INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON VOTING BEHAVIOUR OF ALIMOSHO

LOCAL GOVERNEMENT RESIDENTS OF LAGOS STATE: A STUDY OF 2019

LAGOS STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

BY

OKUNOLA, TOLULOPE DIMEJI

1
Abstract

This study examined the influence of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter on
the voter’s behavior of electorate in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State in the
2019 Lagos State Governorship election. The study examined the various social media available
to Alimosho Local Government residents, it determined ways that social media influenced the
voting behavior of Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State Governorship
election, it examined the challenges associated with the use of social media in electioneering
process in the 2019 Lagos State Governorship election in Alimosho Local Government; and it
determined the extent to which the usage of Facebook and Twitter influenced the voting behavior
of Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election.
The study adopted the survey research method. 74,158 registered voters of Alimosho Local
Government constituted the total population of the study, 5105 registered voters constituted the
population considered for the study which was the total population of the three considered wards
namely; Shasha, Egbeda and Idimu wards in Alimosho Local Government. 5% of the population
was used as the sample size which resulted to 255 sample size. Data's were gotten from the
sample size through primary source of data collection which involved the use of self
administered questionnaires. 255 questionnaires were administered and 255 questionnaires were
retrieved back from the respondents. Data collected were analyzed using Frequency and
percentage count which was used to analyze the demographic characteristics of respondents and
mean and standard deviation was used to analyze the research questions.
The findings of the study revealed that many social media platforms such as facebook, twitter,
instagram, youtube were available to the residents of Alimosho Local Government Area. It also
revealed that social media partly influenced the voting behaviour of majority of the residents.
The study revealed there were lots of challenges associated with the use of social media in
electioneering process and lastly, it was discovered that out of all the social media platforms, the
usage of Facebook and Twitter highly influenced the voting behaviour of Alimosho Local
Government residents in the 2019 Lagos State Governorship election.
The study concluded that social media (Facebook and Twitter) greatly influenced the voting
behavior of residents of Alimosho Local Government of Lagos State in the 2019 Governorship
election.

Key Words: Social media, Voting Behavior, Voters.

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND VOTING BEHAVIOUR OF RESIDENTS OF ALIMOSHO LOCAL
GOVERNEMENT: A STUDY OF 2019 LAGOS GOVERNORHIP ELECTION

BY

JIMOH HAMMED ADETUNJI

MATRIC NO: 16/0436

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

ADELEKE UNIVERSITY, EDE, OSUN STATE.

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT OF THE

AWARD OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.SC) DEGREE IN

POLITICAL SCIENCE

MAY, 2022

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The advent of internet and technology has exposed majority of the global population to

different interactive platforms on which different kinds of information is exchanged which might

significantly have effect on human behaviour, decision and judgment (CES, 2012).Social media

are new information network and information technology using a form of communication

utilizing interactive and user-produced content, and interpersonal relationships are created and

maintained. The emergence of the Internet as the new mass medium of the 21st century now

changes the mass media substantially. Information can be distributed at high speed, low cost, and

broad scope and as a result, there is egalitarian access to the production and the consumption of

news (Prat and Stromberg, 2011).

Today’s social media has made the world a “global village”, with the quick transfer of

information overriding the challenges of time and distance (Friedman, 2007).Social media’s has

gradually become one of the important means of influencing the society and this influence is

based exclusively on its social aspects of interaction and participation. As social media gains

more popularity and scope, its impact on voters’ political and cultural perceptions cannot be

underestimated as social media practically influences the way users interact, communicate and

make decisions on social, cultural, and political issues in today’s world.

Voting behavior is a form of political behavior exhibited by electorates which can be

influenced by a lot of factors ranging from emotional, ethnicity, religion leading them to make

certain decisions. Various factors such as gender, race, culture or religion go a long way in

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affecting the way a voter behaves and the decision he makes as regards selection of a candidate

of his choice. However, key external factors may also influence a voter’s behaviour such as

political socialization, socio-cultural views, tolerance of diverse political views and the media,

internet inclusive. The effect of these influences on voting behavior is dependent on attitudes,

beliefs, knowledge and the source of available information to the voter.

Elections are the centerpiece of democracy; through voting, people can make their voices

to be heard in terms of deciding which candidate should occupy identified positions at every

level. By so doing, the people exercise control of the destiny of their country. Therefore,

elections are the electorate’s source of power but they have to know where the candidates or the

parties stand on various issues that are of concern to them so that they can be guided accordingly

in the process of voting candidates into office. Hence, it’s obliviously and worthy to note that

those running for various positions must state their positions and sell themselves to the electorate

through electioneering campaign.

In more recent time, the quest to solicit for support or votes of the electorate has made

candidates seeking for political position to identify new media particularly the social media as a

potent tool of electioneering campaign. This fact on the importance of social media to

electioneering campaign is agreed upon as Bandipo (2016), recognized social media as a tool for

promoting democracy emphasized upon the need for quality teachers when he stated that:

“Through the media, the voice of the people, as well as their thoughts on political issues is

resonated. There is also an apparent synergy between the new media tools available today and

the political life of people, and it typically sets the stage for a potent, interactive and virulent

version of political communication.”

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 The social media has become a powerful medium which may affect voting behavior

because of its potential to provide direct and cheap access to the production and consumption of

current information at any part of the world without editorial filtering (Sunstein, 2001). Not only

do social media provide information about political affiliations, candidates and their party

manifestoes, it also provides a platform through which voters across cultural divides can relate

and interact with themselves on issues about these candidates.

From the opinion of scholars above its rational for one to infer that the popularity of

social media among politicians has immensely increased due to the vast potentials inherent in

them for campaigning. Accordingly, many Nigerian politicians are exploiting the opportunities

offered by social media for on-line electioneering. The 2011 general elections were the first

litmus test of the use of social media by political parties, political candidates, and the civil

society organizations. The election was historic in the sense that it was the first time ever that

new media technologies like Facebook, Blogs, LinkedIn and other social networks facilitated

political communication and participation in Nigeria (Dagona, Karick, & Abubakar, 2013).

Thus, these new media technologies have redefined methods of political communication

in contemporary times and thereby led to significant shift towards the utilization of these modern

tools in the electoral process. More so, it was evidenced in the February 23rd, 2019 Presidential

elections in Nigeria where political parties, including the two prominent parties took to social

media platforms such as online networking sites, blogs, mobile newspapers, news ads, etc. to

campaign and mobilize not only youths but all class of internet users to vote for them. This

brought about a variety of interesting news and drama online providing opportunity for users to

read, respond, interact, argue and trash out issues online. Twitter, facebook, blogs, online

newspapers etc. became platforms for people to air their thoughts on various candidates, and

6
sway others towards their line of thinking with various debates, hashtags and online campaigns.

This brought all Nigerians together irrespective of political divide, ethnicity and religion on

national issues.

Nearly every political party in the country used social media to campaign and advance its

plans, message and manifestoes to supporters including advertising, mobilization and organizing

in all the states of the federation, and even fundraising. Facebook, YouTube and especially

Twitter were used to let voters know how each party or particular candidate felt about important

national issues ranging from security to power. Hence social media became powerful enough to

influence voter decisions and choices as many voters who had fixed their minds and conscience

on voting a particular party or candidate began to change their minds based on certain

information or idea they got online about the party or candidate. Information gotten by a

particular voter was also not static, as the same voter would use several internet tools and buttons

to broadcast same message to other voters like him through medium such as blogs, facebook,

Nairaland, chat rooms etc. in order to influence them.

