CYBER-POLITICS: ANALYSIS OF NEW MEDIA AND POLITICAL · Cyber-Politics: Analysis of New Media and Political Information Management Interface for Electoral… 49 Cyber-Politics: Analysis

Cyber-Politics: Analysis of New Media and Political Information Management Interface for Electoral… 47

Cyber-Politics: Analysis of New Media and Political InformationManagement Interface for Electoral Participation in Nigeria

Ezebuenyi, Ephraim Ejimnkeonye, Ezegwu, Daniel T.,Onuigbo, Ugochukwu U.

CYBER-POLITICS: ANALYSIS OF NEW MEDIA AND POLITICALINFORMATION MANAGEMENT INTERFACE FOR ELECTORAL

PARTICIPATION IN NIGERIA

Ezebuenyi, Ephraim Ejimnkeonye, Ezegwu, Daniel T., Onuigbo, Ugochukwu U.Department of Mass Communication, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli

ABSTRACT

Cyber–politics: Analysis of New Media and Political Information Management Interface forElectoral Participation in Nigeria” appraises the use of new media and political informationmanagement in the conduct of political activities especially during elections. It evaluates thetremendous powers inherent in the New Communication Technologies (NCTs), their incrediblecapacities, latitude and convenience in political information management made possible by theinternet in the process of politicking (cyber-politics). These digital objects that includeinteractivity (social media platforms) facilitate easy mobilization of the electorate and could beused in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria. The paper adopts the qualitativeanalytical approach in examining the interface between new media and political informationmanagement vis-a-vis their boundless possibilities and opportunities for proper participatorypolitical process and concludes that this emerging trend transcends the old order for bringingpolitical aspirants and electorates into a closer bond without physical contact, leading to a morerobust and sophisticated political atmosphere. It recommends among others that cyber-politicsshould be streamlined and as well, enshrined in our body polity and in the overall process ofpoliticking in Nigeria.

Keywords: Cyber–politics, New Media, Information Management, Electoral Participation, Nigeria

INTRODUCTIONTechnology has revolutionized almost all theactivities of humans. The World Encyclopediacited in Agbanu (2011), refers to technology asall the ways people use their inventions anddiscoveries to satisfy their needs and desires. Inkeeping with the foregoing, media orcommunication technologies refer to inventionsor discoveries that are tailored towardsimproving the dissemination of messages to alarge number of people (Kur & Melladu, 2007).

Some of these communication technologiesinclude, the Internet, communication satellites,cable system, computers, mobiletelecommunications, microwave, video text etc.From the foregoing, it is necessary to talk ofelectronic newspapers and magazines, cabletelevision, digital television and radios whichguarantee greater speed, greater reach, clearersound and vision, quality output, betterreception and provision for a two-way flow of

information or what has been calledparticipatory media (Agbanu, 2011). Thesegreat powers (potential and actual) of mediatechnologies have significant implications forthe socio–cultural, political and economicendeavours of nations and their citizens. It is theunique characteristics of these emerging mediatechnologies that earned them the name “newmedia”.

New media, according to Marsh (2005:3), are“old media combined with digitalizedtechnologies in their production and audienceconsumption patterns”. New media also refer toa wide range of technologies andcommunication that have emerged morerecently, including the internet (Oladepo, 2012:133). While appreciating the power that newmedia have granted to the audience, Ross andNightingale (2003 : 53) explain that the sourcesof power available to people as audiences arelinked to their simultaneous participation in

48 COOU Interdisciplinary Research Journal



three interlocking spheres of activity: in thepublic sphere, in consumption and in the mediasphere.

New media can equally be described as anydigital media object that includes interactivityand are digitally distributed (Holzinger, 2000).They constitute the fastest media channeladopted by corporate organizations, nationalgovernments, political campaign organizations,political parties, agencies among others totransmit information and ideas all over theworld (Nkala, 2012). In support of theforegoing, Uwakwe (2009) observes that as afunctional process of interpreting events inhuman society, communication has becomemore dynamic and complex as digitaltechnologies are constantly changing the waywe produce and consume media packages. Newmedia have the potential to drive Nigeria’spolitical and economic development and build arobust democracy (MacArthur Foundation,2012).

