EXPLORING CONFORMITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON VIOLENT ELECTORAL CHANGE ON RESIDENTS OF ENUGU COAL CITY

Abstract

The present study examined the influence of conformity and social media use on violent electoral change among respondents in Enugu State, Nigeria. Three hundred and thirty- six (336) persons within the ages of 18 to 47, mean age of 23.02 years and standard deviation of 4.44 were purposively recruited using standardized instruments such as the Political Violence Scale (PVS), Social Media Use Inventory and Conformity subscale of Groupthink Scale. In testing study’s hypotheses, descriptive and inferential statistical analysis such as means, frequencies, and multi-linear regression was employed. Results confirmed that persons with high level of social media use were high on violent electoral change and vice versa. Also, high levels of conformity resulted to high levels of violent electoral change. To this end, the study concluded that social media use and conformity are important constructs that should be considered by policy makers and corporate institutions whether in public or private corporations, when it comes to addressing electoral violence and social problems in Nigeria. Based on the findings, recommendations were mostly tailored towards positively engaging young people in order for them to have less idle and positively engaging time while using social media and at the same time equip them with social communication skills or assertive skills that will help them build their career and lives meaningfully.