Electorates’ Analysis of Hate Speech Dynamics on Facebook during the 2023 Nigerian Presidential Election Campaigns

Abstract

Abstract
The pattern of political communication in the past decade has been dramatically altered by the emergence of social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, and YouTube, among others. These platforms are used by politicians and political stakeholders for political communication. They leverage the unique characteristics that social media offer such as accessibility, connectivity, interactivity, speed, wider reach, and cost advantage when compared to mainstream media, among others, to disseminate their political views, mobilise the electorates and canvass for their votes, especially during the campaign period. While some of the political information shared helped the electorates to make informed political decisions, others have not but rather spread hate targeted at their political opponents with the intent to discredit him/her, particularly on Facebook. Hence, this study investigates the nature of hate speech spread on Facebook during the 2023 Nigerian presidential campaigns, its influences on the electorates' choice of candidates and its implication on the democratic development in Nigeria. The survey was used as the research design, the questionnaire as an instrument for data collection and the population was 41.6 million (Facebook users in Nigeria as of May 2023). The sample size was 400 determined using Taro-Yamane's formula. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were adopted. The study found that the health status of the candidate, ethnicity of the candidate, religion of the candidate, and cyberbullying or malicious content were the leading nature of hate speech shared on Facebook during the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. The study also revealed that these hate speeches influenced the electorates’ voice of candidates, hence, undermining national security and cohesiveness, stifling free speech, and threatening the consolidation and survival of democracy in Nigeria. The electoral law enacted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be strictly enforced to prevent hate speech, especially among Facebook users from being used during political events and campaigns. This will serve as a guide for politicians regarding their behaviour during a campaign.