CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MASS MEDIA AND YOUTH PARTICIPATION

Every level of the information society has been infiltrated by media, including social media,

which has catalyzed and crystallized political growth around the world. The media, a

contemporary trend in knowledge distribution, has expanded communication beyond the

bounds of conventional means of interaction and communication, making it a vital aspect of

peoples' lives that has an impact on their social, political, and economic activities (Omotayo &

Folorunso, 2020).

Social networks are one of the key uses of social media, allowing millions of users to interact

with one another and engage in political discourse using a variety of media, including text,

voice, photos, and videos (Alquraan et al., 2017). Social media can be utilized for a variety of

things because to their interactive nature, including job searching, socializing, education,

entertainment, government, and political participation, among others. As social tools for

communication, social media encourage involvement, connectivity, the ability to spread

information beyond geographic boundaries, and the development of interpersonal connections

and exchanges. Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, LinkedIn, and

other popular social media platforms are utilized often.

Social media has a variety of benefits, one of which is that it promotes the democratization of

knowledge and information, turning individuals into both information producers and

consumers. Social media's accessibility everywhere has democratizing impacts because it gives

everyone a chance to engage with and take part in political processes. By enabling citizens to
follow and shape governmental actions, social media encourages political participation by

providing engagement in a medium that easily fits with peoples' daily routines.

Social media's rising popularity has inspired academics to investigate how it affects daily life

and encourages political engagement and participation. The introduction of the Internet, which

in turn gave rise to social networking sites, resulted in a profound upheaval of society and a

paradigm shift in the democratic process, where the people is no longer a passive observer of

governmental operations because the media now offer new channels for political participation.

Platforms have "exponentially multiplied the possibilities for the retrieval and dissemination of

political information, thus affording any Internet user with a variety of supplemental access

points to political information and activity that come at little cost in time, money, and effort"

(Breuer and Groshek, 2014).

Unsurprisingly, Diamond (2010) refers to social media as a "liberation technology that expands

political, social, and economic freedom." Another method Milakovich (2010) offers for

increasing public interest in politics is social media. Social networking sites, in contrast to

traditional mass media, provide two-way and even multi-way forms of communication

channels, enhancing user feedback and fostering interaction (Diamond, 2010; Milakovich,

2010). Social networking sites give users the opportunity to participate in what Medimorec et

al. (2011) called electronic participation (e-participation) in online democracy and electoral

processes since they are interactive. Writing emails to politicians, visiting their campaign

websites, making financial contributions online, participating in electronic elections, and other

online political actions are examples of e-participation.

One of the numerous advantages of using social media for political engagement is that it gives

people the chance to actively engage in political discourse by contributing their voices to topics

that are discussed on social media platforms. The platforms also give voters a more welcoming

way to evaluate candidates for political office and advance transparency in governance,

furthering the principles of participatory democracy, which sees the media as debate venues

that greatly aid the actualization of involvement in politics. Through the ability to listen to

citizen opinion polls online and establish ideas about citizenry needs, including potential

responses to public decision-making processes, social media also offers a range of potentials for

innovation in governance and the discovery of new ways of governing (Diamond, 2010).

Even if the introduction of social media into politics has had a significant impact on both voters

and politicians, using social media for political engagement has disadvantages. Using social

media for political participation has its drawbacks, including the spread of false information,

political harassment, rumors, fake news, propaganda, and trolling (Diamond, 2010).

Additionally, the subject of election bots influencing results has recently entered the public

discourse. On social media sites, fraudulent profiles are created and fake news reports that sow

division between individuals and political parties are leaked by bots. The echo chamber issue is

made worse by the use of social media for political participation (Diamond, 2010), since

everyone feels compelled to be on one side or the other.

It is doubtful that voters will ever have to honestly explain their political stance unless they

intentionally seek out people and media outlets with opposing political views. People only see
topics and ideas they agree with when they scroll down their news feed. Additionally, the use of

social media for political participation opens elections up to outside meddling.