However, this new paradigm shift has challenged previous methods used for political

communication where television, radio and newspapers dominated coverage of political

campaigns, and thus became the primary source of election-related information. It is upon this

paradigm shift that this study seeks to investigate the influence of social media on voting

behavior of Alimosho Local Government residents of Lagos State.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem

The use of emotional appeals in political campaigns to increase support for a candidate or

decrease support for a challenger is a widely recognized practice and a common element of any

campaign strategy (Brader, T. 2006). Campaigns often seek to instill positive emotions such as

zeal and hopefulness about their candidate to improve turnout and political activism while

seeking to raise fear and anxiety about the opposition. Even though, sources of information

available to a voter vary widely including the traditional media, TV, radio and newspapers.

However, with the advent of online social media forum, most voters can access information,

debate on the information and also give feedback on his or her own views, opinions and

expectations from the party and candidate. This is presumed to have a huge influence on voter

behaviour, as most voters who read stories online have a tendency to believe such stories without

crosschecking facts and taking decisions based on this propaganda.

It is observed that it is possible to influence a person' attitudes toward a political

candidate using carefully crafted information about such candidate online, which in turn may

influence the voter’s behavior towards the candidate. Social media has been used by various

parties to propagate false news and propaganda about the opposition in order to disfavor such

party or candidate in the eyes of the electorates while exonerating theirs. This has a huge

influence on voter behaviour as many voters make decisions based on such news they read

online.

Furthermore, social media has made voters privy to any kind of information about

politicians and their lives. This is because in today’s world, once a politician declares interest in

a position, his entire life including his educational background, his family, his job and any past

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 mistakes or excesses are made public on social media platforms such as facebook and twitter for

people to comment, discuss and publicly judge. Many politicians have been found in

compromising positions with their words taken out of context and magnified to huge proportions

by opposition parties in order to discredit them. All the afore-mentioned have direct or indirect

influence on the decision of a voter. In some cases, voters make terrible mistakes when it comes

to voting, some actions that are sometimes later regretted.

In the light of the above, this research work focuses on the influence of social media

platforms such as Facebook and Twitter on the voter’s behavior of electorate in Alimosho Local

Government Area of Lagos State.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is to determine the influence of social media on the voting

behaviour of Alimosho Local Government residents of Lagos State.

The specific objectives are to

i. examine the various social media available to Alimosho Local Government residents;

ii. determine ways that social media influenced the voting behavior of Alimosho Local

Government residents in 2019 Lagos governorship election;

iii. examine the challenges associated with the use of social media in electioneering process in

the 2019 Lagos State governorship election in Alimosho Local Government; and

iv. determine the extent at which the usage of Facebook and Twitter influence the voting

behavior of Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship

election.

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1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions are proposed to guide this study;

i. What are the various social media available to Alimosho Local Government residents?

ii. What are the ways that social media influenced the voting behavior of Alimosho Local

Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election?

iii. What are the challenges associated with the use of social media in electioneering process

in the 2019 Lagos State governorship election in Alimosho Local Government?

iv. How has the usage of Facebook and Twitter influenced the voting behavior of Alimosho

Local Government resident in 2019 Lagos State governorship election?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Conceptual Review

2.1.1 Social Media

Social media are new information network and information technology using a form of

communication utilizing interactive and user-produced content, and interpersonal relationships

are created and maintained. Typical social media network services could be content sharing, web

communities, and Internet forums.

At least five major features are easy to identify: Social networking and social interaction,

Participation, The use of different providers (e.g. search engines, blog spaces, etc.), Openness,

Collaboration (between both users and user groups). Most of us know social media from its

different tools and communities. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Wikipedia are the

10
most famous. The tools of social media – we can also call them “Web 2.0” tools – developed

quickly, and new tools, functions, and services are born every day.

Social media has become an integral part of life as social websites and applications

proliferate exponentially. It is the collection of online communication channels dedicated to

community-based inputs, interactions, content sharing and collaborations. Though it has no

definite meaning, it is generally accepted as a medium of communication. Dominick (2008)

argues that social media have altered the way communication is done; it has changed the idea of

community and have greatly impacted on the culture of people. Omojuwa (2011) specifically

define social media content as the many tools and space that help amplify the voice of ordinary

Nigerians by bringing their news to homes, offices, and places most of them would ordinarily not

have reached. Hence, Osae-Brown and Emenike postulate that the aggressive use of social media

has changed the way some business people communicate with their customers. Likewise,

consumers use social media to take charge of their shopping.

In the light of the above, Raji-Oyelade (2012) equally refers to social media as the

practice and tools of retrieving and disseminating information, narratives, histories,

performances and ideas in a way that both collation and delivery, as primary acts of writing are

qualified in the immediacy of virtual or mass circulation. Social media in the context of this

study includes the use of telephone and Internet to optimize interaction in the exchange of

information, ideas, news, feelings and opinions. They are devices used to overcome constraints

of space and time in enhancing social interaction. Internet is a multi-dimensional communication

high way, highly decentralized and concentric in form. It is the Internet that breeds the new

media.

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 Similarly, Fagorusi (2013) describes the term social media as “the interactive form of

communication that uses the Internet”. Thus, the social media includes podcasts, Rocs feeds,

social networks, text messaging, blogs, websites, wikis, virtual worlds and other social forms.

Telephone and the Internet have made social media such as twitter, video, my space, sharing

sites, you tube sites, Aigg, flick, LinkedIn, face-book and Skype possible for global use either in

the realm of business, politics, education or international relations. He also opines that the cause

of globalization has been furthered by the new media which has made connectivity realizable.

According to him, the social media has brought about flatness of the world with the

understanding that from one end of the world, one can see the other. This has further given credit

to Mcluhan global village postulate. The social media has been made possible and elastic due to

invention of the computer, the installation of satellite in space, the digital world and new

knowledge n telephony.

In the researcher’s explanation, it may simply connote “within group interactive

communication”. The “group” in this definition represent “social” content of the definition.

According to Suomen Toivo–Think Tank (2012), social media are new information network and

information technology using a form of interactive communication skills, where users produce

the content of information and interpersonal relationships are established and maintained in the

process. A typical social media services could be content sharing, web communities, or an

Internet forum (Sanastokeskus, 2010). In the same vein, Kaplan and Haenlein (2010), defined

social media as a group of Internet-based application that ar2 built upon the ideology and

technology of web 2.0 and allows the generation and exchange of its content. On the social

media, the users are not passive like in the case of Television, Radio, and Newspaper, rather they

are active in the formation and exchange of information (Sweetser and Laricsy, 2008).

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 Looking at social media from a more practical point of view, Sweetser and Lariscy

(2008) define social media as a “read-write Web, where the online audience moves beyond

passive viewing of Web content to actually contributing to the content”. One thing that is

common in most definitions of social media is the point that it is based on user-generate

participation. The opportunity to enjoy user-to-user interaction distinguishes social media from

the traditional media which is characterized by top-down news dissemination arrangement

(Clarkand Aufderheide 2009). Another attribute of the social media which distinguishes it from

the traditional media is the choice it accords to its users. Choice enables people to access the

information they like to learn about through the social media, eliminating the gatekeeper role of

traditional media. On one hand, the choice offered by social media reduces the shared experience

that viewers of particular traditional media channels usual have; on the other hand, it creates a

network of individuals with like interests and similar preferences.

