The Impact of Social Media on Political Campaigns ( a Case Study of 2023 Presidential Election)

The contemporary political environment can be described as the age of information technology.
Technology runs almost all human endeavours, including politics. In recent times, politicians have swerved from the use of traditional media (broadcast and print) to the use of social media to carry out their political and electoral campaigns in order to realize their political ambition.. This research examines the impact of social media on political campaign in Nigeria with the to find out its influence on the Nigerian electorate in their decision or choice of leadership during the
2023 presidential election in Nigeria. The study adopted survey method and the data are drawn from both primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire served as the research instrument and obtained data were analysed using descriptive analysis with the aid of frequency distribution.
Findings show that the social media played a major role in mobilizing people, creating awareness, as well as participation and circulation of information about candidates in the 2023 presidential election in Ekiti State. However, it was discovered that some of the major challenges of social in the electioneering process is that social media spreads propaganda, false information, and hate speeches about an electoral candidate. These go viral and are used to manipulate the electorate.
The study therefore recommends, among other things, that practical regulatory methods on what should and should not be posted on social media should be put in place by the governing bodies of various social media platforms. This will help to censor and check information that spread on social media platforms. This way, campaigns that use and encourage hate speeches or instill violence will not be posted or published.