Youths and the Use of Social Media in the Peaceful Conduct of the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria

Abstract

The history of elections in Nigeria is replete with records of violence and malpractices. However, with the advent of social media which is globally been used as a tool for political engineering, especially during elections, there is a noticeable change in the attitude of the Nigerian youths.  This paper examines the positive use of social media by organized youth in the peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections in Nigeria. The research adopts a secondary source of data through a critical review of related literatures on the subject matter. The paper posits that unlike the previous elections in Nigeria where youth were used to perpetrate vices, especially through the use of social media, the organised youths in the 2015 elections used the same technology to advocate for peace.

Keywords: youth, social media, election, peace