Two primary tools that have enabled people to socialize and connect with each other

online are social networking sites and electronic messaging. More than half of America’s teens

and young adults send electronic messages and use social networking sites, and more than one

third of all internet users engage in these activities (Jones and Fox 2009). In Nigeria,

over3million people have Facebook accounts, while about 60,000 people are on Twitter (Asuni

and Farris 2011). Most people who use social media tools access them mainly through computers

and mobile devices such as phones and Tablet PCs. Analysts suggest that majority of phone

purchases in the coming years will be more for using online networks rather than making phone

calls (Baekdal 2008). Thus, phone communication is now tending toward one-to-many sharing

rather than the usual one-to-one conversation. Social media has shaped political communication

in four major ways. Firstly, it has deepened segmentation of audience triggered by the rise of

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network television channels and specialized magazines and websites. Segmentation of audience

is a product of two main elements of the social media: diversification of coverage and selective

exposure (that is, finding information that aligns with the predispositions of individuals) (Stroud

2008). Social media makes it possible for its users to read and discuss specific issues and then

connect with other individuals who share their beliefs. This has the possibility of creating

individual voters that are fixated on specific issues and who may not be able to relate with the

wider issues that are part of a general election. The existence of different media and brands of

information platform can slit political communication into different segments - all addressing the

same issues from different perspectives.

The second way social media has shaped political communication is by weakening the

gate keeping capacity of the traditional media. Before the emergence of social media, the

traditional media played a key role in deciding what is sufficiently important to be aired to the

public. This gatekeeper role of the traditional media enables it to set the agenda of public

discourse. In the 1970s, McCombs and Shaw (1972) as cited in Okoro (2017) asserted that the

mass media force attention to certain issues. They build up public images of political figures.

They are constantly presenting objects suggesting what individuals in the mass should think

about, know about, [and] have feelings about”. McCombs and Shaw insist that a small number of

mass media news producers dominate the market, and therefore, audiences only get information

about what the media decides is important enough to be covered. By presenting politicians with a

platform to speak directly to their constituents and potential voters without the traditional media

intermediary, the social media has largely curtailed the agenda setting role of the traditional

media (Gillin 2008).Related to the weakening of the gatekeeper role of the traditional media is a

third effect of social media on political communication. The practice of breaking news through

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the social media rather than press releases in the traditional media has gained currency in recent

times. Press secretaries are increasingly losing their control as gatekeepers, and individuals now

have more liberty to frame and prime issues they consider important. In all, the use of social

media limits the control of traditional press secretaries over the outflow of information, and also

decreases the dependence on traditional media for up-to-date content. Although the lack of

control over the content of social media may be positive in the sense that it allows for greater

freedom of information, there are also the dark sides of this phenomena. The social media has

been misused in many ways including using social media platforms to spread false information,

abuse political opponents, and incite violence. This, therefore, highlights the need for a reflection

on how to balance individual freedom and responsibility in the use of social media. Social media

outlets have a responsibility to develop and implement social networking guidelines for their

users.

Finally, Ojebuyi (2012) posits that the emergence of the new media does not suggest the

disappearance of the traditional ones, rather the convergence of the old and the new media has

created a complementary phenomenon where the strength of one genre takes care of the flaws of

the other. The Internet and traditional media are converging as conventional media organizations

create their own websites and also collect information from other sites. Hence, social media has

emerged as the new influencer in social, economic and political settings.

Research has shown that increasing use of social media for political communication has

led to declining newspaper readership and television viewership in many countries (Australian

Media and Communication Authority 2007). Under this circumstance, the social media may

likely continue to dominate political communication, and to serve as a tool for gathering and

disseminating political messages.

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Freedom of expression, social media and fake news

In contemporary media landscape, journalists, communications experts and others see

expression as a weapon. The Internet which provides open space for the exercise of the right to

receive and impart information has redefine public discourse and information sharing process.

The open nature of the Internet, social media and the lack of total regulation and restrictions by

authorities in Nigeria and the world at large defiles freedom of expression. However, in a

number of cases, countries like China in order to prevent access to certain content, adopted

measures such as blocking and filtering for the purpose of adequate regulation. In Nigeria, before

the advent of social media, people rely on the conventional media as their reliable and trusted

news source. This is because, the conventional media provide the public with well researched

news that were gate kept and scrutinized. Our democracy thrived on this model impressively.

Unfortunately, the social media arrive with a freedom for public to develop and distribute

information in their own quota. This is a new model that has been abused for several selfish and

nonchalant reasons. It provides the public with anonymity and immunity to by cut the order. As a

result, some unscrupulous elements with gruesome intentions use the social media to create fake

news and distribute. Such news has created public chaos, communal clashes, political tension as

well as economic threats which are very pillar in democratic dispensation. To this end, it can be

deduced that fake news is a threat to Nigeria's growing democracy not just as a country with high

population but as a country with huge diversity and differences. In order to combat fake news,

scholars posit that glaring discrepancies should be enacted in respect of how freedom of

expression is exercised physically (offline) and virtually (online). The potentially universal

accessibility of the Internet by everyone as a publisher; and its ability to support new, democratic

public spaces for debate (the so-called virtual public square value of the Internet) where social

16
media handlers explore platforms for mobilization and incorporation of citizens in protest

schemes regardless of distance and geographical barriers; a worrying trend, must be carefully

checked.

Misinformation, disinformation and mal-information

Central to the discourse of ‘fake news’ or unreliable news on social media are three key

concepts: misinformation, disinformation and mal-information. Information scientists have long

debated the nature of information: what it is, where it comes from and the kinds of actions it

affords humans, information sharing behaviour is integral to humans, people value exchanging

information even when it is true or false which are diffused via social networks, as

misinformation and disinformation. Social media have made such diffusion easier and faster.

According to Bell (2005) misinformation and disinformation are deliberate and intentional lie.

Zhou et al (2004) in Fallis, connotes that' while disinformation may realistically be inaccurate, it

must not necessarily be inaccurate as long as it is misleading and defines meaning deviating from

facts. Fallis argued that disinformation can portray meanings which could be ambiguous in the

milieu of a particular condition. Buckland (1991) added that, depending on the context,

information is a thing, a process bounded by informativeness. According to him, misinformation

and disinformation may also be things, processes, or knowledge, and therefore informative, by

implying or revealing information which sometime tends to be accidental or deliberate

depending on how the receiver interpret it in relation to fact. On the other hand, mal-information

is seen to be information that is premised on realism, but adopted either deliberately or otherwise

to perpetrate damage on a person, organization or country. A typical example is the publication

of a report which unveils sexual orientation of a person without public interest justification. It is

however necessary to discern messages that are factual from those that are not, and those with

17
little iota of truth) framed and published with the intension of demeaning rather than serve the

public interest.

Misinformation, disinformation and mal-information are raw materials that form fake

news, information sharing systems which are currently and mostly unregulated have altered with

conventional information behaviour. Information published based on falsehood whether with

little iota of facts can have devastating consequences on governments, people, businesses,

information professionals, and user experience designers, as well as other groups.

Misinformation is problematic largely because it can create confusion and mistrust among

receivers, and can make information difficult to use.

Media as Information Provider and Interpreter

Information according to McQuail (2005) in a broad sense is the content (messages) of all

meaningful communication. This includes opinions as well as reports about the facts of the

world. The media provide people with important information about their environment (e.g.

political, cultural, social issues) and respond to more imminent problems (weather, traffic,

natural catastrophes, etc.). At least in part, people make decisions about whether to choose

political leaders to vote for in elections, and judge other groups in society based on the media.

