THE USE OF TWITTER IN CREATE POLITICAL BANDWAGONS AMONG NIGERIANS IN THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

ABSTRACT

The study examines the topic ‘The Use of Twitter to create political bandwagons among Nigerians in the 2023 Presidential elections.’ The objectives of this study were to determine the exposure of Nigerians to twitter hashtags used by the supporters of the presidential candidates, identify the level to which Nigerians have become vulnerable to bandwagons created on Twitter by the contesting parties, find out the relationship between the popularity of the contesting parties on Twitter and the choice of the candidates by the electorates, and ascertain the implication of the bandwagon effect on voting behaviour of the electorates. The study adopted the survey method of research with the questionnaire as a tool to elicit response from the respondents with a sample size of 100 students. The findings of the study showed that many registered voters in Nigeria are active Twitter users (see table 7). It was also discovered that Nigerians are well exposed to the use of Twitter by political-aspirants to create an online movement. The research showed that choices of electorates are not always influenced by online political activities of contesting parties. There are a reasonable number of Nigerians who cast votes based on objective thinking and conviction without any external influences. Thus, their vulnerability level is not unchecked. Furthermore, it was discovered that there are Nigerians who believe that if a political party or their candidate has been able to achieve social approval, on Twitter or social media in general, he or she will likely emerge winner in the real election. Political bandwagons created on social media is spreading, although not geometrically, but they can if the opportunity is presented. The recommendations made from the research were that Nigerians should focus more on real-life politics than social media posts. Voters on the other hand should be educated on the need for a rational approach to voting, that Twitter movements and social media posts in general should only serve to compliment practical politics and not the other way round, and that social media in general should be vehicles through which political education is given, and not where agenda or propaganda are spread.