The book was released Monday morning to coincide with Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria covers a crucial period in Nigerian democracy’s election trajectory in 460 pages and 12 chapters.
Like June 12, when Nigerians used the ballot to overthrow military rule, this book by Omoniyi P. Ibietan explores another national watershed moment as the nascent digital culture of Internet use, particularly social media, converges with voter choice, affecting Nigeria’s electoral fortunes.
This new publication uses Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election as a springboard for insightful assessments of the country’s voting behaviour.
“The universe of this new book is intriguing in its investigation of the “digital effect on elections,”” stated Premium Times Group CEO Dapo Olorunyomi in the book’s introduction.
Mr. Ibietan’s work shows “clearly that social media networks actually strengthen electoral democracy by expanding access to registration, participation, voting and organising at a scale we have never contemplated.”
“In the context of the Nigerian market structure, we also get to evaluate, via his lenses, the comparative appeal of each social platform,” he added. WhatsApp is the battle axe, whereas Twitter, however frantic, stays confined. Ibietan shows how Facebook appeals to age, and its abstract dedication to attention and community makes its credentials for fostering democracy dubious.
In his Foreword, Umar Danbatta, a professor and executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, wrote that “the author situates the historical context of Nigerian politics and democracy” and “…the nexus between social media and voting behaviour, and the influence of the social media ecosystem among others in the electoral process.”
“The book is an engaging tale, a scholar’s guide and companion on the different political communication subjects it interprets,” said Professor Danbatta. Once attracted in by its enticing and free-flowing style and sharp analysis, this work is hard to put down.”
Frank Nweke II, a former Nigerian Minister of Information and Communication, believes that the “extrapolation of the lessons and recommendations of this book would find perfect expression in other climes outside the 2015 Nigerian general elections scenario.” Nweke praises “Dr Ibietan for this exceptional work, and…recommend(s) this book for practitioners and researchers in the disciplines of strategic communications, new technologies, and social change.”
Omoniyi P. Ibietan, the author of this new book, has a doctorate in Political Communication from North-West University in South Africa and degrees in Communication Arts from Uyo and Ibadan Universities.
After working in journalism, civil society, and academia, he oversees the media relations management unit at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Mr. Ibietan has spent two decades studying the emerging intersection between communication studies and psephology, which explains his deep understanding and farsightedness.
Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behavior in Nigeria is available in hardback and softback at bookstores nationwide starting today, June 12.