The media interpret events beyond our physical realm and help us make sense of them. With the

improvement of technologies and the advancement of new media such as the internet, media

plays an increasingly more prominent role in our daily communication, interactions and

entertainment.

2.1.2 Voting Behavior

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 Voting behavior is generally conceived as political behavior, because most political

activities deal with voting. In a political approach to voting behavior, Goldman (1966) in his

work on political behavior, believed that it determines decision making process especially with

public decision makers, who are voted by the electorates. But in the work of Deiner (2000),

voting behavior is largely related to democratic principles and individualism. In this assertion,

the behavior of voters is determined by the level of individual freedom to vote in a society.

Where such individual right is guaranteed, democracy will definitely take place.

In a process of typifying different levels of voting behavior, Andreadis (2005) has

intellectually categorized areas through which voters can choose differently in an electioneering

process. For him, under presidential and legislative elections, voters’ orientation is to select

representatives on the basis of their political beliefs. In local elections voters select candidates

that can serve them better and they are capable to do so. Under referendum, voters vote for or

against a particular policy, relying primarily on the efficacy of the policy.

The above typologies of voting behavior were identified by Andreadis (2005) in Cypriot

referendum of 2004. In a study carried out by Winkielman and Knuson (2007) of post war Japan,

findings showed that, voting behavior was significantly determined by “affect” factor. It was also

discovered that people in the rural areas favored socialist parties while people in the rural areas

chose conservative parties. This shows that, rural people are likely not to take political ideology,

campaigns and party programs, but psychologically deals with emotional ties especially of what

affects them. Scholars such as Healy, Malhota and Hyunjung (2010) are of the view that, voters

may use affect as a result of political sophistication and have political stimuli that may result in

an emotional political bias. Some of the mechanisms of affect as it relates to voting behavior

may include: surprise, anger, anxiety, fear and pride (Gomez, Hansfor and Krauss: 2007).

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 Researchers such as Miller (2011), Gomez, Hans and Krauss (2007) have emphasized on

affect as a determinant of voting behavior, believing that, anger may not allow people to vote for,

especially the government in power whose policies or actions could not make them happy and

take them out of anger. Anxiety would determine voting behavior in a manner making the voters

vote for a candidate whose policy they “prefer” (miller, 2011), while people with fear, may

require in-depth analysis and explanations before they vote for a party or candidate (Ladd and

Lenz, 2011; Gomez, Hans and Kraus 2007). The influence of affect as it relates to pride results in

a massive voters support. This psychological work stipulates that those candidates with pride (for

example john McCain and Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu) may mobilize a large number of

voters in an electioneering process, because they feel the emotional attachment and political

stimuli of such pride (Panagopoulos, 2010; Finn and Glaser, 2010).

Implicitly voting implies confidence in choice and decision: it also implies a burning

expectation, which motivates a voter to designate on who best would fulfill his desire.

Psychologically, voting should include the assistance of an undecided issue, the perception of

that issue and the general framework within which solutions to that issue are possible.

2.2.3 Election

The concept of election is associated with so many meanings such that it is hardly

difficult to say its exact meaning. According to Omonijo et al. (2007) cited in Ayo

(2012),election is the act of choosing public officers to fill vacant posts by vote, it is an act of

choosing those that govern a state; it may be conducted periodically. Elections are central in the

institution of democratic representative governments. The reason is that, in democracy, the

authority of the government derives solely from the consent of the governed. The principal

20
mechanism for translating that consent into governmental authority is the holding of free and fair

elections. Corroborating Omonijo’s submission, Ujo (2004) sees, “election is one procedure of

aggregating preferences of a particular kind and a process of choosing between alternatives.”

Elections can be done in practice only through forms of procedure accepted as binding within the

political society. Chukwu (2007) cited in Mato (2009) asserts that election is regarded as the

central institution of democratic government. This assertion is significant considering the fact

that in a democracy, the authority of the government derives solely from the consent given by the

governed to the leaders. The primary mechanism for obtaining and translating that consent into

governmental authority is holding genuinely democratic elections (Mato, 2009).

Election is an important hallmark of enthroning and sustaining democracy in societies

like ours. Umechuhwu (2004) avers that election is paramount and highly significant in any

given society. It is the time when leaders who pilot the affairs of a nation are elected. It is also

the time when all the eligible voters exercise their rights as citizens to participate in the

government. That is, the right to vote and to be voted for. Also writing on the importance of

election, Umar, (2000) admits that elections give the people control over their governments by

enabling them decide on who should be their law makers and decision makers. Hence election

provides the electorates the opportunity to vote their representative into office for a particular

length of time. An election can be seen as the process of selecting leaders through voting.

According to Clotefelters and Prysby, cited in Lawal (2003) election can be described as

mechanism which permits the largest possible part of a population to influence major decisions

by choosing among contenders for political office. Lawal (2003) further states that election

performs the important functions of leadership selections; it enables the electorate to indicate,

21
and by implication, underscore their preference of a particular leader or leaders who they

consider worthier than others for a specified public office.

Okwodu, cited in Lawal (2003) defines electoral system as the process by which the

citizens of a state vote, to elect people to represent their interests and opinions in government.

Thus, for this purpose, the territory of the state is normally divided into various electoral

constituents, the inhabitants of which vote for one of the various candidates to became their

representative. Election is the celebration of the fact that in final analysis, sovereignty resides

with them and they have the last say on the conduct of affairs of the nation. It is on this premise

that Egwemi (2013), avers that elections are an important component of democracy and without

periodic and regular elections, democracy gradually loses its value and appeal.

The 2015 General Elections

The civil society deployed the arsenal of social media effectively to disseminate

information during the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. According to Elegbede (2015), during

the period of campaign, Tweet meets and Hangouts were the in-thing within Nigerian online

socio-political networks. Hashtags such as #MeetGej, #Febuhari, #Marchoutjonathan,

#WhyiwillvoteGEJ, #MarchforBuhari, #GMB15, #LagosForYou and #iHavedecided were

promoted by politicians and their supporters; while#NigeriaDecides, #Nigeria2015,

#iPledgeToVote, #MyPVCnow, #GoVote, #VoteNoFight, etc. were promoted by civil society

groups to increase citizens’ awareness and participation (see also Suntai and Targema 2015).

During the voting process, pictures and videos floated on Facebook and Whatsapp

accounts of party agents who were caught in the act buying voters with money and some other

grants as well as the issue of underage voting in some states prompting immediate action by

INEC. Similarly, during the collation of results, citizen journalists and the civil society never

22
spared any effort to update the public on the nature of results in the various states across the

federation (Oseni 2015).

Initially, the results were viewed skeptically as mere facades by the “zealous” APC, the

opposition party that was bent to grab the mantle of leadership come what may. The masses were

however, surprised to observe that when such results were eventually announced at the collation

center, they used to tally with the citizen journalists’ account on social media. In no time at all,

the social media sites were saturated with subscribers who logged in to be updated on the

elections.

To quote Oseni (2015):the trending results on social media made it clear to Nigerians that

the APC had won in the north-east, north-west, south-west and was competing with PDP in the

north central, while PDP led at the south-south and south-east. Been agitated by the results

trending on social media, PDP accused APC of posting fake election results on social media and

further charged Nigerians to totally disregard results on social media and wait for official

announcement by INEC… However, there was no significant difference between results

announced by INEC and those trending on social media.

