The Effect of Social Media on Voting Behaviour in Nigeria [a Case Study of Some Selected Voters in Lagos State]

The Effect of Social Media on Voting Behaviour in Nigeria [a Case Study of Some Selected Voters in Lagos State]

CHAPTER ONE

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The general objective of this study is to determine the effect of social media on voter’s behaviour in Lagos State. The specific objectives are;

To find out if social media influences voter behaviour in Lagos State
To determine the influence social media has on voter behaviour in Lagos state
To find out other factors that influence voter behaviour in Lagos state

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The gradual switch from traditional media to social media use in mobilizing and campaigning to voters by politicians is a reality that has come to stay in today’s modern world, and if taken advantage of can open up the possibility for politicians to structure their campaigns to address voters with different beliefs on a more personal level and consequently influence voter’s attitude and behaviour offline. As social media use for political activities gradually increases in popularity and scope, it is of utmost importance to know if there are changes in voter attitudes and behaviour based on online information and interaction. It is also of necessity to investigate the influence of various political campaign sites and other social media sites over voters’ political and cultural perceptions and the way that they communicate and act afterwards.

It is a known fact that social media has significantly altered the accessibility and availability of information on political parties and candidates in recent times. Instead of gathering basic knowledge from news stories and websites, users of social media gather information, and at times, opinions, using interactive sites where communication is continuous between voters and politicians and where information flows directly from politicians’ themselves to voters’ via Facebook and Twitter pages etc. It therefore remains a fact that most voters are likely to change their minds, beliefs and behaviors based on information they get from these sites.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This research study is situated within the limit of Media Systems Dependency Theory

Media Systems Dependency Theory

Considering the impact of social media on the public and the public’s relationship with social media, it becomes clear that social media have become a part of the way we talk, socialize and spend our time; social media has begun to take precedence over other communication and traditional media outlets due to its heightened accessibility and usability. Hence, dependence on social media to provide individuals with rewarding interactions has become greater over the years. This makes social media a particularly effective communication tool, enabling succinct communication with individuals who have already expressed an interest. More importantly it enables public figures “to build deeper relationships” with the public on a more personal level (Comm, 2009) with clients, partners and individuals, creating an easy, far-reaching campaign tactic for modern day politicians.

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

THE RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design to be used in this study is the descriptive survey research design. Descriptive survey research design involves collecting data from existing phenomena in a natural setting, in order to test hypotheses and answer research questions raised in the study.

According to Nachemas et al. (1989:75), a research design can be described as the logical model of proof that allows the researcher draw inferences concerning relationships among the variables under investigation. This case study was designed; using, self-administered questionnaires as the data collection instrument. The study method produced accurate information from respondents through personal interaction.

POPULATION OF THE STUDY

Every citizen that has attained the voting age of 18 years and above as stipulated by the Nigeria Electoral law and has all other rights that qualifies him/her to vote and be voted for in Lagos state form the population of this study.

SAMPLE SIZE

The researcher used One hundred and fifty (respondents) voters that were randomly selected across the twenty (20) local government area of Lagos State using simple random sampling.

INSTRUMENTATION

The instrument for the study was questionnaire. The questionnaire was tagged “Effect of social medial on voters behaviour”. The questionnaire was made up of two sections. Section ‘A’ designed to seek the demographic factors while Section ‘B’ was a four point Likert Scale type designed to elicit workers’ opinions on the main subject of effect of social media on voter’s behaviour.

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

In this chapter, the data collected were being analyzed and the result presented. The obtained results are discussed and the analysis are in two forms. The first is based on the personal data of the respondents, while the other is based on the research questions examined and relevant hypothesis will be tested.

Testing of hypotheses

Ho: Social media does not have any effect on voter behaviour in Lagos state.

H_A: Social media has effect on voter behaviour in Lagos state.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Finding from this study revealed that:

Social media influences the voter behaviour in Lagos state and can affect their decision and judgment about the choice of whom to be voted for.
Social media passes across fast and transparent information to voters in Lagos State which has exposed corrupt practices in the democratic process boosting the citizen confidence about the process.
False information and negative sentiments posted on the social media can influence voter’s behaviour.
Social media has contributed to increased interaction and closeness between political class and the voters in Lagos State.
Rumors on social media can contribute to the cause of voters apathy as the information posted on the media cannot be entirely controlled by constituted authorities.
Social media has created an orientation and education platform for new voters in Lagos State.

CONCLUSION

Forman (2010) ones observed as cited in Nwosu (1992) that for better for worse, we live in an age which is characterized by the widespread use of various channels of communication. These include traditional mass media and the internet for a broad range of political and other purposes. Traversing the political landscape of any country reveals that electorate are getting more and more enlightened. What is wholly or in part responsible for this are the social media. Whatever may be the contributions of other entities such as civil societies, Idiong (2010) argues, the fact remains that the social media carry the greater responsibility for providing awareness and education about our pluralist political life. They are effective means of enlightening electorate on the qualities of individual candidates, political parties and their programmes and the entire election process at all times. From the analysis and interpretation it is clear that social media play a significant impact on voting behavior of voters. Political parties will be successful in influencing the people of the metros city like Lagos State and semi urban cities. Social media is replacing the traditional media but in remote areas traditional media still has significant impact in creating awareness among people. Social media provides platform to the people to get connected to parties they favour. It became an important marketing tool to reach to target audience in minimum time and within less cost. Online banners adds and other form of advertising has a significant impact on young voter specially students which not only influence them but also help in shaping their behavior. People use social media platform to keep track of political development, technology play a vital role in giving first-hand information in less time.

RECOMMENDATION

This study makes the following recommendations:

Campaigns about the electoral process should be a continuous one on the social media without posting lies. This will get the electorate greatly acquainted with all the requirements and process that make one to be eligible. Ones empowered they can freely exercise their mandate with utmost ease.
Government agencies like the National Orientation Agency, NOA and other stakeholders should avoid overreliance on the mass media and make use of social media to rekindle the confidence of the citizens. Interpersonal communication which establishes direct relationship with electorate should be used to complement mass media messages. This is where civil society can play a pivotal role by exhibiting drama to rural communities that need greater awareness.
With intensive empowerment, community voting should be replaced with individual voting so as not to disenfranchise voters. Community voting obviously promotes god fatherism. Absence of this strengthens and affirms our democracy as electorate feel fulfilled they freely casted their votes to those they wanted as against being manipulated by Chiefs and god fathers.
Voters should realize that whoever they vote will impact on their lives in future. Therefore, they should continue with the gesture of wisely casting their votes free from ethnic, religious and social ties as well as other trivial considerations with retrogressive tendency.

REFERENCES

Forman, S. (2010). Political Communication. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Nwosu, I. (1992). “Advertising in Contemporary British Politics.” In Okigbo, C. (ed) Marketing Politics: Advertising Strategies and Tactics. Lagos: APCON.
Edward Bernays, (1928). Propaganda, with an Introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, IG Publishing.
Ellul, Jacques (1973). Propaganda: the formation of men’s attitudes, p. xi-xii. Trans. Konrad Kellen
& Jean Lerner. Vintage Books, New York. ISBN 978-0-394-71874-3.
Emmanuel Osewe AKUBOR, (2015) Campaigns and Electioneering: Reflecting on the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria; Paper presented at the Two-Day National Conference on “The 2015 General Elections in Nigeria: The Real Issues”; Organized by the Electoral Institute, Abuja.
Fairclough, Norman (1989). Language and power. New York: Longman.

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