Social media, governance and politics increasingly go hand in hand these days. In Nigeria, droves of politicians are going online to communicate with their audiences. They are quick to tell you that though the online community does not vote, they are a key demographic who shape and influence perception. But social media users on the African continent are typically a small portion of the population, middle class –and educated. Politicians involved in extensive engagement with their online constituencies are often labeled elitist as the offline majority can often feel excluded from conversations about their welfare and policies that affect them.
Twitter and Facebook are still some of the fastest ways for politicians to connect with their audience, but they are also an instant way to get ‘feedback-mobbed’. It important that users know their audiences. If you tweet or write something on any social media platform, be able to explain or defend it if need be. Nigerian public officials are learning this lesson on a daily basis. On the 5th of July 2014, a special adviser to a Nigerian public official enthusiastically tweeted ‘Hail Hilter’ (Heil Hitler) in support of the German National Football Team. The post World War II world, does not view Third Riech sympathizers favorably, so you can imagine the backlash. In another society this comment could have sparked a diplomatic row.
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan and his cabinet were the political poster kids of social media, when he launched his 2011 campaign on Facebook. Now,social media is also used to critique and even insult his government, the cabinet and the First Lady. His supporters have used social media to counter negative perceptions by posting “before and after” Jonathan successes on social media. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is another social media user who infamously holds the distinction of being the first Head of State to personally engage in a twitter feud with a journalist—Guardian UK writer Ian Birrell. Kagame is an interesting case study of the growing use of social media by high profile politicians—he may not engage often but when he does, you’re sure it’s him. Twitter feud aside, Birell found it admirable that ‘a leader engaged so personally with him through a new form of communication’.
The World is Watching.All politicians need to remember that any online activity, even if deleted immediately,may have alreadybeen seen and documented by thousands if not more. Moreover,the internet never forgets. Perhaps the most recent example is when Nigeria’s Defense Minister tweeted “Cold beer 4 dis hot sun” on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This invited a barrage of disapproving comments and heckling which was quickly followed by a statement that the twitter account had been hacked.
Elections are not won by social media or are they? India reportedly has 103 million social media users from a population of over 815 million people; 93 million are on Facebook and 33 million on Twitter. These numbers however represent mainly a middle class, just like Nigeria. Indian politicians are aware of these numbers took full advantage of social media in this year’s elections. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) even urged online supporters to donate a tweet or Facebook status.CNN even described the process as India’s first social media election, documenting how President Modi’s BJP party hired social media experts to work on the campaign with the underlying premise that “Some campaigns are not just for promotions, but to create conversations.”
Nigeria is following suit. Most major players in the Nigerian political arena and government officials have some form of a social media footprint. With a little over 200 days left to the 2015 elections, dozens of dormant accounts have come alive. Consultants who claim part of a US President’s social media team are beginning to turn up. But the world will find out soon enough if social media has a significant impact or only plays a supporting role in deciding who Nigeria’s next president will be.
By Rimini Makama
Rimini Makama is the Corporate Communication and Media Director for africapractice Lagos. She works on corporate communications and social media with various clients across West Africa. She has been with africapractice since 2009.