Analysts contend that the utilization of social media in the elections obviously frustrated

Nigerian politicians and stopped the popular strategy of changing election results by returning

officers in collaboration with political parties. All through the process of the elections, every

citizen equipped with a mobile cell phone was an observer/reporter, ready to raise alarm to the

virtual world/online community on any traces of malpractice or suspicion at any point in the

election. This, alongside other forces, culminated into an election that was near free, fair and

credible.

23
 Oseni (2015) sums up his argument thus:“Social media age is a revolution to Nigerian

democracy; those who must win election must win the will of the people. The days of changing

election results by returning officers have gone. By the power of social media, citizens know

who win elections before results are officially announced by the Independent National Electoral

Commission INEC… social media has become a force and we must live up to this reality.”

Emetumah (2016) stresses the role played by social media in the2015 polls when he notes

that the various platforms helped shape the opinion of a lot of youths in the election and

increased the political awareness and consciousness of the youths in the country, the outcome of

which was the emergence of an unbelievable win of opposition party (APC) over the ruling party

(PDP) in the presidential election.

Basic Threats Associated with the Social Media Practice on Election

While the new media appears to provide vibrant discursive channels that will facilitate

democracy in the country, a careful observation of the trend reveal quite a number of threats that

are not only worrisome, but have the capacity to diminish the opportunities which they offer to

countries with budding democracies like Nigeria. First on the trail of such threats is the issue of

hate and dangerous speech. This practice was really endemic in the build-up to the 2015 general

elections, where the platforms were deployed to perpetuate campaigns of calumny against

candidates with opposing views. So serious was the practice that it almost divided the country

into the extremes of the Muslim-North and Christian-South.

Ibrahim, Pate, Pereira, Ya’u, Agbanyin and Bagu (2017) investigate the escalation of hate

and dangerous speech in the build up to the 2015 election in the country and discover that: “there

is extensive evidence of an explosion of hate and dangerous speech in Nigeria over the past

24
decade, especially through the broadcast and social media as their major transmitters”. The issue

here is that, although the divide between North and South has existed in the country for long,

new media platforms accentuated the division, and created an atmosphere full of enmity for one

another during the 2015 elections. Sentiments that lie latent in the minds of people were given a

voice, and widely expressed. This development poses a great threat to the fragile democracy

which the country is striving to consolidate.

Similarly, Emetumah (2016, 1) reveals in his study that: “though social media helped in

creating political awareness among Nigeria’s electorates; they also served as negative

propaganda platform for dissemination of hate speeches”. The study which surveys opinions of

200 social media subscribers in Nigeria arrives at a conclusion, that: Social media users grossly

abused freedom of information offered through the medium in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential

election period… the two leading political parties (APC and PDP) accused themselves of

spreading false information on social media using their followers. However, due to unavailability

of regulatory outfit, politicians succeeded in using the platforms to disseminate unofficial and

inaccurate results that created controversies among stakeholders and political parties in violation

to electoral acts guiding elections in Nigeria. Thus, the platforms became a new ground for

propagating unreliable election messages (Emetumah 2016).

2.2Theoretical Review

For this study, three theories are reviewed namely; Uses and Gratification Theory, Agenda

Setting Theory and Medium Theory.

2.2.1 Uses and Gratification Theory

25
The theory was propounded by Blumler and Katz in 1974. Blumler and Katz Uses and

Gratification Theory suggest that media users play an active role in choosing and using the

media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their

media use. The theorists say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfills the

needs of the user. Uses and Gratification Theory assumes that the users have alternatives to

satisfy their needs from any media of their choice. Specifically, the uses and gratification theory

directly place power in the hands of the users. Additionally, studies have described it as the

gratifications or benefits that attract and hold audiences to diverse types of media and the types

of content that satisfy their social and psychological demands (Apuke2016, Wong2012).The

Uses and Gratification theory is linked to this study from the perspective that people use the

online newspaper and social media platforms to gather information and share their thoughts

about governance and generally happenings around the world without stress. People use the

media to satisfy their needs and gratification for news, knowledge, entertainment and other ideas

that can be useful to them. Also, underpinning the concept of this theory to the current work, it

could be deduced that politicians and their supporters use social media such as Facebook,

Twitter, and YouTube to reach out to electorates in order to influence and induce their voting

behaviors.

2.2.2 Agenda Setting Theory

The Agenda Setting Theory was propounded by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw in 1972.

The theory postulated that the social media have power to transfer salience of issues to the public

and thereby, influencing they behaviour or decision on such issues. In 1972 McCombs and Shaw

demonstrated the concept of agenda setting, which is defined as the process through which

certain issues become more relevant than others. Their agenda-setting hypothesis treated the

26
public agenda as a dependent variable influenced by the independent variable of media agendas.

The theory was derived from their study on the role of the media in the 1968 United States

presidential campaign. McCombs and Shaw surveyed 100 undecided voters on key issues and

reflected those on the actual media content. The outcomes validated their hypothesis. In their

study on second level agenda setting and affective priming they presented further evidence on

media influence on political opinion and voting intention. The theory affirmed that mass media

influences political perceptions and codetermines voting behavior. Multiple election studies

documented the significance of the media in political campaigning by claiming agenda-setting

theory effects (Campus, Pasquino &Vaccari, 2008; Dunn, 2009; Balmas, & Sheafer, T, 2010;

Nesbitt-Larking, 2010). This explanation theorizes that the media have a strong influence on

audiences by their choice of what stories are considered newsworthy and by the amount of

prominence and actions they awarded to it. The theory postulate salience transfer. This is

regarded as the ability of the news to transfer issues of importance from the media agenda to the

public versions. Agenda setting depicts an intense impact of the social media; the capacities

disclose to us what issues are notable. It is “the process whereby the media lead the public in

assigning relative importance to various public issues such as voting”. This means that the media

is geared towards influencing people’s perception of what is necessary, acceptable and worthy.

Additionally, Folarin (1998) observes that “agenda setting suggests that the social media

predetermines what issues are regarded as important at a given time in a given society”. Relating

this theory to the current research, it could be deduced that agenda setting explicates the role or

functions of the media (social media) in ascertaining public agenda before, during and after

elections. It further delineates the influence of social media in molding and shaping the notion of

the public towards concerning who to vote for. Research has shown that political leaders have

27
adopted social communication platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to propagate their agenda

building campaigns (Chadwick, 2017), which in turn mould and shape the decision of the public

towards casting their vote for them.

2.2.3 Medium Theory

The theory originated from Marshal McLuhan’s ‘the medium is the message’ postulation.

McLuhan (1964) in his work, he challenged conventional definitions when he claimed that the

medium is the message. The Medium Theory focuses on the characteristics of each medium (or

of each type of medium) that make it physically, socially, and psychologically different from

other media. The theory also examines how communications through a particular medium or

type of medium compare and contrast with face-to-face interaction. Medium theory analyzes

differences among communication environments. With this claim, he stressed how channels

differ, not only in terms of their content, but also in regard to how they awaken and alter

thoughts and senses. He distinguished media by the cognitive processes each required.

Furthermore, the theory claims that channels of communication are primary causes of cultural

change. According to him, Family life, the workplace, schools, health care, friendship, religion,

recreation, politics are all touched by communication technology. McLuhan viewed every new

form of media innovation to be an extension of some human faculty. He argued that the media

are not simply channels for transmitting information between two or more environments, but are

themselves distinct social-psychological settings or environments that encourage certain types of

interaction and discourage others (Ellis, 2009). It emphasizes that a particular channel can

influence human thinking and social organization. Here the channel is seen as key in

understanding how mass communication influences at both the individual, social, and cultural

levels. This theory emphases social media as a powerful medium of not only inducing people

28
but also a medium to awaken and alter voters decision as regards who to vote for during electoral

process.

Having reviewed the three above theories, this present study is anchored on the Uses and

Gratification Theory which suggest that media users play an active role in choosing, using the

media and are goal oriented in their media use. Underpinning the concept of this theory to this

current research work, it could be deduced that politicians and their supporters use social media

such as Facebook, Twitter, to reach out to electorates in order to influence and induce their

voting behaviors during election.

2.3 Empirical Review

Social Media and Voting Behaviour

Young people regard the Internet as a flexible medium for information seeking (Kim,

2013) (Rosengard, 2014), get political news update (Ingrid Bachmann 2013), online political

messaging for opinion expression (Valenzuela, 2013), and political expression (Masahiro

Yamamoto 2014) enhance through a mobile political application.

Biswas et al (2014) in a research work titled Influence of Social Media on Voting

Behavior. The research examine that whether getting influence by social media young voter will

cast their vote in coming election of 2014.Whether social media can be game changer in 2014

elections. With the help of social media will it possible for political parties to get vote from

young voters. The findings showed that social media significantly influences the voting behavior

of the people in large and semi-urban areas through the use of social media. Social media plays

29
an important role in the voting behavior of young voters using attractive advertisements,

especially towards students. It is not only can attract people’s attention even shaping the

behavior to turning out during the election. Their study also found that people who actively use

social media tend to make their decision based on the political content he reads. It was concluded

that social media will not only raise awareness among the public but also serves as a force to

demand individual’s turnout and vote.

Babaleye et al (2020) carried out a study on the Influence of Social Media on Democratic

Governance in Nigeria. The study examines the role played by the social media to enhance

democratic rule in the country. A population of 200 respondents from both staff and students of

Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti was used to gather data. The article was framed on the uses and

gratification and dependency theories. The Survey research method was used to determine the

influence of social media on democratic rule in Nigeria. It was found that majority of

respondents (95%) believed that social media, in spite of their excesses play positive roles to

ensure and enhance durable democracy in Nigeria. It was concluded that social media are a

blessing to information management in Nigeria’s democratic rule.

Aindrila, Nikhil, and Mousumi (2014) in their study on the Influence of Social Media on

Voting Behavior carried out in city of Durgapur, India. The research examined that whether

getting influence by social media young voter will cast their vote in coming elections. Whether

social media can be game changer. With the help of social media will it possible for political

parties to get vote from young voters. It was found that the conversation on forum influence the

female more than the male which indirectly affect their decision to vote. People follow the

political candidate on twitter and Facebook and also actively engage in political discussion by

expressing their views and opinion. It was also found that those people who are highly active on

30
social media their decision of voting will be affected because of the content they read about the

particular politician. It was concluded that Social media not only pull the people by creating

awareness among the people but it also play a supportive role of pushing the people to vote.

Avsar et al (2021) in a study on the Effect of Social Media on Voter Behavior: The

Sample of Kayseri Province stated that social networking is used for effectively and efficiently

interacting with electorate, especially during election processes, through campaign activities. The

study aimed to reveal the effect of social media on voter behavior, a survey application was

conducted with 1231 people in the province of Kayseri. As a result of the research, it was seen

that the effect of social media on the voters differed significantly according to gender, marital

status, age, education and income status, residence, purpose of use and relevance to the political

agenda. The study concluded that social media play an important role in issues such as candidate

recognization, constructive use by political actors and political parties of social media to

manipulate elections and whether message conveyed through these platforms is more successful

in voting. However, it is seen that the participants predominantly make negative statements on

issues such as the social networks showing their political views and affiliation, whether they are

affected by political content, the effect of the statements made on social media during the

election period, or whether social media is a guiding party in the decision of which party to vote

for.

Jimoh (2020) carried out a study on the Influence of Social Media on Voter’s Behaviour

in the 2015 Presidential Election in Ilorin-Metropolis. The rationale behind the study was to

determine the extent at which use of Facebook and Twitter has influence on voters’ choice of

presidential candidates and turnout as well. The study employed the use of mixed method in

which questionnaire and interview were used respectively. 384 respondents selected through

31
random sampling responded to 384 copies of questionnaire administered. The study was

anchored on the uses of agenda setting theory. Findings show that the use of Facebook and

Twitter has 8.6% influence of voter’s behavior. It also reveals that social media was used to

attack opponents, spread false rumors, hate and inciting messages. In view of the findings of this

study, it was therefore concluded that social media (Facebook and Twitter) has influenced on

voter behavior. It is also recommended that urgent review of the various media laws to address

the peculiar technicalities involved in monitoring and moderating the use of different social

media platforms.

Mohammed (2019) in his study on the influence of Social Media on the Voting

Behaviour. The study assessed the influence of social media on the voting behaviour of tertiary

students in the Wa Municipality: Ghana’s 2016 general elections in perspective. The agenda

setting theory was adopted to serve as guidance for the study. Purposive and Simple random

sampling techniques were employed in selecting the respondents for the study. In all 383

respondents were selected for the study. Tools employed for data collection were interview

guide, questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions. The findings show Whatsapp as a frequently

used social media tool. The study established that, 107(30.1%) of respondents from the four

schools (UDS, Wa Poly, Jahan Training College of Education and the Wa Nursing Training

College) reported that political parties employ social media very extensively. The study

concluded that social media really influenced voters’ decisions. The study recommends that, the

National Communication Authority (NCA), and Ghana Independent Broadcaster Association

(GIBA) should be more proactive in the censorship of the political campaigns of politicians.

In a study by Bode (2012) on the 2008 US Presidential Elections and Social Media. The

research focused on how certain behaviors provided personalized information, created

32
community engagement and generated social capital on Facebook affect users' political

participation decisions. In the research, it was found that Facebook usage intensity had a positive

relationship with voting behavior, while it had a negative relationship with the time spent on

Facebook. It was concluded that in order to be motivated to participate in the election or to

encourage any kind of political participation, one must be intensely involved in the Facebook

network and community, beyond spending superficial time on the social networking site.

Bashky et al (2012) in their research on Exposure to ideologically diverse news and

opinion on Facebook says social media has a tremendous influence on voter participation in

elections. The finding revealed that Facebook is found to be a digital platform that has high

political sentiment among users. This is due to its function that allows users to comment and

share status, audio, and visuals with other users. In addition, they also can interact and participate

in the existing public debate space.

Housholder and LaMarre (2015) in their study on social media and political participation,

in which the data of the Pew Research Center for the 2010 American Elections were analyzed by

combining the campaign interviews, it was questioned whether the social media expectations on

the campaign side and whether they were met on the public side. As a result of the research, it

was found that affiliation with a campaign on social media platforms dramatically increases the

likelihood of voters being included in key political participation outcomes. It was concluded that

participating in a campaign via social media significantly and positively predicted the decision to

vote.

Thomas, Karsten and Carlo (2022) investigated the Effect of Social Media on Elections

and how social media affects election outcomes in the United States. The result indicated that

33
Twitter lowered the Republican vote share in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, but had

limited effects on Congressional elections and previous presidential elections. Evidence from

survey data, primary elections, and a text analysis of millions of tweets suggests that Twitter’s

relatively liberal content may have persuaded voters with moderate views to vote against Donald

Trump.