In actuality, the use of social media by political parties, political candidates, and civil society

organizations was put to the test during the 2011 general elections in Nigeria. The election was

historic because it was the first time social media had made it easier for people to participate in

and communicate about politics. Social media has since been used in Nigeria's voting

procedures.

Studies have looked into how Nigerians participate in politics via social media. For instance,

Chinedu-Okeke and Obi (2016) investigated how much South-eastern Nigerian voters used

social media during the electioneering process and discovered that social media political

campaigns had a significant impact on voters' decision-making and participation in Nigeria's

2011 and 2015 elections.

Similar to this, Okoro and Santas (2017) evaluate how social media was used for political

communication in the 2011 Nigerian presidential election to ascertain whether voters' choices

of presidential candidates were influenced by their social media use. The findings showed that

the use of social media had an impact on the majority of respondents' choices of presidential

candidates. Similar to this, the respondents thought the two presidential candidates they chose

were well-liked due of their usage of social media during the election.

Social media's impact on the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria was studied by Ekwueme and

Folarin (2017). Findings indicate that social media significantly influenced voter turnout,

participation, and the dissemination of candidate information.

The effects of social media use on the electoral procedures and campaigns in Nigeria's general

elections in 2011 and 2015 were also studied by Apuke and Tunca (2018). Findings demonstrate

that social media was used because of its participatory aspect and that it was put to use to

shape the opinions of many young people and raise their level of political awareness. These

studies thus proved that the use of social media affected voting behavior in the elections of

2011 and 2015. Additionally, it was discovered that in the 2015 elections, social media was used

to inform the public of the results in a number of states across the nation, making it harder for

results manipulation.

While several studies have looked into how social media affects the political aspect of society,

few (such as Onyechi, 2018; Dagona et al., 2013) have examined how young people in Nigeria

use social media for political engagement.

4.2 EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS

These are the electronic triggers. They are the social media kings. However, their involvement

in government and policymaking does not necessarily indicate that they are actively engaged in

new media. It has been shown that the media still plays a significant part in the evolution of

society as a whole, particularly in terms of politics. Experience, however, has demonstrated that

not just the mainstream media today fulfills this particular function of consolidating and

amplifying a thriving democracy (Ekwueme, & Folarin, 2017).

According to the sophistication of the media instruments at its disposal, the developing new

media is performing a significantly better job of enlightening the public thanks to its quick

messaging and feedback potentials. Online networking services, including Facebook, Twitter,

WhatsApp, and YouTube, have emerged as the primary conduits for political discourse,

particularly around elections (Ekwueme, & Folarin, 2017).

In addition to livening up the media landscape, social networking sites have a significant impact

on important choices related to politics, electoral campaigns, and popular culture. Voters have

been found to benefit from the influence of social media, which is very visible, to help them

make important decisions, particularly while voting and evaluating information about

representatives and legislation (Ekwueme, & Folarin, 2017).

Random content analysis demonstrates that many political actors now rely on the new media

to stay current on events and participate in online political debates. When Nigerian teenagers

organized rallies against police brutality in 2020, they showed the enormous power of social

media. That one-off rebellion aroused concerns about the role of social media in the nation's

politics, particularly given how well it was coordinated before being taken over by thugs and

the government (Omotayo & Folorunso, 2020).

According to Dr. Arthur Martins Aginam, a lecturer at Baze University in Abuja, "There's no

doubt it has become quite effective as a resource for not just elections for a lot of

engagements, whether it is political activities in the media or not."However, Aginam pointed

out that, just as with traditional media, social media occasionally requires prudence as a
medium. He said: "Therefore, you must first look at the content in terms of what it is you wish

to say, which may also be delivered through the broadcast and through the print media.

