The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria

Temple Uwalaka

doi:doi:10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

| Peer-Reviewed

The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria

Temple Uwalaka

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 5)

Received: 19 August 2021 Accepted: 8 September 2021 Published: 15 September 2021

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

The invention and rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has attracted considerable attention in theoretical and practical debates about the role of digital media in political participation. With the emergence of digital media, people in nascent democracies such as Nigeria have started using their online presence to engage in political discussions. This has led to an increase in political protests in undemocratic and developing democracies. While majority of previous digital activism and political communication research suggests positive relationships between digital media diffusion and socio-political protests, there is little research investigating the impact of social media use in digitally organised protest to long term political participation and efficacy formation, particularly in young democracies such as Nigeria. This study bridges that gap in the literature. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media use, and protest experience, in political participation and efficacy formation among students in Nigeria. This study reports on a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, consisting of a 680 face-to-face paper survey response and 34 semi-structured qualitative interviews of university students in Nigeria. Findings show that protest experience, and political efficacy significantly increased students’ intention to join politics more than social media. Of the variables, political efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention to participate in politics. In addition, the study demonstrates that the experience of collective and connective actions increases the likelihood of further political participation among students in Nigeria. This study concludes with a proposed flowchart of political efficacy formation among students in Nigeria.

Published in	Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
Page(s)	145-154
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Digital Activism, Nigeria, Political Participation, Political Efficacy, Social Media, Social Movements

