Uses and Abuses of Social Media in the 2015 Political Campaigns in Nigeria

Abstract That the social media played a significant role in the success of Barak Obama’s 2008 presidential bid is not in contention, as that singular feat convinced politicians the more on the efficacy of social media as veritable instruments of political mobilization and sensitization. Conscious of the role of social media in Obama’s ascension to the White House, Nigerian politicians experimented on the use of social media for political participation in the 2011 general elections and repeated the exercise with greater involvement in 2015. As emerging socio-political phenomena of great value, there are tendencies for the abuse of social media. On that note, it becomes imperative to take a closer look at the way and manner they were used in the last general election. In other words, the paper is an investigation into the uses and abuses of social media in the 2015 political campaigns in Nigeria. Using the survey method, the study found that while social media were effectively used for political mobilization and participation in the 2015 general elections in Nigeria, they were also used to whip-up ethno-religious sentiments and defaming the character of political opponents. The paper concludes that social media have become very valuable tools of political participation which advantages cannot be completely swallowed by their disadvantages. Key Words: Electorate, E-Electioneering, Political Marketing, Political Participation, Social Media *Kingsley Izuogu is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria **Chidiebere Nwachukwu is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria ***Alphonsus Ugwu is a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 9, No. 2, October 2017, 206 – 220