6 - The ‘#tag Generation’: Social Media and Youth Participation in the 2019 General Election in Nigeria

Abstract


 
 
 This article examines the roles of social media on youth’s political participation in the 2019 General Elections in Nigeria. It interrogates the roles played by these communication tools in the emancipation and agency of youths while revealing the double-edged implications the devices may have on the democratic processes and aspirants. The article employs both primary and secondary methods of data sourcing. Primary data were obtained from in-depth interviews with social media ‘influencers’ who played vital roles during the 2019 General Election in Nigeria. Further, data were obtained from selected social media accounts of prominent politicians and analysed using content analysis. Secondary data were extracted from books, articles, newspapers and magazines. Also, the study was contextualised using use and gratification theory. The study concluded that social media played a vital role in the 2019 General Election in Nigeria. It revealed how social media contributed to citizens’ power and agency through debates and narratives which were instrumental in agenda-setting for the ruling class and citizens’ democratic expectations.
 
 
 
 Oluwasola Festus Obisesan, Department of International Relations, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Email: obisesanoluwasolaf@yahoo.com
 
 
 
 
 

Assessment of Digital Campaign Strategies Adopted by Presidential Candidates in the 2023 Nigerian Elections

“…Scholars have conducted extensive research on the intersection of digital media and political activities (Damptey & Akparep, 2022;Dzisah, 2018;Obisesan, 2022;Nanyelugo & Tsegyu, 2017;Alakali, Titus, Akpan & Tarnongo, 2013;Dagona, Karick & Abubakar, 2013). For instance, Alakali et al (2013) examined the use of social media for mobilising Nigerian youths during the 2011 general elections, focusing on the youth population in Benue State.…”

“…Nwokoma (2023) concurs, noting that over the past decade, social media has assumed a crucial role in electoral processes in Africa's most populous country. Furthermore, research conducted by Obisesan (2022) concludes that social media platforms played a dominant role in shaping citizens' decisions during Nigeria's 2019 general elections, influencing their choices of which candidates to support (Obisesan, 2022). Ibrahim (2023) corroborates these findings by highlighting the active engagement of social media teams such as the Atikulated Youth Force, representing the People's Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, and the Buhari Media Centre (BMC), associated with the All-Progressives Congress (APC), in the online sphere during the 2019 Nigerian elections, as they sought to promote their respective candidates to potential voters.…”

Beyond tribal politics for e-participation and development: social media influence on Nigeria's 2023 presidential general election

“…Social media use has enabled people to organise, interact with the outside world and participate in social and political activity, particularly in emerging and developing nations (Howard et al, 2011;Mano and Ndlela, 2020). The prevalence of social media use among young people in Africa is believed to have a connection with their rich history of failed governance that manifests in various forms of marginalisation (Obisesan, 2022). Mano and Ndlela (2020) argue that African people increasingly use mobile and social media to partake in political debates, even in ways that challenge authority.…”

The practice of youth participation in local government elections. Preliminary evidence from Mwanza city, Tanzania

“…Previous studies on democratic elections focused on youth participation in the general elections specifically in voting (Kwan, 2021;Ting and Ahmad, 2021;Mbulaje et al, 2021) and in informal political participation especially activists, online politics, demonstrations (Ting and Ahmad, 2021;Obisesan, 2022). However, Alm (2015) asserts that voting and other political activities beyond voting give opportunities for youth to communicate the political message to politicians.…”