by Timileyin Bondefaiye

Social media is the collective of internet based communication channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration, computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share, or exchange information, career interests, ideas, and pictures and videos in virtual communities and networks. Social media since its inception has continually gained ground as a preferred means of communication in all spheres of human interaction. It has become almost synonymous with the internet. Social media differ from traditional or industrial media in many ways, including quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence.

Social media has created an irrefutable niche for itself in all areas of human interest and communication and the sphere of politics is not excluded. Politics is the theory and practice of representation, representation of the interests of the people, then making a common decision on their behalf with the greater good of the people in mind. At least that was the original function. It has since evolved into the practice of influencing the opinions and behaviours of people, influencing with the aim of modifying and manipulating their views to align with that of the politician(s) so that they can fulfil selfish desires and personal ambition.

One of the most effective methods of opinion influence is by repetition of information as often as possible. The subject becomes more susceptible to the information every time it is repeated. According to Dr Jeremy Dean, a psychologist, blogger and author of the book Making Habits, Breaking Habits; How to make changes that stick, in a publication for Spring.co.uk titled ” Illusion Of truth.” says that

“Repetition is one of the easiest and most widespread methods of persuasion. In fact, it’s so obvious that we sometimes forget how powerful it is. People rate statements that have been repeated just once as more valid or true than things they have heard for the first time. They even rate statements as truer when the person saying them has been repeatedly lying. And when we think something is truer, we also tend to be more persuaded by it”.

This is what psychologists call the illusion of truth effect and it arises at least partly because familiarity breeds liking. As we are exposed to a message again and again, it becomes more familiar. Because of the way our minds work, what is familiar is also true. Familiar things require less effort to process and that feeling of ease unconsciously signals truth (this is called cognitive fluency).

As every politician knows, there’s not much difference between actual truth and the illusion of truth. Since illusions are often easier to produce, why bother with the truth?

The relevance of repetition and repetitive cognitive conditioning to social media is that since social media disperses information with minimum ease it can disperse the same information at a very high frequency. This means that a person can be exposed to the same piece of information across various social media platforms multiple times daily. According to Socialmedia.com the average user is exposed to 54,000 words daily; mostly repetitions. That is the equivalent of a mid-sized novel. This can be an invaluable tool in the campaign arsenal of political parties aiming to retain all their followers and as fast as possible acquire new ones. Politicians have realised that before the war at the polls there is a battle that must be won in the mind of the voters. Social media is the perfect weapon to win this battle.

What do demonstrations on city streets in the Philippines in 2001, the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2008, revocation of the results of the fraudulent elections in Moldavia in 2009, the M-15 movement with their camps and demonstrations in Spain in 2011, the so-called “Arab Spring” in the Middle East in early 2011, and the “Occupy Wall Street” movement that started in New York, also in 2011, #OccupyNigeria in January 2012,and finally the 2015 Nigerian presidential elections all have in common? They have all used social media to help organise such protests and mobilise their responsible agents. Yet these were much more than just about arranging a party or calling men scum, they all greatly exploited social media to establish communication networks, change the perception of a large number of people on these issues and move towards their objectives

Jeffrey Ghannam noted ―if the pen -or the click -is mightier than the sword, then social media and mobile technology represent a new and welcome way forward. The Internet is one of the greatest tools that can be used against censorship.

Timileyin Bondefaiye- Owope is a modern eccentric whose Interests include international Politics, psychology, Social Media, custom knives and performance cars. In his Spare time he reads, plays basketball, listens to his extremely diversified musical collection while dreaming of ways he can become a super hero