Educational technology and digital democracy: A case study of social media’s influence on undergraduate political engagement in Nigeria

The study investigated the impact of social media on undergraduate students' political participation in Nigeria. Among younger adults, social media has become a tool that is far more than a mainstream educational technology for supporting social learning and out-of-classroom educational connections, it has been playing a huge role in determining or changing the direction of political discourse. However, while social media platforms have become pivotal spaces for political discourse, their role in fostering or hindering meaningful political engagement among undergraduates remains understudied, particularly in how algorithmic curation and echo chambers might either empower or alienate young citizens in digital democratic processes. Specific objectives of the study include determining the usage of social media and the level of political participation of undergraduate students’ within and outside the campus. In addition, the study aims to assess the impact of social media on undergraduate students’ political participation and based on the findings, to propose a social media engagement model for student’s political participation. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The sample consists of two hundred (200) randomly selected third- and fourth-year undergraduates at a public university in south-west Nigeria. The research instrument was a questionnaire (α=0.889). The collected data were analyzed using percentage, mean, and ANOVA. Findings show that WhatsApp was the social media platform mostly used by students (61.5%). Students’ level of political participation was found to be moderate (mean = 3.0), while the impact of social media on students’ political participation was also moderate (mean = 3.0). there were no significant differences in students' level of political participation within and outside the campus or in the impact of social media on students’ political participation within and outside the campus. Social media continues to represent useful tools for promoting political participation and seamless electoral processes, however, its potential to contribute negatively to algorithmic curation and the creation of echo chambers must be addressed to ensure they are empowering rather than alienating younger adults in the digital democratic processes, thereby promoting better politics, and good governance.