Re-Examining the Impact of Social Media on Political Discourse: An Elaboration of Likelihood Model Analysis of Nigeria’s 2019 Presidential Election

Abstract

Social media has become an important component of political discourse. In Nigeria, social media has played a critical role in shaping political opinions and voting behaviors, especially during the 2019 presidential election. This research re-examines the influence of social media on political discourse using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a theoretical framework to scrutinize the level of message elaboration among voters on social media platforms and the factors that impact the central and peripheral routes of persuasion. The study explored the influence of social media on voter’s attitude, behavior and opinion during the election, with the ultimate aim of analyzing how different segments of society may react to persuasive messages. The findings of the study shed light on the level of social media usage during the election, the effect of voter’s attitude and behavior, the role of political propaganda, and the factors influencing social media’s effectiveness in shaping political discourse.