The rise of new media has increasedcommunication among peoples of the world andthe Internet provides the links. It has allowedpeople to express themselves through blogs,website, pictures and other user-generatedmedia. Flew (2002) states the evolution of newmedia technologies has ushered in globalization.New media “radically break the connectionbetween physical place and social place, makingphysical location much less significant for oursocial relationships” (Croteau & Hoynes, 2003:311).

New media technologies in sub-Saharan Africa,as elsewhere are affecting the nature of politicalpractice. Of particular importance, in the contextof wider democratization trends may be theirpotential for invigorating journalistic outputwith locally relevant content (Dunn, 2012). Newmedia played important role in the Arab Springin North Africa as well as the 2011 Nigeria’s

general elections when thousands of Nigeriansused them to report and comment on theelectoral process. With an estimated 95 millionactive mobile lines and 45.9 million Internetusers, new media are critical tools for positivechange in a democracy like Nigeria (Mukina,2012). According to Mukina (2012), new mediatechnology enabled the promotion of sustainabledevelopment, good governance and peacefulcoexistence on the African continent.

The rate of adoption of new media in Africamay be significantly less compared to the ratethey were adopted in developed societies(Ekeanyanwu, et al., 2012). However, Africastill has a representation in terms of Internetadoption rates. The ICT indicator database ofthe International Telecommunication Union,(2007) in Africa has it that 5.34 per 100 areInternet users. Ekeanyanwa et al. (2012: 141)agree that although Africans may not have fullykeyed into ICT development, this does not alterthe reality that traditional media are fast losingground to new media. It could therefore be safeto say that if Africa’s adoption rates of newmedia continually progresses, Africa will alsoform a substantial part of the digital population.

That new media can influence politicalcampaigns and voting is no longer a contentiousissue. New media technologies could be used tomake an impact in the political environment byachieving the following:

Providing sufficient illuminating politicalinformation.

Guiding targets’ voting decision by shapingtheir opinion and setting political agenda forthem.

Educating the targets about electionprocedures.

Creating awareness about a candidate andhis campaign messages vis-à-vis the overallunfolding political issues and processes




(Nwodu, 2007) cited in Nwabueze &Ezebuenyi, 2012).

It becomes imperative to note that the increasingadvantages of new media can be harnessed inthe direction of curbing electoral fraud andsubsequently enhance Nigeria’s democraticfortune. This is the underlying idea behind theconcept of “teledemocracy”, which Becker(2009) describes as “democratically aided, rapidtwo-way political communication.”Teledemocracy simply means the application ofmodern communication hardware and softwarein the overall democratic process with a view tobringing about faster, far-reaching, easilyaccessible and more accurate report of electionresults. It is a clear indication that there is afuture for ideal democracy in the world ofhumans and Nigeria in particular.

The Nigerian political environment may nothave fully realized the full effect of the newmedia adopted in the electoral process andoverall political environment, but has no doubtresponded positively to the new development.New media have enhanced the communicationprocess used in creating and disseminatingpolitical messages in recent times in Nigeria.The 2011 general elections held in April, wascharacterized by, among other things, anappreciable use of the new media especially theFacebook for political advertising and electioncampaigns (Hamilton & Daramola, 2011). Thebuild up to the election witnessed an increasedapplication of the new media as instruments ofpolitical campaigns as political messages wascarried online especially on Facebook.

The election campaign that saw Barack Obamavoted in as the President of the United States ofAmerica (USA) in 2008 was characterized bythe use of new media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) toattract the electorate; commonly known as thefriends of Obama, with the Slogan "Change isPossible”. Political strategies and analysts havedubbed Barack Obama’s 2008 presidentialvictory as the “Twitter election” “a triumph ofnew media in politics” and “the election decided

by Facebook” (Alex-Budak, 2008). Followingthe same trend, President Goodluck Jonathanadopted the use of Facebook in his presidentialelection campaigns and actually became the firstin Nigeria to adopt such strategy that hasincreasingly made an inroad into our electoralprocess and in the overall political environment(Ezebuenyi & Ejezieh, 2012).

The foregoing notwithstanding, this studyintends to investigate how the increasingadvantages of new media can be harnessed andapplied in making the electorate to possess theirpolitical sovereignty by transparently voting –in and voting – out political office holders andgovernments democratically without undueinterference, let or hindrance.

