Political Marketing and Social Media Use in Nigerian Politics: Understanding the Nexus

Abstract

In the 21st century, the importance of social media is highlighted in political marketing. Political players and stakeholders believe the use of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, among others, can influence political participation. Nowadays, social media tools are utilised within political communication campaigns to secure victory, encourage interaction between political parties/voters, promote and market identities, ideologies and build images. New media technologies have played essential roles in the Nigerian political landscape in the last two decades, both on the side of campaigners who work for political parties and the electorates who vote-in politicians marketed to them through political marketing. Hinged on the three-stage model of political marketing and the technological determinism theory, this paper examines and provides a contextual appraisal of the nexus between political marketing and the social media boom, particularly the Nigerian political system. This study employed an essentially exploratory and descriptive design with significant reliance on a desktop or library review of literature and theories presented alongside the analyses of relevant issues in work. The paper concluded that social media usage in political marketing encourages more engagement and interaction between the political actors and the electorates.

KEYWORDS: Political Marketing, Social Media, Political Communication, Nigeria, Political System