References

[1]	Adegbola, O., & Gearhart, S. (2019). Examining the Relationship Between Media Use and Political Engagement: A Comparative Study Among the United States, Kenya, and Nigeria. International Journal of Communication, 13, 1231–1251.
[2]	Amadi, F. (2003). Errors in Nigerian Mass Media. Port Harcourt: Charles Worth.
[3]	Amadi, F. (2006). Critical Issues in Nigerian Mass Media. Port Harcourt: Charles Worth.
[4]	Baguma, J. (2014). Citizens’ Advocacy for Public Accountability & Democratic Engagement through ICT Convergence in Eastern Africa. In P. Parycek & N. Eldelmann (Eds.), E-Democracy and Open Governement (pp. 449-462). Krems, Austria: Danube University.
[5]	Bennett, W. L., & Segerberg, A. (2011). Digital media and the personalization of collective action: Social technology and the organization of protests against the global economic crisis. Information, Communication & Society, 14 (6), 770-799.
[6]	Bennett, W. L., & Segerberg, A. (2013). The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
[7]	Bimber, B. (2001). Information and political engagement in America: The search for effects of information technology at the individual level. Political Research Quarterly, 54 (1), 53-67.
[8]	Bimber, B., Flanagin, A. J., & Stohl, C. (2005). Reconceptualizing collective action in the contemporary media environment. Communication theory, 15 (4), 365.
[9]	Breuer, A., & Groshek, J. (2014). Online media and offline empowerment in post-rebellion Tunisia: An analysis of Internet use during democratic transition. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 11 (1), 25-44.
[10]	Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford university press.
[11]	Campbell, A., Gurin, G., & Miller, W. E. (1954). The voter decides. Oxford: Row, Peterson.
[12]	Castells, M. (2012). Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the internet age. Cambridge: Polity Press.
[13]	Christensen, H. S., & Bengtsson, Å. (2011). The political competence of Internet participants: Evidence from Finland. Information, Communication & Society, 14 (6), 896-916.
[14]	Cleen Foundation. (2012). Fuel Subsidy Crisis in Nigeria. Retrieved from Lagos: www.cleenfoundation.blogspot.com.
[15]	Clottey, P. (2012). Nigeria Strike to Proceed Monday Despite Court Order. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-strike-to-proceed-monday-despite-court-order--136914433/159428.html.
[16]	CNN. (2012). Nigerians Protest End of Fuel Subsidy. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/09/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html.
[17]	Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (Revised ed.). New York: Academic press.
[18]	Cresswell, J. (2008). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches (3ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
[19]	Dalton, R. J. (2017). The participation gap: Social status and political inequality. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
[20]	de-Zúñiga, H. G., Jung, N., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Social media use for news and individuals' social capital, civic engagement and political participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17 (3), 319-336.
[21]	Egbunike, N., & Olorunnisola, A. (2015). Social media and the# Occupy Nigeria Protests: Igniting or damping a Harmattan storm? Journal of African Media Studies, 7 (2), 141-164.
[22]	Fenton, N., & Barassi, V. (2011). Alternative media and social networking sites: The politics of individuation and political participation. The Communication Review, 14 (3), 179-196.
[23]	Freedom House. (2011). Countries at the Cross Roads: Methodology Questions. Retrieved from Online: https://freedomhouse.org/.
[24]	Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media: A critical introduction. London: Sage.
[25]	Gerbaudo, P. (2012). Tweets and the streets: Social media and contemporary activism. London: Pluto Press.
[26]	Gerbaudo, P. (2016). Constructing Public Space\| Rousing the Facebook Crowd: Digital Enthusiasm and Emotional Contagion in the 2011 Protests in Egypt and Spain. International Journal of Communication, 10, 254-273.
[27]	Gibson, R. K., Lusoli, W., & Ward, S. (2005). Online Participation in the UK: Testing a ‘Contextualised’ Model of Internet Effects1. The British Journal of Politics & International Relations, 7 (4), 561-583.
[28]	Hargittai, E., & Shaw, A. (2013). Digitally Savvy Citizenship: The Role of Internet Skills and Engagement in Young Adults' Political Participation around the 2008 Presidential Election. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 57 (2), 115-134.
[29]	Hari, S. I. (2014). The Evolution of Social Protest in Nigeria: The Role of Social Media in the “# OccupyNigeria” Protest. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 3 (9), 33-39.
[30]	Horrigan, J. B., Garrett, K., & Resnick, P. (2004). The Internet and democratic debate: Pew Internet & American Life Project.
[31]	Ibrahim, B. H. (2013). Nigerians Usage of Facebook during 2012 Occupy Nigeria Protests: a. Between Networked and Real Public Spheres. Science Journal of Researcher, 5 (7), 55-64.
[32]	Kanjo, C. (2011). Promoting E-Democracy and Citizen Participation through ICT Initiatives in Parliament: The Malawi Case. In M. Sobaci (Ed.), E-Parliament and ICT-Based Legislation: Concept, Experiences and Lessons: Concept, Experiences and Lessons (pp. 312-326). Hershey: IGI.
[33]	Kavanaugh, A., Kim, B. J., Perez-Quinones, M. A., Schmitz, J., & Isenhour, P. (2008). Net gains in political participation: secondary effects of internet on community. Information, Communication & Society, 11 (7), 933-963.
[34]	Kaye, B. K., & Johnson, T. J. (2002). Online and in the know: Uses and gratifications of the web for political information. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46 (1), 54-71.
[35]	Kenski, K., & Stroud, N. J. (2006). Connections between Internet use and political efficacy, knowledge, and participation. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50 (2), 173-192.
[36]	Kombol, M. (2014). Uses of Social Media among Selected Labour Unions in Abuja during Nigeria’s (January 2012) “Oil Subsidy” Removal Protests. Studies in Media and Communication, 2 (1), 102-114.
[37]	Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An Introduction to Interviewing Qualitative Reseach London: Sage Publications.
[38]	Levan, C., & Utaka, P. (2012). Countries at the Crossroads: An Analysis of Democrtic Governance. In J. Dizard, Tucker, V., Walker, C (Ed.), Countries in Crossroads. New York: Freedom House.