The Concept and Nature of the New MediaThe term “new media” has been described as ageneric term for the many different forms ofelectronic communication made possiblethrough the use of computer technology. Use ofthe term “new media” implies that the datacommunication is happening between desktopand laptop computers and handhelds, such asPDAs, and the media they take data from, suchas compact discs and floppy disks.

New media refer to on-demand access tocontent anytime, anywhere on any digitaldevice, as well as interactive user feedback,creative participation and community formationaround the media content. Another importantpremise of new media is the “democratization”of the creation, publishing, distribution andconsumption of media content, in addition to thereal-time generation of new, unregulatedcontent.

Most technologies described as “new media”are digital, often having characteristics of beingmanipulated, networkable, dense, compressibleand interactive (Flew, 2008). Some examplesmay be the Internet, websites, computermultimedia, video games. CD-ROMS, andDVD, online communities, web advertising,streaming audio and video, chat rooms, digital




camera, virtual reality environment, integrationof digital data with the telephone, such asInternet telephony. New media do not includetelevision programmes, feature films,magazines, books or paper-based publications -unless they contain technologies that enabledigital interactivity (Manovich, 2003).Facebook is an example of the social mediamodel, in which users are also participants.

According to Aronson (2012), the very nature ofsocial media with its speed, inclusiveness, andease of access makes it logical that it is a toolcapable of revolutionizing the electoral process.These qualities make easier for the averagecitizen to participate politically whether in termsof having political discussions online,volunteering online, donating to campaignsthrough their website, or even impacting thenational news cycle by posting a video of acandidate speaking at a campaign event onYouTube for the whole world to see. Now thatthe general public can be the press, the press iseven more omnipresent making it difficult forthe political candidate to get away withanything. As far as election results go, whilenew media may not be the one resource that willmean if a candidate wins or loses, it is verylikely that it could make a difference at themargins (Aronson, 2012).

Speculations about the influence of an emergingmedia technology seldom tend to underestimatethe potential influence. The introduction of ICTsproduced (and still produces) much speculationabout the influence on society. To mention justa few, ICTs have been forecasted to overloadcitizens with information, revitalize democraticparticipation and deliberation and end the age ofmass communication. It appears that when thepotential influence of an emerging mediatechnology is considered, there is a risk ofexaggerating the influence throughtechnological deterministic visions of theimpact. On the other hand, there is a danger of

being too critical and dismiss any influence ofthe technology because nothing new has reallyhappened (Karlsen, 2010).

Early speculations concerning ICTs wereconfronted with empirical studies claiming thatnothing new really came with the newtechnology; the new media represented politicsas usual (Lister et al., 2003). In the literature ofcampaigning, media technology is considered adriving force for change. Indeed, theintroduction and impact of new Information andCommunication Technologies (ICTs) areconsidered the defining aspects of an emergingnew stage of campaigning (Friendman, 2005).However, little has been done to link theinfluence of ICTs on campaigning withextensive literature on the impact of technologyon society.

To relate the influence of technology on societyto a discussion of campaign change, there isneed to emphasize that influence of new mediatechnology is constrained by countervailingforces that restrain and shape the effects (Flew,2002). Furthermore, such countervailing forceswill differ from one political system to the nextdepending on the features of the campaignenvironment. Hence the need to relate theinfluence of technology in general and theinfluence of the new ICTs in particular to thehybridization perspective on campaign change.

New Media and Information Management inPoliticsThe emergence of new digital technologiessignals a potentially radical shift of who is incontrol of information, experience and resources(Nwodu, 2007). He further posits that “we arewitnessing the evolution of a universalinterconnected network of audio, video, andelectronic text communications that will blur thedistinction between interpersonal and masscommunication and between public and privatecommunication”. He argues new media will:




1. Alter the meaning of geographic distance;2. Allow for a huge increase in the volume of

communication;3. Provide opportunities for interactive

communication; and4. Allow forms of communication that were

previously separate to overlap andinterconnect.

