[ad_1]
The results of the research were published today by a team of researchers from the United Kingdom and Nigeria examining the role of WhatsApp in the 2019 elections in Nigeria. Building on citizen surveys and interviews with political campaigns, the report highlights how WhatsApp has fostered the spread of "false information" around elections, but has also strengthened accountability and fostered greater accountability. inclusion in other areas.
At the Shehu Musa Yar & Adua Center in Abuja, Nigeria, on Monday, July 29, researchers from the Center for Democracy and Development (Nigeria) and the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) presented the Key findings of a WhatsApp-sponsored research project on the role of WhatsApp in the Nigerian elections of 2019. The report, WhatsApp and the Nigerian elections of 2019: mobilize the people, protect the vote, is available in full.
WhatsApp is the most popular email application in 40 African countries, including Nigeria, because of its low cost, encrypted messages and the ability to easily share messages with individuals and groups. The research project aimed to shed light on the influence of the application on the Nigerian elections., especially in light of concerns – in Nigeria and around the world – about the use of social media and the spread of what is called "false information".
Dr Jonathan Fisher (University of Birmingham) led the research team, which included Idayat Hbadan (Center for Democracy and Development), Jamie Hitchen (independent consultant) and Professor Nic Cheeseman (University of Birmingham). The research included 50 interviews with political campaigns, activists, academics, and experts in Abuja, Oyo, and Kano, as well as a citizen survey (n = 1,005) and focus groups in the United States. Oyo and Kano.
Focusing particularly on the governor's races at Oyo and Kano, research has revealed that:
1. Organization: The political use of WhatsApp is becoming more and more sophisticated and organized at the presidential level. By setting up several overlapping WhatsApp groups, organizations such as the Buhari New Media Center (BNMC) and the Atikulated Youth Force (AYF) – created to support the campaigns of President Buhari and his main opponent respectively, Atiku Abubakar – can send messages. to tens of thousands of people at the touch of a button by forming hundreds of groups of 256 members. The situation is however very different below the national level, where a significant proportion of the activity remains informal. This limits the ability of formal structures, such as parties, to define and control stories at the local level. Dr. Fisher said, "Our research shows that while WhatsApp replicates to some extent the existing networks of political patronage, it also helps less traditional actors to enter the political arena, especially young tech-savvy ones.
2 content: Different types of content shared via WhatsApp have varying impacts according to who they were shared by, and how they are presented to the user. Idayat Hbadan said, "The format, style, source and content of information shared or received on WhatsApp all have a determining impact on their reach and belief. Images and videos have more and more influence. . "
3 networks: Offline and online structures are linked, reinforcing and reinforcing each other in a way that is important to understand. As a result, in many ways WhatsApp amplifies the meaning and influence of existing networks within Nigerian politics and society. Jamie Hitchen said, "The interaction between shared information about WhatsApp and the offline context is a crucial part of the digital ecosystem and calls into question the fact that the platform has revolutionized political campaigns. "
4. Impact: WhatsApp is used both to spread misinformation and to counter it. One of the most notorious messages of the election – the false story that President Buhari died and replaced by a Sudanese clone – was widely circulated on WhatsApp. But the candidates also used WhatsApp to alert citizens about fake stories and "set the record straight". Professor Cheeseman said, "Social media platforms are both a threat to democracy and a way to strengthen it. WhatsApp is used to spread "fake news" on the one hand and to conduct fact checking and election observation campaigns on the other. The challenge is to reduce risk without compromising how social media can enhance accountability and promote inclusion. "
Research also points out that, especially at the sub-national level, while WhatsApp offers candidates an electoral advantage, social media alone can not win an election. Instead, the important thing for a candidate is to be a true leader of the community – to be present and accessible. This means that the candidate's ground campaign remains the most important thing to do. So, although WhatsApp has transformed the electoral environment, it has not revolutionized it.
The results of the research suggest short and long term recommendations:
Short termallowing individuals to leave WhatsApp groups more easily and report misinformation; strengthen the capacity of group administrators to set standards; target digital literacy training on social influencers and strengthen WhatsApp's ability to understand the risk of misuse by opening an office on the African continent.
Longer termState and federal governments should invest more in digital culture as part of the national agenda, while political campaigns should develop codes of conduct on social media for the next elections. On-line data protection and civil liberties should also be strengthened in Nigeria and beyond.
Source link