[39]	Loader, B. D., Vromen, A., & Xenos, M. A. (2014). The networked young citizen: social media, political participation and civic engagement. Information, Communication & Society, 17 (2), 143-150.
[40]	Marshal, M., Gurr, T., & Jaggers, K. (2013). Polity IV Project: Political Regime Characteristics and Transition. Retrieved from Online www.systemicpeace.org:
[41]	Martin, J. D., Martins, R. J., & Naqvi, S. (2018). Media use predictors of online political efficacy among internet users in five Arab countries. Information, Communication & Society, 21 (1), 129-146.
[42]	McChesney, R. W. (1995). Telecommunications, mass media, and democracy. London: Oxford University Press.
[43]	McChesney, R. W. (2013). Digital disconnect: How capitalism is turning the Internet against democracy. New York: New Press.
[44]	McChesney, R. W. (2015). Rich media, poor democracy: Communication politics in dubious times (3 ed.). New York, NY: The New Press.
[45]	Moeller, J., De Vreese, C., Esser, F., & Kunz, R. (2014). Pathway to political participation: The influence of online and offline news media on internal efficacy and turnout of first-time voters. American behavioral scientist, 58 (5), 689-700.
[46]	Munck, G. L., & Verkuilen, J. (2002). Conceptualizing and measuring democracy Evaluating alternative indices. Comparative political studies, 35 (1), 5-34.
[47]	Mustapha, L. K., Gbonegun, V. O., & Mustapha, M. L. (2016). Social media use, social capital, and political participation among Nigerian university students. Trípodos. Facultat de Comunicació i Relacions Internacionals Blanquerna.(39), 127-143.
[48]	National Bureau of Statistics, N. (2020). Nigeria Population 2020. Retrieved from http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/index.php
[49]	Norris, P. (2000). Democratic divide? The impact of the Internet on parliaments worldwide. Paper presented at the AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING, Washington DC.
[50]	Norris, P. (2002). Democratic Phoenix: Reiventing Political Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press.
[51]	Norris, P. (2005). The impact of the Internet on political activism: Evidence from Europe. International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR), 1 (1), 19-39.
[52]	Norris, P. (2007). Political activism: New challenges, new opportunities. In C. S. Boix, S (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of comparative politics (pp. 628-652). New York: Oxford University Press.
[53]	Ogala, E., & Ben, E. (2013). #Occupy Nigeria: One Year later, the Gains, the Losses. Premium Times.
[54]	Ogbondah, C. (1991). The pen is mightier than the “koboko”: A critical analysis of the Amakiri case in Nigeria. Political Communication, 8 (2), 109-124.
[55]	Ogbondah, C. (1994). Press freedom and political development in Africa. Africa Media Review, 8 (3), 1-39.
[56]	Ogbondah, C. (2000). Political repression in Nigeria, 1993-1998: A critical examination of one aspect of the perils of military dictatorship. Africa Spectrum, 35 (2), 231-242.
[57]	Ognyanova, K., & Ball-Rokeach, S. (2015). Political efficacy on the internet: A media system dependency approach. Communication, information technologies annual 9 (1), 3-27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S2050-206020150000009001.
[58]	Onwuegbuchi, C. (2012). How social media fuelled “Occupy Nigeria” protests. Nigeria Communications Week, 6.
[59]	Oyesomi, K. O., Ahmadu, F. O., & Itsekor, V. (2014). Facebook and Political Communication in the 2011 General Elections. Journal of Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4 (11), 1-9.
[60]	Park, C. S., & Karan, K. (2014). Unraveling the relationships between smartphone use, exposure to heterogeneity, political efficacy, and political participation: A mediation model approach. Asian Journal of Communication, 24 (4), 370-389.
[61]	Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
[62]	Ragauskas, E. (2014). The Internet and Democracy: Virtual Impacts on the Political Landscape. (PhD), University of Georgia, Georgia. Retrieved from https://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/handle/10724/30600
[63]	Robertson, S. P., Vatrapu, R. K., & Medina, R. (2010). Off the wall political discourse: Facebook use in the 2008 US presidential election. Information Polity, 15 (1), 11-31.
[64]	Scheufele, D. A., & Nisbet, M. C. (2002). Being a Citizen Online New Opportunities and Dead Ends. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 7 (3), 55-75.
[65]	Tufekci, Z., & Wilson, C. (2012). Social media and the decision to participate in political protest: Observations from Tahrir Square. Journal of Communication, 62 (2), 363-379.
[66]	Uwalaka, T. (2015). Nairaland and the Reconstruction of the Public Sphere in Nigeria. Paper presented at the The Australian and New Zealand Communication Association conference: Rethinking communication, space and identity, Queenstown, New Zealand.
[67]	Uwalaka, T. (2016). Muzzling the Fifth Estate: An Analysis of the 2015 ‘Social Media’ Bill in Nigeria. Paper presented at the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference: Creating Space in the Fifth Estate, Newcastle. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318671787_Muzzling_the_Fifth_Estate_An_analysis_of_the_2015_'Social_Media'_Bill_in_Nigeria.
[68]	Uwalaka, T. (2020). Clicktivism and Political Engagement in Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Communication, 17 (1) http://tnjc.org.ng/wp-content/uploads/Vol17N1Full/Clicktivism-and-Political-Engagement-in-Nigeria.pdf.
[69]	Uwalaka, T., Nwala, B., & Amadi, C. (2020). Hashtag Activism: Exploring: The Church Must Vote Campaign in Nigeria, Covenant Journal of Communication, 7 (1). http://journals.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/index.php/cjoc/article/view/2124.
[70]	Uwalaka, T. (2020). Leadership in digital activism: An example of Techno-Enthusiasts in Nigeria. Journal of Communication Research and Practice, 6 (3), 229-244.
[71]	Uwalaka, T., (2019). Social Media and the rise of digital activism among students in Nigeria. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 11 (2), 15-27.
[72]	Uwalaka, T. (2017). Mobile Internet and the Rise of Digital Activism among University Students in Nigeria. (Doctoral Thesis), University of Canberra.
[73]	Uwalaka, T., Rickard, S., & Watkins, J. (2018). Mobile social networking applications and the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protest. Journal of African Media Studies, 10 (1), 3-19.