Consequently, it has been the contention ofscholars such as Douglas Kellner and JamesBohman that new media and particularly theInternet, provide the potential for a democraticpost modern public sphere, in which citizenscan participate in well informed, non-hierarchical debate pertaining social impacts ofnew media. Scholars such as Ed Herman andRobert McChesney who have suggested thetransition to new media have seen a handful ofpowerful transitional telecommunicationcorporations who achieve a level of globalinfluence hitherto unimaginable.

Scholars such as Lister et al. (2003) andFriendman (2005) have highlighted both thepositive and negative potential and actualimplications of new media technologies,suggesting that some of the early work into newmedia studies was guilty of technologicaldeterminism whereby the effects of media weredetermined by the technology themselves, ratherthan through tracing the complex socialnetwork, which governed the development,finding, implementation and future developmentof any technology.

It becomes imperative to note that thesophistication and tremendous impact of thenew media technologies in creating anddisseminating political information,organization and management of electioncampaigns and in the overall political process inNigeria is taking an interesting dimension. Forinstance, the new media have proved to bepartners in progress in the task of designing anddelivering creative and persuasive messages tothe target audience towards effective

participation in the political process. Thisinformation management process and abilitiesof the new media technologies, no doubt havethe tendency of transforming the hithertounwholesome reliance on god-fatherism byNigerian politicians, electoral fraud, violenceand other electoral malpractices (Ezebuenyi &Ejezieh, 2012).

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONTechnological Determinism TheoryThe ‘concept technological determinism theory’explains the setting of this study. The theorywhich was propounded by Marshall McLuhan(1964), a Canadian communication scholar, whoobserved new media technologies incommunication, would soon determine socialchanges, turning the world into a global village.He believes socio-political, economic andcultural changes are inevitably based ondevelopment and diffusion of technology.McLuhan argued technology undoubtedlycauses specific changes on how people think,how society is structured and the form of culturecreated. This theory portends that, given theemergence of Internet and its adoption andrelevance in mobilizing people for politicalactivities, there is bound to be an impact on theelectoral process and overall politicalenvironment.

Communication is the basic tenet oftechnological determinism theory. The theoryseeks to explain social and historicalphenomena in terms of the principaldetermining factor (technology). The theorystates that communication technologies ingeneral are the prime causes of changes insociety. Reinforcing this position, Chandler(1995) affirms that technological deterministsinterpret technology in general andcommunication technologies in particular as thebasis of society in the past, present and even thefuture.

However, as far as communication is concerned,we are increasingly dealing with a worldwithout frontiers. The amazing technological




revolution, which McLuhan was so fascinatedabout, has not stood still, same goes to thepeople that handle the process and what they do(Oliver, 2011). According to Baran (2004: 22),technological determinism is the thinking insome quarters that it is machine and theirdevelopment that drive historical, economicpolitical and cultural changes.

There is however, a perspective to technologicaldeterminism, which sees technology as moreneutral and claim the way people use it is whatgives it significance. This perspective thataccepts technology as one of the many factorsthat shape historical, economic, political andcultural changes is ultimately determined byhow much power it is given by the people andcultures that use it (Baran, 2004).

These two perspectives of technologicaldeterminism pose an important question: are wemore or less powerless in the wake oftechnological advances like Internet? If we areat the mercy of technology as the formerperspective argues, the culture that surrounds uswill not be of our making, and the best we canhope to do is to make our way reasonably wellin a world outside our own control. But if thesetechnological advances are indeed neutral andtheir power resides in how we choose to usethem as maintained by the latter perspective, wecan utilize them responsibly and thoughtfully toconstruct and maintain whatever culture wewant. In relation to this study therefore, thetheory presupposes that since there are othercountervailing factors that restrain and shape theeffect or influence of new media, the latterperspective of this theory is more appropriate inthis study.

Role of New Media in Mobilization forElectoral ParticipationThe new media technologies have arguablyenhanced the communication process in a widerange of endeavours and the political

environment no doubt is experiencing a greatdeal of the impact of new media phenomenon(Nwabueze & Ezebuenyi, 2012). The growingrecognition and utilization of social media andtheir application in the political processunderscore the role the new media haveassumed in the world today. In Nigeria forinstance, the unwholesome reliance on god-fatherism is gradually giving way to onlinetactical crafting and packaging of persuasivemessages by campaign managers and politicalparties with an aim to consciously persuadeNigerian voters to vote in their candidates(Ezebuenyi & Ejezieh, 2012).