"The reason social media is particularly effective is because when we were talking about the

convergence of media, the coming together of different media types, some fifteen or twenty

years ago, we talked about newspapers. You wanted a newspaper? You went out and bought

one."If you want to watch television or listen to music, you turn on the television or the radio. If

you want to listen to radio, you buy a DVD. However, various mediums have come together

now thanks to the advent of new technology. You can access those things using your laptop,

smartphone, or tablet.

Through its impact on how politicians communicate with voters and with one another, social

media has changed the structures and tactics of modern political communication. They have

made it possible for them to send a variety of news from many topics at once. Additionally,

viewers may originate from other countries, attracting outside support. Social media was also

observed to serve as an online discussion forum where users could express their opinions. It

made it possible for political idea-sharing. These websites' enormous subscriber bases are

extremely important. As of the first quarter of 2017, there were 2.1 billion monthly active

Facebook users worldwide, according to Pew Research Center (Omotayo & Folorunso, 2020).

This provides a glimmer of the scope of social media and the volume of viewers it affords

political actors. It permits engaging in political communication and disseminating various

political information. Politicians may now digitally maintain a close relationship with the public

because to features like live podcasting and real-time live video streaming. Despite the fact that
rural areas make up a significant portion of the population, such qualities appear to be of little

or no use there. In reality, it has been shown that urban areas account for the majority of

political activity on social media. Social media has had a significant impact on people's political

behavior, changing how they think about and act on political matters (Omotayo & Folorunso,

2020).

4.3. WAYS IN WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA COULD ENGENDER PARTICIPATORY POLITICAL

BEHAVIOUR AMONG YOUTHS

It is common knowledge that the mass media is crucial in directing political mobilization toward

the objective of a country's growth. This is due to the mass media's role as "a pivot of social

interaction, seeking to use the power of mass information to solve the problem of national

cohesion and integration, both of which are essential to the development of healthy political

mobilization," according to the description (Agba, 2013).

The roles of the media in political mobilization are described as "reporting and interpreting

events, defining issues, portraying personalities, and investigating support" by Becker, S. and

Lower, E. (2010). However, the 2015 election cycle fell short of expectations. Political parties

and their candidates mishandled the media during the mobilization by disseminating tons of

unreliable material as fact to the general public. The mass media grew political and supported

the majority of the unfavorable aspects of Nigerian politics. The majority of media outlets sided
with a particular individual, political party, or region in opposition to [Link] served as the

spokespersons for some of the political groups they support. This stance prevented them from

carrying out their duties to the public with objectivity, fairness, and justice.

Edogbo (2016) links this act to the structure of media ownership and the owner's interactions

with the political system. It is generally accepted that the majority of political-minded media

owners hinder their media outlets from upholding the core ideals of fairness, balance, and

objectivity. This degree of incompetence hinders the development of a strong political culture

in the nation.

According to Agba (2013), in order for the media to effectively perform its duties throughout

any election process, they must embrace the idea of the public interest. The mass media is

required to set the tone for a successful electoral process in this regard and to make sure that

they are led by the public interest. The media can do this by steering the objectives of political

campaigns toward the ideal objective of ethical democratic values that respect the legitimacy of

the people's votes.

According to Nwaozuzu (2010), the media should look for pertinent truths in political

mobilization for those who are unable to perceive or understand the events that have an

impact on them. This means that the media should analyze campaigns in light of the general

public's electoral needs. The media must also direct the voting process toward the ideal

objective of fostering national growth.

Kalu (2017) asserts that "the usual expectation is that the mass media will focus on serious

issues that portend serious consequences for the people and their political choices" in support

of this claim.

According to Ciroma, A. (2015), the media should ask appropriate questions and provide

relevant answers in their commentaries, editorials, articles, reviews, columns, and public

discussion forums in order to clarify complex topics, particularly those that relate to policies

and leadership. Despite having the most effect when compared to other media, critics have

singled out the mass media for its failure to perform to the desired level during the 2015

political mobilization. For instance, the radio is easily available to any family, regardless of

socioeconomic position, while the television mixes speech and visuals and broadcasts to every

neighborhood in the nation.

