It is well known that social media has a tremendous influence on individuals. Often times information seen online is automatically taken as fact, without question to the authenticity of the information, or the informant themselves. This misplaced trust afforded to persons on social media allows biases and dangerous agendas to spread without check. This is particularly rampant during the election period in any Federal State, with political parties spreading false narratives about each other and civilians pushing information that supports their agendas.
In an unexpected alliance, TikTok, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Africa Check have taken measures to combat misinformation during the 2023 Nigerian presidential election. This alliance is in the form of the Nigerian Election Hub, a feature on the TikTok app that prompts users to seek more information on the elections. Through this, users can find general information about the Election, search for their polling unit, access voter education resources and so much more. A very impressive service of this feature is the “Media Literary”, made possible through Africa Check, which permits users to fact-check information by submitting a claim in the hub. The African Check page also contains reports and articles on the election.
The Nigerian Election Hub is not unprecedented to TikTok. This feature was used widely during the 2020 US presidential election to also curb the prevalence of misinformation surrounding the elections. The impact of TikTok’s hub in the 2020 US presidential election is not documented, hence its success cannot be measured or compared. Regardless, this is a step further than other social media apps are taking in regard to protecting information dissemination in the Nigerian Election. This feature is a valiant attempt in making TikTok’s young audience conscious of the information they consume and ensures voting decisions are not hinged on lies.
The Nigerian Election Hub is primarily accessible in videos with hashtags like #Nigeriadecides2023 or videos which content centres on the Nigerian Election.