According to Dunu & Oraka (2004), thetremendous fact of the new media technologieshas definitely furnished the communicationindustry with revolutionary positive changesunprecedented. According to them, Nigeria, likeother countries of the world, has also benefitedin terms of improved technology output, varietyofferings, improved resources and qualityoutput occasioned by the new media revolution.This art and science of information managementthrough the new media seem to be gaining moregrounds in our political landscape. Politicaladvertising is today carried online (Kur, 2004:31) The election campaign that saw BarackObama become the President of the UnitedStates of America (USA) in 2008/ 2012 wascharacterized by effective and efficientinformation management ability interfacing thedeployment of the new media technologies byhis ability to use online platforms to attract theelectorate commonly known as friends ofObama with the slogan ‘change is possible’.Following the same trend, President GoodluckJonathan also adopted an online informationmanagement skills in his 2011 presidentialelection campaigns and actually become thefirst in Nigeria to use such strategy that hasincreasingly made an inroad into our electoralprocess and in the overall political environment.(Ezebuenyi & Ejezieh, 2012).




Social media help large groups to gather in ashort amount of time. They also provide aplatform for people to express their solidarityboth within the country and with others in theregion and beyond. Platforms like Facebook,Twitter are being credited with helping to propelthe Arab Revolution (Hunter, 2011). Stillharping on the role of the new media, Ikem,(2011 : 5) argues:

The place of the social media (new media) torally political support is no longer in doubt.To advance the conversation and mobilizepolitical support; social media have becomea crucial political tool. Facebook, Twitterand other social networks reinforce politicalmessages and build online and offlinesupport that will help drive interestingdebates about any politician and/or politicalparty. In fact, the social media provide apotential to stream and broadcast real livepolitical rallies and party conventionsonline, in such a way that supporters, whocannot participate physically can beinvolved from a distance effortlessly.

Commenting further, Ikem (2011) observes thatwhereas the dependence of the politicians ontraditional media for political campaigns willcertainly be noticeable and cannot becompletely discarded, modern trends of the newmedia seem to be eroding the gains of thetraditional media. In a changing world, it isimpossible to advance democratic change anddevelopment with old tools. Today leaders needto understand the role of changingcommunication technology for politics andsociety. This is the use of the new media in thefield of governance and political development toincrease citizens’ participation in the politicalprocess. The topic e-government was presentedas a vision that will give impetus to greatersocio-political interactivity.

Furthermore, through the diffusion of theInternet, new media have been variouslyinvolved in the restructuring of socio-culturaleconomic and political relationships andenvironments all over the world (Nkala, 2012).

This has been evident in the pervasiveness ofuser-generated content and the ways it is used tosupport social networking. The diffusion of thisdevelopment is already revolutionizing all facetsof human endeavour and the political process isnot left out (Nwabueze, 2005).

With the rise of social networking technologies,isolated actors with common aims increasinglyuse online tools to connect, share, discuss andorganize. The study by Alexandra Dunn of theUniversity of Oslo, “Public as Politician?Impoverished Hierarchies of ParticipatoryInfluence in the April 6th Youth MovementFacebook Group”, seeks to better understand themechanisms of influence and participatorystructures of a single, open political Facebokgroup that has successfully organized offlineaction without relying on a defined hierarchicalstructure. The April 6th Youth MovementFacebook Group has over 80,000 members andno leader, yet it is still capable of acting inconcert with the intent of reforming therepressive offline political sphere in Egypt(Saharan reporters, 2011).

Exploring quantitative data collected in2009/2010 by Alexandra Dunn to investigatethe role of social media on the Egyptian crisis,the analysis found a small group of highlyactive users that directed discussion on theFacebook wall - the central hub oforganizational activity (Saharan reporters,2011). The volume of participation increasedsignificantly on sample days of heightenedoffline political activity and when the topparticipants were prevented from contributing tothe wall on these days (because ofdemonstration, detention or arrest), anothersmall subset of users filled the leadershipvacuum. These findings indicate that there ispotential for Facebook and other SocialNetworking Services (SNSs) to act not only ascomplementary spaces of political discussion orcampaigning, but as platforms fororganizational structures that existindependently of any party and act tosuccessfully secure collectively defined goals.




