| Title: | Using the Unfettered Media in Africa’s Fragile Democracy: Issues, Dangers and the Way Forward |
| Author(s): | Nnanyelugo Okoro, Kenneth Adibe Nwafor & Albert Chibuwe |
| Abstract: | The use of of social media for political participation has continued to grow across the globe.Since Barack Obama broke the world record in the history of social media use for politi¬cal purpose during the 2008 US presidential elections, many nations and politicians have continued to cue into the platform to galvanize citizens and candidates towards active participation in the political process. There is no doubt that social media are unfettered, uncensored and unregulated in most African countries. This work examines the implication of using such mediagenre in political participation in Africa’s fledgling and fragile democracies. The study investigates the issues involved within the framework of the Social Network and the Gate-Keeping theo¬ries. The study notes that social media are essential in the success of elections and sustenance of the fledgling democracies in the continent, but the issue of regulation re¬mains a major challenge. The work recommends among others, greater adoption and use of social media in the democratic process in the continent and establishment of strict monitoring mechanisms to curtail the weaknesses and maximize the benefits of the tech¬nology in the democratic process in Africa. |
| Keywords: | Unfettered Media. Africa. FragileDemocracy.Dangers. Way Forward. |
