Premium Times Books, the publishing division of the Premium Times Group, has announced the publication of a new title, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria.
Authored by Omoniyi P. Ibietan, the book will be available in physical and online bookstores starting Monday, June 12, 2023, coinciding with the symbolic rituals of June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Spanning 460 pages across 12 chapters, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria delves into a crucial phase within the trajectory of Nigerian democracy, focusing on elections.
Similar to the significance of June 12, which marked a pivotal moment as Nigerians sought to break free from military rule through the ballot, Omoniyi P. Ibietan’s book explores another transformative period in Nigeria’s nascent digital culture. It examines how the use of the internet, particularly social media, intersects with the articulation of voter preferences, ultimately influencing the country’s electoral outcomes.
Using Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election as a backdrop, the book provides insightful analyses that shed light on the future of voting behaviour in the country. It is skillfully written and offers an innovative intellectual approach.
The chief executive officer of the Premium Times Group, Dapo Olorunyomi wrote an Introduction for the book, describing its intriguing exploration of the “digital effect on elections.” Olorunyomi emphasised the book’s demonstration that social media systems enhance electoral democracy by expanding access to registration, participation, voting and organising on an unprecedented scale.
In the Foreword, Umar Danbatta, a professor and executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, praised the author for situating the historical context of Nigerian politics and democracy. He highlighted the book’s examination of the connection between social media and voting behaviour, as well as the influence of the social media ecosystem on the electoral process.
Prominent commentator and former Nigerian Minister of Information and Communication, Frank Nweke II lauded the book as an exceptional work by an intellectual visionary. He believed that the lessons and recommendations presented in the book extend beyond the 2015 Nigerian general elections and recommended it for practitioners and academics in the fields of strategic communications, new technologies and social change.
Ibietan, holds a doctorate in Political Communication from North-West University in South Africa and has extensive experience in journalism, civil society and academia. Currently serving as a directorate cadre staff in the Nigerian Communications Commission, he leads the media relations management unit. With over two decades of research in the intersection of communication studies and psephology, Ibietan brings a nuanced and insightful perspective to the subject matter.
Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria is available in both hardback and paperback formats at bookstores across the country starting from June 12. Electronic copies can also be purchased through online platforms, including Amazon.