[74]	Uwalaka, T., & Watkins, J. (2017). Social Media vs Mainstream Media: An Analysis of the 2012 Occupy Nigeria Protest. In L. Allen (Ed.), 6th Annual International Conference on Journalism & Mass Communication (pp. 59-68). Singapore Global Science and Technology Forum.
[75]	Uwalaka, T., & Watkins, J. (2018). Social Media as the Fifth Estate in Nigeria: An Analysis of the 2012 Occupy Nigeria Protest. African Journalism Studies, 39 (4), 22-41.
[76]	Vanhanen, T. (2000). A new dataset for measuring democracy, 1810-1998. Journal of Peace Research, 37 (2), 251-265.
[77]	Vitak, J., Zube, P., Smock, A., Carr, C. T., Ellison, N., & Lampe, C. (2011). It's complicated: Facebook users' political participation in the 2008 election. Cyber Psychology, behavior, and social networking, 14 (3), 107-114.
[78]	Willnat, L., Wong, W. J., Tamam, E., & Aw, A. (2013). Online media and political participation: The case of Malaysia. Mass Communication and Society, 16 (4), 557-585.
[79]	Xenos, M., Vromen, A., & Loader, B. D. (2014). The great equalizer? Patterns of social media use and youth political engagement in three advanced democracies. Information, Communication & Society, 17 (2), 151-167.
[80]	Xu, Q., & Qi, L. (2014). Use of SNSs, political efficacy, and civic engagement among Chinese college students: Effects of gratifications and network size. International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies (IJICST), 4 (1), 15-30.
[81]	Yamamoto, M., Kushin, M. J., & Dalisay, F. (2013). Social media and mobiles as political mobilization forces for young adults: Examining the moderating role of online political expression in political participation. New Media & Society, 880-898.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Temple Uwalaka. (2021). The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria. Humanities and Social Sciences, 9(5), 145-154. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Temple Uwalaka. The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2021, 9(5), 145-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Temple Uwalaka. The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria. Humanit Soc Sci. 2021;9(5):145-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13,
  author = {Temple Uwalaka},
  title = {The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {5},
  pages = {145-154},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20210905.13},
  abstract = {The invention and rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has attracted considerable attention in theoretical and practical debates about the role of digital media in political participation. With the emergence of digital media, people in nascent democracies such as Nigeria have started using their online presence to engage in political discussions. This has led to an increase in political protests in undemocratic and developing democracies. While majority of previous digital activism and political communication research suggests positive relationships between digital media diffusion and socio-political protests, there is little research investigating the impact of social media use in digitally organised protest to long term political participation and efficacy formation, particularly in young democracies such as Nigeria. This study bridges that gap in the literature. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media use, and protest experience, in political participation and efficacy formation among students in Nigeria. This study reports on a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, consisting of a 680 face-to-face paper survey response and 34 semi-structured qualitative interviews of university students in Nigeria. Findings show that protest experience, and political efficacy significantly increased students’ intention to join politics more than social media. Of the variables, political efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention to participate in politics. In addition, the study demonstrates that the experience of collective and connective actions increases the likelihood of further political participation among students in Nigeria. This study concludes with a proposed flowchart of political efficacy formation among students in Nigeria.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria
AU  - Temple Uwalaka
Y1  - 2021/09/15
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
SP  - 145
EP  - 154
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8184
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
AB  - The invention and rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has attracted considerable attention in theoretical and practical debates about the role of digital media in political participation. With the emergence of digital media, people in nascent democracies such as Nigeria have started using their online presence to engage in political discussions. This has led to an increase in political protests in undemocratic and developing democracies. While majority of previous digital activism and political communication research suggests positive relationships between digital media diffusion and socio-political protests, there is little research investigating the impact of social media use in digitally organised protest to long term political participation and efficacy formation, particularly in young democracies such as Nigeria. This study bridges that gap in the literature. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media use, and protest experience, in political participation and efficacy formation among students in Nigeria. This study reports on a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, consisting of a 680 face-to-face paper survey response and 34 semi-structured qualitative interviews of university students in Nigeria. Findings show that protest experience, and political efficacy significantly increased students’ intention to join politics more than social media. Of the variables, political efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention to participate in politics. In addition, the study demonstrates that the experience of collective and connective actions increases the likelihood of further political participation among students in Nigeria. This study concludes with a proposed flowchart of political efficacy formation among students in Nigeria.
VL  - 9
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Temple Uwalaka

