Title: |
Social Media and Political Participation among Select University Students during the 2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria |
Author(s): |
Dolapo Michael Oyedokun |
Abstract: |
Background: The advent of social media has added impetus to political participation in recent years. Young people have continued leverage on the opportunity created by these online platforms to contribute to the electoral process.
Objective: This study investigated influence of social media campaigns on select students’ voting behaviour during the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
Materials and Method: Using descriptive survey, 387 final-year students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Lead City University, Ibadan were selected purposively. The data were gathered through online survey and analysed using SPSS.
Results: There was high level of social media use for discussions about the 2023 presidential election among the respondents. Despite the political enthusiasm demonstrated on social media, 42.4% of the students did not have PVC; and 60.5% did not vote during the 2023 presidential election.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the students were highly engaged in online political discussion, but this did not translate into voting on election day. The study recommends more political education to encourage translation of online political enthusiasm into offline participation in the electoral process. |
Keywords: |
Political Communication, Political Participation, Presidential Election, Social Media, University St
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