New Media and DemocracyThe friendly and conversational mode ofcommunication of the new media, and theirpotential and capacities to effect changes inhuman activities in society make it compellingfor the purpose of this investigation to examinethe democratic environment, where the newmedia impact on election process. To this end, itbecomes necessary to review the concept ofdemocracy and its component (elections) vis-à-vis the deployment of new media modes ofcommunication to the political process.

The concept of democracy is often expressed interms of “thin and “thick” definitions. At itsmost fundamental (or thin) incarnation,democracy is synonymous with popularsovereignty or majority rule: a system ofgovernance in which the people choose theirleaders by casting votes. Also known aselectoral democracy, this definition describesthe processes by which a government derives itsauthority or mandate (Diamond & Plattner,2006).

Democracy, according to the Oxford AdvancedLearner’s Dictionary (2004), is a form ofgovernment in which the people have a say inwho should hold power. Appadorai (1975)defines democracy as a system of exercising thegovernment power either directly or through arepresentative periodically elected by thepeople. Its basic principles are equity, freedomand supremacy of the interest of the numericalmajority. Burns et al. (1989) posit thatdemocracy consists of three primary principles:

a. Belief in the fundamental dignity andimportance of the individual;

b. Belief in the desirability of liberty, that is,the belief that freedom is good; and

c. The right of each individual to be treatedas a unique and inviolable person.

With the above exposition of democracy as areliable principle of political organization andgovernance within nation-states, an attempt ismade in this review to locate the meaning androle of electoral process to make for anassessment of the new media and theiroperations within a democratic setting as well ashow impactful they have become within theirconfines. Democracy must include popularparticipation in politics by all those members ofa polity who can incontrovertibly claim right ofuniversal adult suffrage (Okoye, 1996).Thispostulation underscores the pivotal role ofelections as the driving force of democraticgovernance.

Election is an institutionalized process ofrecruitment into political office through voting.However, it is necessary to state that electionson their own do not make democracy evenwhere they are free and fair, neither do theyguarantee political stability but suffice it to saythat elections are indispensable lubricants ofdemocracy because they give sovereignty to thepeople by giving them the right to remove theirleader and or install a new one.

Dwelling further on the foregoing, Nwodu(2007: 86) stresses that the concept ofdemocratic order presupposes man in societyshould exercise wide latitude of freedom inchoosing who becomes a leader within thesocial framework.

From the foregoing, it becomes necessary tostate that the crux of what Nwodu (2007) tries tobuttress is that election is a serious componentwhich gives democracy the legitimacy whichmakes the electorate to trust it as the bestinstrument of leadership. This view also isclearly enunciated in Article 21 (3) of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)as, “The will of the people shall be the basis ofthe authority of government. This shall beexpressed in period and genuine elections which




shall be held by secret vote or by equivalentprocedures”.

Much as elections are seen as a credible andlegal process in which the masses collectivelyparticipate in deciding who governs them andhow they should be governed, Nwodu (2007 :87) observes that most elections held in mostAfrican countries are often marred byunprecedented violence and widespread(irregularities) rigging. The same position wasechoed by Jega (2007) that a major tragedy ofour electoral process is the feeling among thevast majority of Nigerians that their votes do notcount and there are no remedies available forthem for redress.

DISCUSSIONApparently, it may not be preposterous to laudthe huge impact of the new media phenomenonand information management vis-a-vis theirapplication in the conduct of socio-politicalactivities in Nigeria particularly, and the worldover. It becomes imperative to infer based onthis analysis that new media have restructuredour socio-political relationship and environmentleading to a well managed information creationand dissemination process. Our politicalprocess, like never before, has responded to thesophistication brought about by the deploymentof the new media for awareness creation andmobilization.

However, while highlighting the impressiveinfluence of the new media on the politicalinformation management process, it is equallynote worthy to state that the influence oftechnology (new media) on society isconstrained by countervailing forces thatrestrain and shape the effects. Suchcountervailing forces will differ from onepolitical system to the next depending on thefeatures of the political environment.

New media promise a whole new andinteresting political horizon characterized byboundless possibilities and opportunities forproper participatory political process. This

emerging trend transcends the old order andtends to bring both the politicians and theelectorate into a closer bond without physicalcontact, leading to a more robust andsophisticated political process (Nwabueze &Ezebuenyi, 2012).

