SOCIAL MEDIA AND VOTER BEHAVIOR DURING THE PANDEMIC: INSIGHTS FROM ANAMBRA STATE 2021 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

This study investigated the role of social media in the 2021 Anambra gubernatorial election, exploring how platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn have reshaped political engagement in the 21st century. Guided by the Technological Determinism and Uses and Gratifications theories, the study aimed to identify the dominant social media platforms used by respondents, determine whether social media influenced their preferred political candidates, and examine the gratifications respondents derived from social media use during the election. The study population comprised 2.5 million registered voters in Anambra State, and a sample of 384 respondents was determined using Krejcie and Morgan’s table. A multi-stage sampling technique with purposive selection was employed. Findings revealed that WhatsApp, followed by Facebook, was the most frequently used platform, social media significantly influenced respondents’ choice of candidates, and the majority found social media highly useful during the election. The study recommends that the Nigerian government enhance network access in remote areas to increase citizen engagement online and implement credible monitoring to curb fake news and misuse of social media by citizen journalists