Social Media and Politics in My Country: A Double-Edged Sword

Social media is one of the valuable tools that has reshaped politics in my country, to the point where it has become both a blessing and a curse to the politicians. We live in a digital world and an era where almost everything passes through social media, including political news, from WhatsApp broadcasts to Facebook Live, not forgetting Twitter trends and TikTok campaigns that can be used by politicians to propagate their works or by the opposition or citizens to expose unruly behaviors of politicians so they'll be known to the general public. All of these have made social media evolve from being just a space to upload pictures or watch skits to becoming a political battlefield.

I remember back in the days before the evolution of social media, we mostly relied on information gotten from posters, radio, and open-air campaigns held by politicians to know what's going on in the country, and since most of these were instituted by them, it was quite easy for them to manipulate information, and any radio stations that were unwilling to bow to their demands were mostly shut down and their staff arrested. Thanks to social media in this age, every single individual now has a voice that can speak to millions of people via one singular picture or video that showcases the atrocities being committed by these politicians during elections and other periods during and after their tenure.

With the way one singular piece of viral content can go on to shake the table for these politicians, they're aware of the capabilities of these, and that's why you'll find almost each and every one of them having a strong social media presence. It's not because they really love the people, but because they want to create visibility for themselves and to show how compassionate they are to the people so they'll be seen as a good person and be voted for during elections. It's all a facade and a lie, and I usually tell my friends to trust or believe any politicians at their own peril, and I'm saying this because I know every single politician we've had in Nigeria is a thief and a wolf in sheep's clothing.

On the side of we the voters, I must say that social media has been a wonderful tool that can be used to create not just awareness but also accountability. I remember back in the year 2007 when I was first qualified to vote as a citizen, I walked down to the polling booth to vote and was surprised to see some tout standing beside it, telling voters, "Which do you want, money or your life?" They're asking that question with a cutlass in hand; meaning if you don't vote for their candidates, you either go away and not vote at all or get butchered with a cutlass for voting for the opposition. Nowadays, although the same still happens, it has subsided to a minimal level thanks to the fact that pictures and videos can easily record them doing such acts and publish them online to show such election processes aren't as free and fair as they ought to be.

We've seen strong movements such as these develop via social media, from the EndSARS protest to end bad governance protests and the like, which all go on to make politicians shiver in fear.

On the other hand, to the politicians, social media, I believe, is a paradox to them, and I'm saying this because while, like I said earlier, it helps them promote themselves in a good light to the people on social media via their social presence, their bad deeds can also be exposed via social media, and clamoring for change can spell doom for their rule. Seeing citizens complain on social media about bad roads, poor infrastructure, a degraded education system, an absence of power supply, and the like is one thing that puts these politicians on edge, as they'll always want to lie that things are going smoothly in the country to the outside world, so the citizens showcasing the reality firsthand is one reason why they might prefer a world without social media, and it's no surprise when I saw the Emir of Sokoto say social media is a terrorist group last week.

But then, while I love social media and the impact it's having on politics in our country, I think there's a need to be conscious of the information we digest, because there are loads of fake news, propaganda, and political manipulation being aired via social media, from ruling parties lying about the economy and what they've done so they'll seem good to the general public to opposition parties, politicians, and supporters fueling lies and enhancing the bad deeds of the running ones so the ruling parties will look like a complete failure. Politics is a dirty game, and it's intriguing how they've brought their battlefield down to the social space. Overall, my take on these is for people to be wary of misinformation that can go on to spark tension and violence.

_{Image is mine.}

Overall, I believe social media has changed the political game in Nigeria; nothing is really that secret anymore, and it's up to us as people to use it wisely in holding our leaders accountable, and with all I've seen, I'd say that social media has done more good than harm politically, especially when we consider how it's given the average citizen a voice, and if at all I'll change anything, it'll be working towards a stronger digital literacy and fact-checking awareness. Because we've got a lot of people who literally believe every post and headline they see, which usually goes on to fuel tribalism, confusion, and division among the people, that needs to change, and people need to be reoriented, and that's why I want to initiate change in that aspect.

---

All photos are taken and edited on canva.

---