Connected but not Engaged: A Tale of Two Governorship Candidates’ Social Media Mobilization in a Gubernatorial Contest in Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyses the engagement of potential voters with two major candidates for governor in the 2019 gubernatorial election in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria. The study explored the interaction, pattern of engagement as well as the extent to which their followers focused on issues of their campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. To achieve these aims, the researchers put forward content-analysis of 3,193 comments of the followers of the two candidates on the three platforms from December 2018 to February 2019, using purposive and constructed week sampling techniques. Results showed that the two candidates were able to engage followers on the selected online social media platforms. However, one had a more robust engagement than his rival. It was also noted that a large percentage of their followers (1,409 in 3,193) did not key into the campaign issues as expected. Despite the level of engagement, a one-way communication pattern was noticed on the part of the two candidates. Their followers’ questions and observations were ignored. It is therefore recommended that media strategists of politicians should always make their engagement with the citizens online two-way symmetrical. Social media platforms should equally not be downplayed in political campaigns by Nigerian politicians.