Primarily, because the new media have thepotential to drive Nigeria’s socio-political andeconomic development and build a robustdemocracy according to MacArthur Foundation(2012), this paper recommends among othersthat cyber-politics should be enshrined in ourbody polity and in all the process of politickingin Nigeria. The Nigerian electorate should beencouraged to key into the unending advantagesprovided by the new media in monitoring andreporting elections and other political activitiesin Nigeria. This is information management inaction, which if well incorporated into ourpolity, will practically minimize electoral fraudand other malpractices during elections inNigerian. The Nigerian government and itsagency (INEC) charged with the responsibilitiesof conducting elections in Nigeria should notonly embrace the adoption of new media inpolitical information management but also giveit a legal framework.

REFERENCESAgbanu, V. N. (2011). “Centre – Periphery

Information Flow Dichotomy and CulturalDomination: The ICTs Possibilities”. InAgbanu, V. & Nwabueze, C. Readingsin Mass Communication: GlobalPerspectives on Communication Issues.Enugu: Rhyce Kerex Publishers.

Alex, Budak, B.A. (2010). “Facebook, Twitter andBarack Obama: New Media and the 2008Presidential Elections”. M.Sc. Thesissubmitted to the Department of PublicPolicy, Faculty of the Graduate School ofArts and Sciences of GeorgetownUniversity, Washington, D.C. April 1, 2010.

Appadorai, A. (1975). The Substance ofPolitics.www.jainbookagency.com/booksearch,a... (February 2, 2013).

Aronson, E. (2012). “Cyber-Politics: How NewMedia has Revolutionized Electoral Politics




in the United States”, ColgateAcademic Review: Vol. 9, Article 7.Available athttp://commons.colgate.edu/car/vol9/issl/7(January 7, 2013).

Baran, S. J. (2004). Introduction to masscommunication media literacy and culture.New York:MaGraw Hill.

Becker, T. C. (2009). The Future ofTeledemocracy.www.utwente.nl/gw/mco/besttandent/the...Retrieved Nov. 12, 2012.

Chandler, D. (1995). Technological or MediaDeterminism. (www.document) URLDocuments/ tecdet/;Citation. (August 21,2014).

Croteau, D. & Hoynes, W. (2003). Media Society:Industries, Images and Audiences (3rd

edition), Thousand Oaks: Pine ForgePress.

Diamond, L. J. & Plattner, M. F. (2006). ElectoralSystems andDemocracy.worldsavy.org/monitor/index.php%3f… (September 19, 2014)

Dunn, A. (2012). “Public as Politician?Improvised Hierarchies of ParticipatoryInfluence in the April 6th YouthMovement Facebook Group.”www.saharareporters.com/ September19,

(September19, 2014).Dunu & Oraka, (2004). “The New

Communication Technology and the NigeriaMedia in the 21st Century”, GlobalCommunication Vol. 1 (1) Pp.93-115

Ekeanyanwu, N. T., (2012) “Theorizing CulturalDevelopment vis â vis Cultural Imperialism

Theory”. In S. N. Ekeanyanwu, I. A.Ngoa, Sobowale (eds.) Critique andApplication of Communication Theories.Ota Ogun State: Covenant University Press.

Ezebuenyi, E. E. & Ejezieh, L. N. (2012). “TheMass Media. Political Advertising andNigerian Voters: An appraisal”. 1stInternational Conference of the Departmentof English, Anambra State University,Igbariam Campus. Pp.283-291.

Flew, T. (2008). Not Yet the Internet Election:Online Media, Political Commentary andthe 2007 Australian Federal Election.Media International Australia IncorporatingCulture and Policy, 5-13 (February 6,2013).

Flew, T. (2002). New Media: an introduction,Australia: Oxford University Press.

Friendman, T. (2005). The World is Flat: A BriefHistory of the Globalised World in the 21stCentury. London: Penguin Books Ltd.

Hamilton, K. & Daramola, Y. (2011). “NewMedia and Democracy: A Study ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan’s 2011Political Campaign on Facebook”. A PaperPresented at Professor Onuorah NwuaneliInternational Conference in Awka, AnambraState.

