Social media effects is strong is a very popular tool in Nigeria’s democracy today, most of the population have access to social media and it is widely used by the government to shape the thoughts of Nigerians on major topics.
Many people still think social media has no effect when it comes to voting and election, and as some people will put it “politics is local”. However, social media has been a major driving force when it comes to information and information is what drives action.
The effects of social media among the populace cannot be overemphasized and that is one of the major reasons the government decided to ban Twitter and even look into regulating other social media platforms.
Social media was the reason the EndSARS movement gained so much ground in 2020 that the government eventually had to accept the demands of the youths and set up a panel which is still running and compensating victims of police brutality.
Some have even attributed Goodluck Jonathan’s loss in 2015 to social media and the #BringBackOurGirls movement of 2014. It shows you that directly or indirectly, social media has an effect on how people vote.
Information is power and it is now being transmitted easily without restriction through social media. The government can no longer control what people have access to and even before the government knows about some things, the people already know about it.
With great power comes great responsibility and the effect of social media especially when it comes to fake news has also been felt around the world. We cannot relegate social media effects today because fake news has led to many destructions.
With COVID-19 now here, social media has helped and also been a tool for people to spread misinformation about the vaccine and even a cure. Social media is a very strong tool but at some point someone has to take responsibility, either the platforms or the people using it.
