By Joy Baba – Yesufu
The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said internet and its associated technologies and tools have served as catalyst to the ability of citizens to engage with political processes for good and for bad.
He further said software applications, have created some of the most radical possibilities in the human experience, particularly in the last decade which have certainly extended the frontiers of human freedoms and expression, while similarly enabling innovation across different forms of utilisation.
Maida stated this at a special book reading and review of “Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria” authored by Omoniyi Ibietan, PhD, (Head, Media Relations Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission) held at the University of Ibadan, Oyo state.
The EVC further said despite an earlier period in which there were deliberations on the possible roles and impacts of digital platforms, such as the social media, on political participation and elections, the increased access to the Internet and broadband, alongside the wider uptake of social media as essential to human reality, have made the interface between these platforms and elections a lot clearer.
“Dr. Ibietan’s path-breaking book, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria, broaches a radical new territory in bridging psephology (i.e. the study of elections) and communications scholarship through an examination of the interface between social media networks and voting behaviour in the country. It draws its insights from a deeply methodical study of Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election, unearthing the intersections of social and demographic factors, digital social mediation and the remarkable impact of these variables on the voting behaviour of the electorate.
“It is worthy of note that the referenced national polling presented one of the most significant evidence of how social media use can shape the course of an election, having the then political opposition gaining huge mileage from its ability to deploy social media platforms towards shaping and controlling public debates, and hence triumphing at the ballot” Maida noted.
Also speaking at the book review, Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Professor Umaru A. Pate said a cursory reading of the book indicates that the author has been able to achieve the objectives of contributing to the conceptual and empirical dimensions of the subject in the context of political communication.
“The book has increased my understanding of the relationship between the ever-growing social media and politics in the country. This is very important for obvious reasons, some of which relate to the popularity and influence of the new media, particularly among the most active components of the population,” Pate added.
