SOCIAL MEDIA AND DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
Research on democracy consolidation in Africa pays little attention the role information technologies play in mediating political relations between individual politicians and citizens. On the other hand, media research has not done enough to account for how existing socio-political relations potentially define the use of media for political purposes. Drawing from a recent governorship election in Nigeria, this paper argues that local issues can determine how social media are framed and used in political campaigns. In the election central to this study, the incumbent seeking reelection boasted superior social media in both strategy and deployment. But the opposition candidate eventually won the race by framing social media as a tool of the elite meant to bypass ordinary citizens. Thus, by depicting himself as a “man of the street,” the opposition candidate galvanized aggrieved groups within the state to achieve an unlikely victory. The paper is based on two weeks of interviews with top campaign officials of the opposition campaign.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Despite the general paucity of economic infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, over the past decade this region has experienced some of the fastest growth rates in mobile phone and Internet penetration in the world. In Nigeria, mobile phone subscription has risen from just over 866,000 in 2001 to over 121 million as of October 2013. During the same period, Internet users rose from 200,000 to 57 million (NCC, 2013). These technologies are now major social connectors, and there is hope that they may be transforming political life by enhancing democratic consolidation and increasing the quality of democracy. Technology potentially has the power to make elections in Nigeria more transparent and to encourage citizens to expect accountability from elected leaders (Adewumi & Daramola, 2010; Etzo & Collender, 2010; Ifukor, 2010; Olorunnisola & Douai, 2013; Schuler, 2008; Smyth & Best, 2013).
1.2 Background of the Study
One of the elements of democracy and the rule of law is the freedom of expression. To democratize is to ensure free unhindered two-way communication between the government and the governed. The essence is to ensure the responsiveness of the government to the yearnings of the people and for the people to put their views across to government without fear or hindrance and in an atmosphere devoid of interference. Against this background, this paper examines the role of the mass media in the process of democratic consolidation in Africa, including Nigeria. The objective is to identify the factors acting as constraints to the effectiveness of the mass media in ensuring democratic consolidation. It observes that the sustainability of democracy in Africa depends on several factors, some of which are located within the media itself while others are based on the prevailing political, socio-economic, legal, infrastructural, cultural and religious environment Jin the different countries. The most crucial factor for the sustenance of democracy in Africa would consist of the enthronement of a popular sovereignty that touches the daily lives of the populace, gives meaning to the notion of citizenship and goes beyond the constitutionally defined form of rule. The role of the media is facilitative, supportive and integrative.
To achieve greater media effectiveness in promoting democratic ideals and governance in Africa, there is need for private sector partnership and involvement of civil society organizations in media ownership in order to achieve a balance
