INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: AN OVERVIEW OF 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AMONG STUDENTS

INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: AN OVERVIEW OF 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AMONG STUDENTS

Abstract
The emergency and proliferation of social media otherwise known as citizen media has reshaped political education and mobilization in Nigeria. It offers platform for political debates, cyber activism, political campaign and political mobilization. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the Influence of Social networking on Democracy in Nigeria: An Overview of 2015 Presidential Election among students. The study is anchored on McLuhan theory on New Media. Quantitative research design was used in which cross-sectional survey method was adopted while the data collection instrument was questionnaire. 200 copies of questionnaires that were administered to the three tertiary institutions from Ogun state i.e Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Babcock University,, Ileshan and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere. Findings have shown that as a result of the political dispensation, political office holders, politicians, including president and governors now have and manage social media account such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among others. Political leaders and
political candidate now share their political agenda and mobilize people towards it propagation. It is recommended that, social media can be improved to enhance better public mobilization, sensitization and true democracy in Nigeria through citizen sensitization programmes, registration that involve national identity card among other steps.

INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: AN OVERVIEW OF 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AMONG STUDENTS