Gap in Literature

In the light of the above empirical reviewed, it was found that researches as be done on

areas such as; The influence of social media on voting behaviour of young voters (Bismas et al

2014, Aindrila, Nikhil, and Mousumi 2014); Influence of social media on democratic governance

(Babaleye et al, 2020); Effect of social media on voter’s behaviour socio-demographic status

(Avsar et al, 2021); Influence of Social Media on Voter’s Behaviour in the 2015 Presidential Election in

Ilorin-Metropolis (Jimoh, 2020); Influence of social media on the voting behaviour of tertiary

students in Ghana’s 2016 general elections (Mohammed, 2019); Influence of facebook on 2008

US presidential elections ( Bode, 2012); Effect of exposure to diverse news and opinion on

Facebook on voter participation in election (Bashky et al, 2012); Social media and political

participation in the 2010 American Elections (Housholder and LaMarre, 2015) and Effect of

social media on elections outcomes in the United States (Thomas, Karsten and Carlo, 2022).

However, it was observed that most researches reviewed by the researcher focused on

influence of social media on young voters, presidential election, tertiary institution staff and

students with considering of social media platform such as either facebook or twitter as a

predictor. Hence, there is a gap in the influence of social media on voting behaviour as respect to

governship election, usage of both facebook and twitter as predictors.

34
 Thus, the essence for this study to fill this existing gap by assessing the extent to which

social media platform such as facebook and twitter influenced the voting behavior of Alimosho

Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election.

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

The study employed survey research design for the research. It involves the use of

questionnaire to gather data needed from the respondents. Items in the questionnaire were drawn

from the research questions to enable respondents give detailed and wider response to the

research questions that eventually helped in determining the outcome of the study.

3.2 Population of the Study

The population for this study includes all the 74,158 registered voters in Alimosho Local

Government of Lagos State. Out of the eleven (11) wards in Alimosho Local Government,

participants from three (3) wards namely; Shasha, Egbeda and Idimu wards were considered.

Total populations of 5,105 voters were registered at the considered three (3) wards.

3.3 Sample Size

The sample size consist only participants who reside at Shasha, Egbeda, Idimu Ward of

Alimosho Local Government of Lagos State. A sample fraction of 5% was used from the study

population of 5105 registered voters constituting 255 sample size.

35
RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Research Question1: What are the various social media available to Alimosho Local
Government residents?
Table 6: Showing the social media available to residents of Alimosho Local government.
S/ Social media Platforms Involved Not Involved Mean St.Dv
N
1 Blogs e.g. Linda Ikeji Blog 158 97 2.87 .969
(62%) (38%)

2 Youtube 201 54 2.97 .893

(78.8%) (21.2%)

3 Facebook 240 15 3.40 .604

(94.1%) (5.9%)
4 Instagram 68 187 2.87 .974
(26.7%) (73.3%)
5 Twitter 138 117 3.23 .750
(54.1%) (45.9%)
6 Whatsapp 252 3 3.47 .597
(98.8%) (1.2%)
7 Telegram 213 42 3.12 .850
(83.5%) (16.5%)
8 Ayoba 47 208 2.40 1.03
(18.4%) (81.6%)
Grand Mean= 2.67
Source: field survey
Table 6 above shows the social media platforms available to residents of Alimosho Local
Government.

Research Question2: What are the ways that social media influenced the voting behavior of
Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election?

36
Table 7: showing the ways in which social media influenced the voting behavior of
Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election

S/ Items SA A D SD Mean St.Dv

N
1 Social Media provide me with 183 34 20 18 3.02 .795
information about political
trends and issues (71.8%) (13.3%) (7.8%) (7.1%)
2 Social media provide me with 102 95 34 24 3.51 .626
information regarding the
lifestyle, education and career (40%) (37.3%) (13.3% (9.4%)
of a political candidate )
3 Information on social media 89 45 58 63 3.17 .629
about a political candidate
influence my voting behaviour (34.9%) (17.6%) (22.7% (24.7%)
)
4 Social media information is 35 28 70 122 2.78 .822
the major determinant of who
I cast my vote for. (13.7%) (11%) (27.5% (47.8%)
)
5 I cast my vote because of the 86 60 10 99 2.66 .762
manifesto of the political
party/candidate on social (33.7%) (23.5%) (3.9%) (38.8%)
media
6 Social media platforms reveal 33 63 81 78 3.24 .624
the integrity of the political
candidates to vote for. (12.9%) (24.7%) (31.8% (30.6%)
)
Grand Mean= 3.06
Source: field survey
Table 7 above shows the ways in which social media influenced the voting behavior of Alimosho
Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election.

37
Research Question3: What are the challenges associated with the use of social media in
electioneering process in the 2019 Lagos state governorship election in Alimosho Local
government?

Table 8:Showing the challenges associated with the use of social media in electioneering
process in the 2019 Lagos state governorship election in Alimosho Local government
S/ Items SA A D SD Mean St.Dv
N
1 Social media leads to the 101 95 39 20 2.93 .848
spread of fake election
result during electoral 39.6% 37.3% 15.3% 7.8%
practices.
2 Social media sometimes 25 45 80 105 3.10 .539
creates and fuels crisis
during electoral practices. 9.8% 17.6% 31.4% 41.2%
3 Social media creates panic 99 95 31 30 3.20 .679
as a result of fake news
38.8% 37.3% 12.2% 11.7%
4 Some contents of social 85 103 22 45 3.12 .640
media concerning election
results come from 33.3% 40.4% 8.6% 17.6%
unreliable sources.
5 False information about a 107 72 32 44 2.41 .865
political candidate is
obtained on social media. 42% 28.2% 12.5% 17.3%
6 Social media sometimes 73 82 63 37 2.20 .954
tampers with the trust the 28.6% 32.2% 24.7% 14.5%
people have in the mass
media
7 There is the challenge of 68 74 75 38 2.91 .758
uncontrolled situation in 26.7% 29% 29.4% 14.9%
the social media.
38
 Grand Mean= 2.84
Source: field survey
Table 8 above shows the challenges associated with the use of social media in
electioneering process in the 2019 Lagos state governorship election in Alimosho Local
government.

Research Question4: How has the usage of Facebook and Twitter influenced the voting
behaviour of Alimosho Local Government resident in 2019 Lagos State governorship election?
Table 9 showing how the usage of Facebook and Twitter influenced the voting behaviour of
Alimosho Local Government resident in 2019 Lagos State governorship election
S/ Items SA A D SD Mean St.Dv
N
1 I get election updates more on 73 119 48 15 2.90 .705
twitter and facebook than other 28.6% 46.7% 18.8% 5.9%
social media platforms
2 I follow political candidates on 71 120 48 16 2.20 .714
their facebook and twitter 27.8% 47.1% 18.8%% 6.3%
account than other social
media platforms
3 Facebook and twitter provide 103 109 23 20 2.41 .724
genuine information about a 40.4% 42.7% 9% 7.8%
political candidate than other
media and this influences my
voting behaviour.
4 Facebook and twitter affect my 44 137 45 29 3.17 .775
decision on who to vote for 17.3% 53.7% 17.6% 11.4%
5 I vote for political candidate 65 98 66 26 2.87 .872
that has many followers on 25.5% 38.4% 25.9% 10.2%
facebook and twitter
6 I vote for political candidate 48 71 109 27 3.20 .962
that is accountable and 18.8%% 27.8% 42.7% 10.6%

39
 transparent to everyone on
facebook and twitter
Grand Mean= 2.79
Source: field survey
Table 9 above shows the usage of Facebook and Twitter influenced the voting behaviour of
Alimosho Local Government resident in 2019 Lagos State governorship election.