Holzinger, A. (2000). Computer and InformationScience. htt://linkinghub elsevier.com/…(August 20, 2014)

Hunter, E. (2011). The Arab Revolution andSocial Media http:bit.ly/ge NYXJ. (February6, 2003)

Ikem, V. (2011). Responses to Social Media andthe New Dimension to Nigeria Politics

[email protected]. November 17,2012.

International Telecommunication Union (2007).Africa ICT Indicators (Online) Available

from http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/atglance/afictindicators2007.html November. 12, 2012.

Jega, A. (2007). Election and the Future ofDemocracy in Nigeria. Enugu: NigerianAssociation of Political Science.

Karlsen, R. (2010). “Does New MediaTechnology Drive Election CampaignChange?” A Paper Presented to Departmentof Political Science, University of Oslo andInstitute Social Research, Blinden,Norway, Information Policy 15 (2010). Pp.215-225.

Kur, J. T. & Melladu, B. B. (2007). “Mass MediaTechnology and Politics of InternationalCommunication”. In I. E. Nwosu & O.Soola (Eds). Communication in Global,




ICTs and Ecosystem Perspectives: Insightsfrom Nigeria. Enugu: African Council ofCommunication Education Pp.126-137.

Lister, Martin, Dovey, Jones, Giddins, Set, Grant,Lain, & Kelly, Kieran. (2003). New Media:A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.

MacArthur Foundation (2012, August 1).Leveraging New Media to Improve NigeriaFuture.www.macfound.org/press/publications...Retrieved Nov 15, 2012.

Manovich, L. (2003). “New Media from Borges toHTML”. In Wardrip-Fruin, Noah and Nick

Montfort, (Eds.) (2003). The New MediaReader. Pp. 13-25. The MIT Press.

Marsh, J. (2005). “Introduction: Children of theDigital Age”. In J. Marsh (Ed). Popular

Culture, New Media and DigitalLiteracy in Early Childhood. Routledge.Pp.102-115.

McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media.London: Routledge

Mukina (2012). New Media and Governance.www.nairaland.com/937690/new-media...

Retrieved November. 18, 2012.Nkala, D. A. (2012). “Influence of the New Media

on the Voting Behaviour of Awka SouthElectorate: A Study of the Short MessageService (SMS) in 2011 Nigeria’sPresidential Elections”. M.Sc. Thesis,Department of Mass Communication,Anambra State University, IgbariamCampus.

Nwabueze, C. D. (2005). “ICTs and SocialMarketing : A Critical Appraisal”. TheAfrican Council for CommunicationEducation (ACCE) Nigeria Chapter, Held atBenue State University July 20- 25.

Nwabueze, C. D. & Ezebuenyi, E. E. (2012).“Appraising the Relevance of ICTs in

Awareness Creation During Election”.Journal of Linguistics and CommunicationStudies. Vol.2, No. 1. Pp. 293-302.

Nwodu, L. C. (2007). “Using Information andTechnologies (ICTs) to Check ElectoralFraud in Nigeria”. Mass Media Review: AnInternational Journal of Communication.Vol.1 (3) December 2007.

Okoye, U.O. (1996). Social Work Associations inDeveloping Democraciesunn.edu.ng/depart/okoye-uzoma-o…(February 6, 2013).

Oladepo,T.O.(2012). “Reconsidering CulturalImperialism in the Age of New Media”. InN. T. Ekeanyanwu, S.N. Ngoa & I. A.Sobowale (Eds.) Critique and Application of

Communication Theories. Ota, OgunState: Covenant University Press. Pp. 133-147

Oliver, M. (2011). “Technological Determinism inEducational Technology Research: SomeAlternative Ways of Thinking about theRelationship between Learning andTechnology”, Journal of Computer AssistedLearning. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi(May2, 2013)

Sahara repoters (2011).The 6th April YouthMovement Facebook Group in Egypt.www.saharareporters. Com/ (September 19,2014).

Universal Declaration of Human Right (1948).www.humanium.org/…rights…rights/…(Aug. 18, 2014).

Uwakwe, O. (2009). “Analysis of the Use of NewMedia and Access to Information inNigeria”. Oko Journal ofCommunication & Information Science Vol.1 (2). September 2009.