Dr Ibietan’s New Book on Cyber Politics on Nigerian Election Releases by Premium Time Group
Premium times books, the book publishing arm of the Premium Times Group, is pleased to announce the release of a new title, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria.
The book, written by Omoniyi P. Ibietan, is officially making its way to physical and online bookshops Monday morning in a unique alignment with the symbolic rituals of June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
In 460 pages spread over 12 chapters, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria give expression to a critical phase within the distinct trajectory of Nigerian democracy through its elections.
Like June 12, which created a watershed in the country as Nigerians sought to rupture the yoke of military rule through the ballot, this book by Omoniyi P. Ibietan engages with another national watershed moment, as the nascent digital culture involving Internet use, and particularly the social media, converges with the articulation of voter choice, ultimately impacting Nigeria’s electoral fortunes in the process.
Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election is utilised as the sounding board from which analyses that offer great insights into the future of voting behaviour in the country are made in this new title, which is both skilful in its rendition and ground-cutting in its intellectual approach.
In an Introduction he wrote for the book, Dapo Olorunyomi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Premium Times Group, said “The universe of this new book is intriguing in its exploration of the “digital effect on elections.”
He also pointed out how Mr Ibietan’s work demonstrates “clearly that social media systems do enrich electoral democracy by expanding access to registration, participation, voting and organising at a scale we have never contemplated.”
He further observed that “In the context of the Nigerian market framework, we also get to appreciate, through his lenses, the comparative appeal of each of the social channels. WhatsApp is the battle axe, while Twitter, hysterical though it is, remains limited.” Also, “Ibietan demonstrates how Facebook appeals to age and its abstract commitment to attention and community makes its credentials for advancing democracy a suspect.”
Equally, in his Foreword to the book, Umar Danbatta, a professor and executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, noted that: “the author situates the historical context of Nigerian politics and democracy” and more so “…the nexus between social media and voting behaviour, and the influence of the social media ecosystem among others in the electoral process.”
