political affiliations, candidates, and party manifestos,
but it also provides a venue for voters across cultural barriers to relate to and interact with themselves on problems concerning these candidates.
As demonstrated by the recent March 28th Presidential elections in Nigeria, political parties, including the two major parties, used social media platforms such as online networking sites, blogs, mobile newspapers, news ads, and so on to campaign and mobilise not only youths but all classes of internet users to vote for them.
This resulted in a plethora of exciting news and drama online, allowing users to read, reply, interact, dispute, and trash out concerns. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, online newspapers, and other social media platforms became forums for people to express their opinions on various candidates and sway others to their point of view through debates, hashtags, and online campaigns. On national matters, this united all Nigerians together, regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity, or religion.
Almost every political party in the country used social media to promote and advance its plans, messages, and manifestos to followers, including advertising, mobilisation, and organising in all 50 states, and even funding. Facebook, YouTube, and especially Twitter were utilised to inform voters about how each party or specific candidate felt about critical national problems ranging from security to power.
As a result, social media grew powerful enough to influence voter decisions and choices, as many voters who had made up their minds and consciences to vote for a specific party or candidate began to change their minds depending on information or ideas they found online about the party or candidate.
The information obtained by a certain voter was also not static, as the same voter would utilise various online tools and buttons to broadcast the same message to other voters like him via mediums such as blogs, facebook, Nairaland, chat rooms, and so on in order to influence them.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The use of emotional appeals in political campaigns to enhance or decrease support for a candidate or a challenger is a widely accepted technique and a regular component of any campaign plan (Brader, T. 2006).
Campaigns frequently strive to instill positive feelings in their candidates, such as fervour and hopefulness, in order to increase turnout and political activism, while also seeking to instill dread and worry in the opposition.
Fear and anxiety disrupt voter behavioural patterns and cause individual voters to seek new sources of knowledge on conflicting political issues (Marcus et al, 2000). Zeal tends to reinforce liking for the candidate and party. Traditional media, TV, radio, and newspapers are among the many sources of information available to voters.
However, with the introduction of online social media forums, most voters may now obtain information, debate it, and provide input on his or her own ideas, opinions, and expectations from the party and candidate.
Although social media has increased the popularity of candidates and their parties, it also has the power to make or break their chances, as well as voters’ perceptions of the party or candidates. Rumours, falsehoods, misinformation, and disparaging material about certain individuals or parties are frequent on the internet and spread far quicker than expected, often with disastrous results.
This is partly due to a lack of editorial filtering and the anonymity of the majority of online users. Because the internet encourages anonymity among its users, those who write and comment frequently use nicknames or aliases.
As a result, anonymity provides a perfect chance for spreading rumours or publishing fake articles about candidates and their parties, which frequently leads to rancour, dread, and concern about the opposition party.
This has a significant impact on voter behaviour since most voters who read stories online prefer to believe them without verifying the facts and make decisions based on this propaganda. This is a generally recognised reality among political parties, and they exploit it to bring down their opponents.
Previous research has demonstrated that carefully prepared material about a political candidate online can influence a person’s sentiments towards the politician, which in turn can alter the voter’s behaviour towards the candidate.
Various parties can also use social media to spread fake news and propaganda about the opposition in order to discredit that party or candidate in the eyes of the electorate while exonerating their own. This has a significant impact on voter behaviour because many voters base their decisions on news they read online.
Furthermore, because there are no longer any isolated spots or hiding holes, social media has made voters privy to any kind of information about politicians and their lives. Online, the private and public lives of society’s most powerful leaders, including politicians, have been made public.
This is because, in today’s society, when a politician declares for a position, his entire life is made public on social media sites, including his educational history, family, career, and any past mistakes or excesses,
for others to comment, discuss, and publicly criticise. Many politicians have been caught in compromising positions, with their statements or phrases taken out of context and exaggerated to enormous dimensions in order to discredit them.
Many times, people would go so far as to videotape private conversations or actions of these politicians and swiftly make the recorded audio or video public on various social media sites such as YouTube, in order to generate a response and vicious backlash from voters and other online users.
The opinion is that it will have a significant impact on voter behaviour and turn such voters against the candidate since the voter can now make judgmental conclusions about the politician based on what he or she said, did, or other information about him or her.
Even if such information is sometimes rejected by the affected party or individual, it remains valid in the minds of many voters who may have already made up their minds or are just unaware of the genuine circumstances.
1.3 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of this research is to investigate the impact of social media on voter behaviour in Lagos State. The precise goals are as follows:
To discover whether social media influences voting behaviour in Lagos State.
To ascertain the impact of social media on voter behaviour in Lagos state.
To discover whether other factors impact voter behaviour in Lagos state
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In Lagos State, does social media influence voting behaviour?
What effect does social media have on voter behaviour in Lagos State?
What variables influence voting behaviour in Lagos State?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
The following hypotheses will be explored in order to allow the researcher to estimate the effect of social media on voter behaviour in Lagos state:
Ho: Social media has little impact on voter behaviour in Lagos state.
In Lagos, social media has an impact on voter behaviour.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will help shine a light on the impact of social media on voter behaviour, decisions, and elections in general based on information available to voters on the internet.
It will also educate important stakeholders such as political parties, candidates, and even civil society on how, when used properly, social media may increase awareness and campaign opportunities.
This research project will assist stakeholders in understanding how keeping a strong and healthy online profile, as well as a cordial relationship between the party and voters, can favourably influence voter behaviour.
Finally, this research will add to the corpus of knowledge on the impact of social media on voter behaviour that already exists in scholarly literature.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study will look at the impact of social media on voter behaviour in Lagos state, with a focus on the actual influence it has on either positive or negative voter behaviour, as well as the factors that influence the behaviour and attitudes that an ordinary voter adopts based on available information obtained online.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Voter: a person who has reached the voting age and is eligible to vote for a candidate in an election.
Social media are computer-mediated technologies that enable people to produce, share, and exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in online groups and networks.
Individuals’ behaviours and mannerisms in relation to themselves or their environment are referred to as their behaviour.
The Internet is a network of interconnected computer networks that allows for electronic communication.
Election: the official process of choosing a candidate for public office or adopting or rejecting a political programme through voting.
A campaign is an organised effort to influence decision-making within a certain group.
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