Discussion of the Findings

Research Question One: What are the various social media available to Alimosho Local

Government residents?

The responses of the respondents to this question was analyzed and presented in table 6 above.

Data on the Table6 indicated that; whatsapp ( x̄ =3.47) was ranked highest by the mean score

rating and was followed in succession by facebook ( x̄ =3.40), twitter ( x̄ =3.23), telegram ( x̄

=3.12), youtube ( x̄ =2.97), blogs and instagram ( x̄ =2.87) and ayoba ( x̄ =2.40) respectively. The

weighted mean average is 2.67 which implies that the residents of Alimosho Local Governments

have many of the social media platforms available to them. It can thus be said that the people of

Alimoso Local Government are well exposed to and also active participants of social media

platforms.

Research Question Two: What are the ways that social media influenced the voting behavior of

Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election?

In order to know the ways by which social media influenced the voting behavior of Alimosho

Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election, some questions were

asked by the researchers and answered by the respondents. These answers were analyzed and

40
also presented in table 7 above. Data on the Table7 indicated that; Social media provide me with

information regarding the lifestyle, education and career of a political candidate ( x̄ =3.51) was

ranked highest by the mean score rating and was followed in succession by Social media

platforms reveal the integrity of the political candidates to vote for ( x̄ =3.24), Information on

social media about a political candidate influence my voting behaviour ( x̄ =3.17), Social Media

provide me with information about political trends and issues ( x̄ =3.02), Social media

information is the major determinant of who I cast my vote for( x̄ =2.78) and lastly, I cast my

vote because of the manifesto of the political party/candidate on social media( x̄ =2.66)

respectively. The grand mean is 3.06 which implies that social media partly influenced the voting

behavior of majority of Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship

election. It can thus be concluded that the social media as a platform for influencing the voting

behaviour have more of a balanced effect on the majority of the residents of Alimosho Local

Government.

Research Question Three: What are the challenges associated with the use of social media in

electioneering process in the 2019 Lagos State governorship election in Alimosho Local

Government?

The data on Table 8 above indicated that there are lots of challenges associated with the use of

social media in electioneering process in the 2019 Lagos state governorship election in Alimosho

Local government. The responses analyzed are as follows; Social media creates panic as a result

of fake news ( x̄ =3.20) was ranked highest by the mean score rating and was followed in

succession by Some contents of social media concerning election results come from unreliable

sources ( x̄ =3.12), Social media sometimes creates and fuels crisis during electoral practices( x̄

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=3.10), Social media leads to the spread of fake election result during electoral practices( x̄

=2.93), There is the challenge of uncontrolled situation in the social media( x̄ =2.91), False

information about a political candidate is obtained on social media( x̄ =2.41)and lastly, Social

media sometimes tamper with the trust the people have in the mass media( x̄ =2.20) respectively.

The weighted mean average is 2.84 which implies that there are lots of challenges associated

with the use of social media in electioneering process. It can thus be concluded that the social

media as a platform might be a blessing to information dissemination under electioneering but if

not properly managed (checked and monitored) they could cause doom. Furthermore, the result

implies that social media has so many disadvantages on electioneering and voting behaviour and

a little advantages.

Research Question Four: How has the usage of Facebook and Twitter influenced the voting

behaviour of Alimosho Local Government resident in 2019 Lagos State governorship election?

The data on Table 9 above indicated that the usage of Facebook and Twitter highly influenced

the voting behaviour of Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship

election. The responses analyzed are as follows; I vote for political candidate that is accountable

and transparent to everyone on facebook and twitter ( x̄ =3.20) was ranked highest by the mean

score rating and was followed in succession by Facebook and twitter affect my decision on who

to vote for( x̄ =3.17), I get election updates more on twitter and facebook than other social media

platforms ( x̄ =2.90), I vote for political candidate that has many followers on facebook and

twitter( x̄ =2.87), Facebook and twitter provide genuine information about a political candidate

than other media and this influences my voting behaviour ( x̄ =2.41) and I follow political

candidates on their facebook and twitter account than other social media platforms ( x̄ =2.20)

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respectively. The grand mean is 2.79 and clearly indicates that the usage of Facebook and

Twitter highly influenced the voting behaviour of Alimosho residents. It can thus be concluded

that social media platform such as facebook and twitter play a significant impact on voting

behavior of Alimosho residents. People use social media platform to keep track of political

candidate and political party, also facebook and twitter play a vital role in giving first-hand

information about political candidate in less time compared to other social media platforms.

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary

The study set out to examine the influence of social media on the voting behaviour of

Alimosho Local Government residents of Lagos State. Literature and theories were reviewed to

better appreciate the concept, and sound methodological approaches were adopted for the study.

The findings of the study showed that many social platforms are available to the residents of

Alimosho Local Government and also social media partly influenced the voting behavior of

majority of Alimosho Local Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election.

However, the findings reveal that there are lots of challenges associated with the use of social

media in electioneering process in the 2019 Lagos state governorship election in Alimosho Local

Government and it was discovered that out of all the social media platforms, the usage of

Facebook and Twitter highly influenced the voting behaviour of Alimosho Local Government

residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election.

5.2 Conclusion

From the analysis and interpretation, it is clear that social media platforms are sources of

information and such information has partly influenced the voting behaviour of Alimosho Local

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Government residents in 2019 Lagos State governorship election. Political parties and candidates

will be successful in influencing the people voting behaviour and decision through the proper use

of social media platforms such as facebook and twitter. Social media provides platform for

people to get connected to candidates and parties they favor, therefore, it became an important

marketing tool to reach to target audience in minimum time and within less cost. The study

however shows that vital lessons could be learnt from the social media use among the residents

of Alimosho Local Government during 2019 Lagos State governorship election which is that

social media is a blessing to information dissemination under voting behaviour and

electioneering but if not properly managed (checked and monitored) they could cause more harm

than good.

In view of the findings of this study, it is therefore concluded that social media (Facebook and

Twitter) has influenced on voter behavior of residents of Alimosho Local Government of Lagos

State in the 2019 Governorship election. Also, there is need for urgent review of the various

media laws to address the peculiar technicalities involved in monitoring and moderating the use

of different social media platforms.

5.3 Recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made:

1. Since there is no gate keeping device like in the traditional media of print and broadcast,

there should be some level of control on the use of social media to prevent abuse of the

Press Freedom by those who post materials on social media platforms.

2. Periodic public enlightenment on the use of social media platforms for political purpose

especially among the youths is necessary. The government should be at the vanguard of

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 this campaign, using such instruments like the Ministry of Information, and the mass

media, among others.

3. Politicians and political parties, as well as their supporters should be cautioned on using

social media to post/twit dysfunctional messages. Government may consider enacting

laws that make such acts a punishable offence.

4. Efforts should be made to harness a lot of the positive materials on social media for

effective governance and to entrench a durable democracy in Nigeria.

5. Efforts should be made by the Ministry of Communication towards monitoring,

moderating or regulating the various social media platforms in order to minimize the

observed weaknesses and maximize the intrinsic values of the technology in the

electoral process. To achieve the above, it is imperative that the various media laws are

urgently reviewed to address the technicalities involved in the new media technologies;

this we believe would go a long way in making the technology more useful in the

electoral process and more beneficial to the society at large.

6. The media regulators must be alive to their responsibilities by promptly sanctioning the

purveyors of disinformation and fake news on social media.

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