ABSTRACT
This
research examines the Influence
of Political Campaign Hate Speech by Facebook Users on Voters’ Choice for the
2015 Presidential Candidate. The study was
anchored on Source Credibility Theory and Technological Determinism Theory. The
theory stated that media technology shapes how we as individuals in a society
think, feel, act, and how society are operates as we move from one
technological age to another (Tribal- Literate- Print- Electronic-Internet).
Social media as an emerging tools for political mobilization, organisation,
education and political interaction was used to the fullest for the first time
in Nigeria politics. The main data collection instrument are questionnaire and
interview. The research used qualitative and quantitative method (survey and
indepth interview). 200 copies of questionnaires were administered to
respondents that were purposively selected using frequency and
percentage table method with SPSS version 20. It is obvious that
many of the respondents come across hate speech online particularly on
Facebook. Findings further that many of the hate speech that was trending on
facebook at the time of 2015 electioneering campaign dominated by ethnicity and
religion. Though, many of them frown at hate speech in whatever forms.
Similarly, many of the respondents
did not post hate speech but click like on those post. They also share
hate speech. The core factors responsible for
hate speech on facebook according to the findings are political benefit, high
freedom of speech, weak regulating body and lack of orientation on the part of
politicians and electorate. It was submitted that social media will better
Nigeria politics as it provide free place to express ideas, view and mobilize
electorate. Also, electorate were not influenced by the hate speech. It is
recommended that political terrain of
Nigeria demands lots of adjustment and formulation of law to guide against the
abusive of social media in the future election.
