Elections and social media

Election in the history of the world especially in every democratic process is important to all patriotic citizens for various reasons. While some see it as an opportunity to make their voices heard, for others, it’s an avenue to rededicate their commitments to the various contending parties.

The case of the 2015 general election in Nigeria is not an exemption to this fact. The rescheduled elections came with several side attractions. A major of which is the social media. The social media space has been able to redefine how the electorate optimise the amount of information available to them both in terms of facts and fictions.

The collation and announcement of the election results especially the presidential was such that voters are concerned about defining the type of government they want. It became more interesting with the number of updates from Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp among other social media platforms to the extent that the passion that comes with this, unspeakably defines the political stand of the users. It also created some kind of divides with many users seen to be supporting a particular party, especially with only updates from their concerned party of interest.

As a twitter activist for good governance, it is clear that the social media has created an avenue for the electorate to have a direct conversation with some of their prospective aspirants. This also allows the aspirants to highlight some of their plans to a section of their supporters, which to an extent boosts the confidence of their supporters in them. However, the importance of social media to our electoral space cannot be over-emphasised in that it has enabled the electorate to follow up with updates of activities from the comfort of their homes and thereafter make informed decisions.

While it also gives room for propaganda, it is important for users to verify reports or updates before posting to their respective platforms. This is to avoid being considered biased or uninformed. In spite of the trending opportunities in social media usage, users should endeavour to avoid words capable of endangering the peace of the country. Whoever wins among the various aspirants, we should collectively give support to drive our country forward.

God bless Nigeria

Babatunde Musa, @Barbatuneday: