SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AMONG SELECTED ENTREPRENEURS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Social media technology has become ‘the mouth-piece’ of the millennium, especially in Nigeria and Africa. It provides the much-needed oxygen for universal democratisation processes and considered as most suitable for expression of opinion on public issues, affairs and debates. Though its impacts are still incipient, it is palpable that social media platforms promote a new public sphere for negotiation between political, national, public and cultural interests, especially in Nigeria. The survey investigates how entrepreneurs are using social media to participate in governance actively and inherent challenges hinged on Technology Determinism and Agenda Setting theories. Deploying purposive sampling, to select 200 respondents from Enugu and Anambra States of Nigeria, findings show that social media, especially Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp augment interest, participation, interaction and socialisation among artisans and traders with regards to politics to a great extent. The findings, however, contrast the notion that media literacy is a barrier to social media use, which assumes that uneducated people may not be able to manipulate social media effectively. Results also demonstrate that social media could be an excellent strategy for futuristic political development in selected cities. The study, therefore, recommends a decrease in the cost of data tariff to enable artisans and traders, especially the rural-based entrepreneurs have access to the Internet and social media.