News and Media Research Center, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Temple Uwalaka. (2021). The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria. Humanities and Social Sciences, 9(5), 145-154. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Temple Uwalaka. The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2021, 9(5), 145-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Temple Uwalaka. The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria. Humanit Soc Sci. 2021;9(5):145-154. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13,
  author = {Temple Uwalaka},
  title = {The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {9},
  number = {5},
  pages = {145-154},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20210905.13},
  abstract = {The invention and rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has attracted considerable attention in theoretical and practical debates about the role of digital media in political participation. With the emergence of digital media, people in nascent democracies such as Nigeria have started using their online presence to engage in political discussions. This has led to an increase in political protests in undemocratic and developing democracies. While majority of previous digital activism and political communication research suggests positive relationships between digital media diffusion and socio-political protests, there is little research investigating the impact of social media use in digitally organised protest to long term political participation and efficacy formation, particularly in young democracies such as Nigeria. This study bridges that gap in the literature. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media use, and protest experience, in political participation and efficacy formation among students in Nigeria. This study reports on a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, consisting of a 680 face-to-face paper survey response and 34 semi-structured qualitative interviews of university students in Nigeria. Findings show that protest experience, and political efficacy significantly increased students’ intention to join politics more than social media. Of the variables, political efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention to participate in politics. In addition, the study demonstrates that the experience of collective and connective actions increases the likelihood of further political participation among students in Nigeria. This study concludes with a proposed flowchart of political efficacy formation among students in Nigeria.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Impact of Social Media in Political Participation Among Students in Nigeria
AU  - Temple Uwalaka
Y1  - 2021/09/15
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
SP  - 145
EP  - 154
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8184
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20210905.13
AB  - The invention and rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has attracted considerable attention in theoretical and practical debates about the role of digital media in political participation. With the emergence of digital media, people in nascent democracies such as Nigeria have started using their online presence to engage in political discussions. This has led to an increase in political protests in undemocratic and developing democracies. While majority of previous digital activism and political communication research suggests positive relationships between digital media diffusion and socio-political protests, there is little research investigating the impact of social media use in digitally organised protest to long term political participation and efficacy formation, particularly in young democracies such as Nigeria. This study bridges that gap in the literature. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media use, and protest experience, in political participation and efficacy formation among students in Nigeria. This study reports on a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, consisting of a 680 face-to-face paper survey response and 34 semi-structured qualitative interviews of university students in Nigeria. Findings show that protest experience, and political efficacy significantly increased students’ intention to join politics more than social media. Of the variables, political efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention to participate in politics. In addition, the study demonstrates that the experience of collective and connective actions increases the likelihood of further political participation among students in Nigeria. This study concludes with a proposed flowchart of political efficacy formation among students in Nigeria.
VL  - 9
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download