Online discussion forum and political communication: Nairaland in Nigeria. An interplay between a digital platform and politics
There are several reasons why politics is the most discussed topic on Nigeria’s and perhaps Africa’s largest online discussion forum, Nairaland. As Nigeria grows in its population and digital landscape, including with social media, the specificity of what motivates Nigerians to prefer Nairaland for...
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| Formato: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | CBUC, CESCA |
| Repositorio: | TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/691421 |
| Acesso em linha: | http://hdl.handle.net/10803/691421 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Social media Nigeria Nairaland Online discussion forum Politics 004 32 |
| Resumo: | There are several reasons why politics is the most discussed topic on Nigeria’s and perhaps Africa’s largest online discussion forum, Nairaland. As Nigeria grows in its population and digital landscape, including with social media, the specificity of what motivates Nigerians to prefer Nairaland for political discourses was explored in this study from a qualitative individual perspective. A small sample of users interviewed and a thematic analysis done to understand their experiences as unique or influenced by personal values, beliefs, or interests. Aside from enabling free expression and diverse opinions, participants see Nairaland as representative of Nigeria in terms of digital politics; as a reliable source of information that fosters intellectual exchange; and as a relevant tool for shaping future political goals. The identified motivating factors align squarely with the media dependency theory to suggest that more Nigerians are inclined to join and use Nairaland for similar political purposes over time. |
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