Intersection of Facebook Usage and Women Participation in Politics

Abstract

Over time, women have been relegated to the background in terms of politics as the political scene reflects a male-dominated terrain. This has been met with intensified agitations for change to accommodate more women in politics. The advent and development of the internet and the burgeoning of social media platforms expanded the frontiers of women’s rights activism and the struggle for women’s emancipation.  allows for the first time, any individual to share content and opinions to a global audience, bypassing traditional media or other modes of information transmission. This study is designed to ascertain the extent of women exposure to; determine if Igboist encourage women’s participation in politics and; find if women are exposed to political campaigns on the Igboist page. This study utilized the Survey research method to obtain primary data from respondents while available literature served as secondary data. Technological determinism theory and Framing theory were used for this study. In distributing copies of the questionnaire, the Google form was adopted in administering it. The study found among things that women are exposed to social media platforms. Also, it was discovered that Igboist page encourages women participation in politics. Further findings reveal that women are exposed to political campaign posts on Igboist page in mobilizing women for political participation. Based on the findings, the study recommends that Igboist group should intensify sensitization of its female audience on the need to adopt the platform to increase political awareness. Also, women should ensure that the political awareness gained from Igboist translates to improved active participation in politics at various levels. Finally, Non-Governmental Organizations should intensify efforts to educate women on the need to participate in elections.