According to Adaba (2015), the mass media must take the lead in promoting peace in order for

progress and development to occur. "The mainstream media's contribution to this is enormous.

Although many large segments have caused a great deal of pain and broken feelings, this "half

time" is fortunate for us to patch things up and promise to be better, fairer, and more

professional in the second half. We will sow and reap hatred if we preach it. We will experience

what we teach about love and peace. For the benefit of this country and its lovely people, let's

work to promote the latter through our media. Nigeria must have peace in order to advance

and prosper.

"The press, radio, television, and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to

uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and
accountability of the government to the people," states Section 22 of the Constitution. This

suggests that the mass media should have the right to disseminate knowledge, but that

freedom should also come with obligations.

Sadly, during the 2015 political mobilization, the mass media—in particular, the mass media—

threw caution to the wind by allowing themselves to be compromised by desperate politicians

and political parties rather than holding them accountable to the voters. With the active

support of the media, especially the media, the political gladiators went beyond predetermined

and acceptable conventions and customs, casting aspersions on political opponents beyond the

bounds of decency. The mass media became very politicized, which is against the canon of

ethical conduct (Adaba, 2015).

Emmanuel Onwubiko, (2015) in Nigeria, political parties are frequently vying for prime time on

the airwaves during political mobilization. This puts a lot of pressure on massing stations, which

are limited to 24 hours of operation per day, unlike print media, which can easily increase

pagination to handle space pressure. However, the general public still expects the media to be

impartial. The Nigeria Massing Commission (NBC), a body legally tasked with overseeing the

operations of electronic media institutions, developed the "Nigeria Massing Code", which

specifies the criteria for public mass media, to address this issue.

According to article 3.3.3 of the Nigeria Massing Code, "all sides to any issue of public interest

shall be fairly presented to ensure fairness." The use of profanity, abusive language, and

inciting, provocative, and highly divisive remarks by the parties and their candidates during live
broadcasts of their campaign rallies in some of the country's mass stations has become a source

of concern for media observers.

As the governing body for the country's mass media, the NBC ordered all TV stations in May

2014 to give the commission written notice at least 48 hours before any political program is

broadcast live. Prior to the 2015 general elections, it was said that authorities were concerned

that the political programs' substance was endangering Nigeria's unity and peace. It argued that

the "rampant violation" of section 1.5.1 of the Nigeria Massing Code, which calls for massers to

submit quarterly programme schedules at least one week before the start of each quarter, was

the reason for its decision (Emmanuel Onwubiko, 2015).

The following points should be emphasized, according to Emmanuel Onwubiko (2015), for the

mass media to play a beneficial role in political mobilization:

 The quality of their contribution to establishing a culture of responsibility, openness,

and good governance, and ultimately the establishing of a true and robust democratic

culture, is the fundamental test of their success.

 A knowledgeable electorate is a benefit to democracy. The mass media must be seen to

be promoting voter education, which is a crucial component in ensuring the success of

the electoral process. People in many areas of Nigeria still show apathy toward politics

today, mostly because they do not understand why they must take part in such activities

and possibly because they are unaware of their constitutional rights.

 Inclusion of communication education in the curriculum Our government may take into

consideration include communication education in the secondary school curriculum in

 order to counteract the effect of individuals who use the media to deceive, manipulate,

and dupe the public. These programs ought to be created to provide protection against

political dishonesty or sabotage.

 The job of the media is to enlighten the public, conduct research, and provide

education. Objectivity in reporting ought to serve as the focal point of this task's grand

design. The media might be dysfunctional due to their strategic position in any society, it

should be acknowledged.

 The press should prioritize national security and unity as a crucial factor in this approach

and work to protect Nigeria's corporate survival. Facts and data should be double

checked by journalists.

 There should be a distinction between commercial and patriotic interests. Profiting at

the expense of national unity should be avoided by all.

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