By Jumoke Owoola
At the Special Book Reading and further reviewing held at the University of Ibadan in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State, southwest Nigeria, goodwill messages delivered by different stakeholders pointed to the fact that the author, Omoniyi Ibietan, PhD, Head, Media Relations Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission, shows high level of innovative and literary creativity to explore how political participation by the Nigerian people has taken a new technological dimension.
Dr. Maida described Ibietan’s work of literature as “path-breaking book that broaches a radical new territory in bridging psephology (i.e. the study of elections) and communications scholarship through an examination of the interface between social media networks and voting behaviour in the country.
The book draws its insights from a deeply methodical study of Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election, unearthing the intersections of social and demographic factors, digital social mediation and the remarkable impact of these variables on the voting behaviour of the electorate.”
To Dr Maida, “Dr. Ibietan’s book speaks to the reality of how the demographics of voting is now in favour of digital natives, whose engagements are set to upend the traditional media approaches, hence the great value in seeking an understanding of the growing interface across cyber politics, social media networks and social demography. Specifically, the author utilises tested theoretical models and research methods to scrutinise the impact of social media on contemporary politics.
“Most significantly, the cutting edge of this vibrant scholarly endeavour is its proposal of a bold new methodology and approach to communications, described as the Channel-Factor Model, which situates the relationship among social media and other variables within a political environment. It is a framework for re-engineering political communication in Africa that is as radical as it is innovative.”
The NCC Boss concluded his message by saying that ‘Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria is an absorbing and persuasive book that adds huge insightful value to an understanding of the interactions between politics, social media networks and other variables that influence the behaviour of voters in a democracy. Therefore, we particularly appreciate Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, a staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission, for this contribution to political communication scholarship.”
Speaking on behalf of the Communication Studies family and specifically the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), Umaru A. Pate, a Professor of Media and Society; who is also the Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, noted that Dr Ibietan as an active member of the ACSPN, he is in the frontline of promoting some of the Association’s objectives of promoting innovative communication education through publications and other knowledge sharing platforms.
Pate said: “A cursory reading of the book indicates that the author has been able to achieve the objectives of contributing to the conceptual and empirical dimensions of the subject in the context of political communication.
“Personally, I am enriched by the arguments and conclusions in the book. The book has increased my understanding of the relationship between the ever-growing social media and politics in the country. This is very important for obvious reasons, some of which relate to the popularity and influence of the new media, particularly among the most active components of the population.
“While welcoming the book as a positive addition to the growing body of literature in the area especially as it gives the Nigerian context, I am strongly recommending it as a worthy book for all students of communication studies, political science and allied fields. Our political tacticians and gladiators and other scholars of the interface between society and information and communication technologies will find the text appropriate and generously useful in helping them to deeply understand the strategies and impact of the social media in Nigerian politics.”
The Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Peter Esuh said that Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan’s book Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour stands out among the numerous publications on strategic communication in contemporary times. It offers a scholarly exploration of how social media platforms shape electoral behaviour in the intricate Nigerian electoral landscape. This book is a significant addition to the ongoing discourse on the influence of technological advancements on societal progress.
“The book proposes the Channel-Factor Model of Communication. This model articulates the key influences and variables that impact effective communication in a political and socio-economic environment. The book clarifies the role of changing population dynamics in the developed and developing world and its implications for social media utilization in bringing about political change. These demographic trends’ impact on society and adopting new and innovative technologies imply broader political, social, and economic imperatives for all nation-states.
“It is well-known that technological innovation redesigns the global geopolitical and socio-economic landscape while enabling unfettered access to information and possibilities in real-time. While the internet and, by extension, communication platforms have provided the foundation for most of these possibilities, it is essential to be conscious of the potential impact of other emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Big Data, Block Chain and Advanced Analytics on societal trends. Important foundational lessons can be learned from the impact of social media on societal outcomes, as demonstrated by Dr. Ibietan’s book.
“The author, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, is a renowned scholar known for his intellectual prowess and activism. His work has consistently been commendable, and this notable Book of Reading is a testament to his innovative thinking and scholarly contributions. The book is wholeheartedly endorsed for reading,” the Dean said.
Azu Ishiekwene, a journalist of over 35 years and Editor-In-Chief of Leadership, an Abuja FCT-based newspaper in the excerpts of the first review of the book on 25 July 2023 appreciated how the author domesticates his experience to send his messages l.
Ishiekwene said: “In parts of Cyber Politics, but in far greater detail in Chapters One, Five and Six, the author not only examines earlier studies on the impact of social factors, including peer, opinion leader and family influences on voter behaviour, he also sets out the broad objectives of the book, raising issues that are both specific and contemporaneous in value.
“In other words, instead of leaving the reader wondering what happened on the streets of North Carolina in Lazarsfeld’s studies decades ago and how that affects him in Gwagwalada, Abuja, Cyber Politics uses Nigeria’s 2015 general elections as anchor.
“It explores, among other things, the question of whether political conversations amongst Nigeria’s estimated 33 million active social media users, especially the influencers as of 2021 had any significant impact on the outcome of the 2015 election…
“Cyber Politics helps me as a voter to ponder if the social networks I belong to or the influencers I follow have any potential effects on my political behaviour either in terms of mobilisation or my actual voting decisions. Sometimes we think we’re our own man, until we realise, like Pavlov’s dog, that someone somewhere might be pulling the strings.”
Prof. Abiodun Salawu of the North-West University, South Africa, who supervised Omoniyi Ibietan’s doctoral thesis in the university said in his testimonial that he had the privilege of supervising the PhD thesis from which this book by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan emanated.
He said: “It was a pleasure supervising Omoniyi’s thesis as he was very conversant with the literature of the study. I must say that I learnt from the literature he used.
“Another of his strength was that he was able to do effective academic writing. This made reading his work not tortuous but exhilarating.
“He was dedicated to the work that he took a year leave from his place of work to come over to Mahikeng in South Africa to exclusively focus on the study. I can say that the study was effectively done within this one year.
“With the thesis turned into a book, I believe the ideas, findings and recommendations contained therein are now made available to a wider readership.”
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