In line with the discussion under section 4.7.1 of Chapter Four, which explains the data analytical model outlined by Creswell, (2014 p 197), the study uses Nvivo software. The Human Capability Development Approach data analysis (HCDA Analysis) first sorted the interviews and field notes, and then transcribed data and relevant documents onto the software. In line with the aims of this study, data obtained from Government and IT agencies were used as a case analysis to answer research questions 1 and 2, while the data under General Citizens and Democratic institutions were used as case analysis to answer research question 3. The steps leading to our analysis are given below.
Step one: Figure 5.2 below is a representation of the interview and field notes transcribed and uploaded into Nvivo software. The researcher also typed up field notes, cataloguing the visual materials, sorting and arranging data according to the number of cases interviewed.
Step one: Figure 5.2 below is a representation of interview and field notes that were transcribed and uploaded into Nvivo software. The researcher also type up field notes, cataloguing all of the visual materials, sorting and arranging of data according to number of cases interviewed.
Figure 5. 2: Organisation of Data
Step two: is concerned with reading and understanding the data, to place emerging themes in a contextual background, and reflect on their overall meaning, identifying and organizing common themes or ideas and unique characteristics (Auerbach & Silverstein, 2003; Stake, 1995). The researcher formed a general impression of the participants’ views regarding social media, particularly from the perspective of election monitoring and the freedom digital media offers to citizens to express their views openly. A cluster analysis was undertaken to show how the ideas emerged. The first query searched for the most frequently recurring words, the second searched for the most frequently used text in all the interviews.
Figure 5.3 below presents the outcome; as depicted below, key words such as social media applications, internet, government, mobile phones, corruption, transparency, and accountability are the most recurring, mentioned by all the participants in the interview. This visualisation helped to shed light on various aspects of the participants’ views on technology use prior to the commencement of the coding phase.
Figure 5.3 below presents the outcome of using Nvivo to locate the most frequently used words. As depicted below, key words such as social media applications, internet, government, mobile phones, corruption, transparency, accountability are the most recurring words mentioned by all the participants in the interview. This visualisation helped to shed light on the various aspects of the participants’ view on technology use prior to the commencement of the coding phase.
Figure 5. 3: Word cloud search indicating participants’ most frequently used words in the transcript.
To build thematic relevance and clarity, a query was undertaken to find the most frequently used text. Figure 5.4 below, shows the most frequently recurring text. It also provides insights into how technology has helped shape electoral processes, social interaction and collaboration. This initial insight will assist our analysis by introducing order to an understanding of some of the orientations and meanings which participants apply to the use of digital media.
Figure 5. 4: Text query word tree search
Step three is concerned with the actual coding exercise. Coding is operationalised in this study as ‘the process of organising the data by bracketing chunks (or text or image segments) and writing a word representing a category in the margins’ (Rossman and Rallis, 2012). According to Saldana, (2013 p 59), this can be conducted following a two part coding cycle. The first coding cycle entails categorisation of data prior to the real coding task (Saldana, 2013). In relation to this study, our first coding cycle was undertaken based on the concepts deduced from Sen’s Capability approach model, and this was used for all participants interviewed.
Figure 5.5 below indicates the three main categories and their nodes as represented in all the four cases explored in this study. Nodes in Nvivo represent the themes and ideas; they are collections of similar statements from interviews that ground empirically the theme, idea or concept being explored in a qualitative study. The figure below presents a schematic overview of the main divisions showing different nodes and categories as informed by Capability approach including the sub nodes of each of the category.
Following categorisation, we began axial coding. Axial coding, according to Saldana, (2013 p. 3) refers to the procedure of capturing interview excerpts to answer specific research questions.
Figure 5.6 below, shows the coding process used for the response of general citizens in answering research question 3, concerning social media and transparency in the public sector. The coding is highlighted in yellow and the emerging pattern and themes is at the right hand margin. The emerging pattern that appears on the margin highlighted in different colours indicates the media’s role in influencing elections, freedom of expression, and as a means of counter surveillance (i.e. citizens monitoring the activities of public affairs).
Figure 5. 6: Coding for General Citizens
GC15 responds to a query concerning election rigging, citizen monitoring of elections and mobilising through new social media. His answer instantiates how citizen engagement, informed by the use of technology is affording social political development by improving the conduct of elections and how citizen’s online engagement with political actors is threatening the old order of politicking and leadership.
Coding the second unit of analysis ( Government ministries and National IT agencies) is geared to answer research questions 1 and 2. Figure 5.7 shows the analysis of data which reflect Government official’s perspective, (G02 responses) on how the use of ICT and social media aid interaction between Government and the general public. The code is highlighted in yellow at the middle while emerging patterns appears on the right hand side in different colours.
Figure 5. 7: Coding for Government officials responses to the use of ICTs and social media
G02 comments on the national portal through which all government ministries and agencies pass information, and indicates a reasonable degree of awareness of the use of social media applications. The participant however noted some challenges affecting the effectiveness of the use of internet social media platforms. This includes infrastructural challenges and the fact that inaccurate or misleading information is sometimes posted on behalf of the Government. The patterns from this interpretation are highlighted in different coding strips - the use of media a mechanism to fight corruption, freedom of expression and potential for citizens’ political empowerment.
Figure 5.8 below answers, from the policy maker’s perspective, research question 1 regarding possible challenges and risk identified with ICT . Participant NI 2 acknowledges that government attempts at censorship hinder ICT usage Note: as previously coded in other units of analysis, the codes are highlighted in yellow with emerging patterns placed at the margin in different coding strips.
Figure 5. 8: Coding for National IT agency
Participants noted infrastructural challenges and also commented on perceived censorship. Although the policy of state censorship of the media has received no legislative backing, they warned television, to win the approval of its State appointed bosses, applies a policy of what government calls the ‘National Interest’ and what its opponents identify as enlightened self- censorship. Newspaper journalists, independent of government ownership and political affiliation, are not so easily swayed by self-interest or the blandishments of power. A more insidious policy of selective intimidation has been applied to them to discourage their exposures of corrupt cliques and rapacious practices., The security force policy of violent intimidation against selected journalists has induced , in all but a courageous few, a policy of anticipatory compliance when reporting the rudiments of government policy. The evidence for this policy of intimidation can be found in a pattern of violent attacks described in Chapter Three . The consequences of the state’s failure to charge and convict offenders ripples beyond the Press to cause independent Nigerian based bloggers to think twice before publishing articles and opinion critical of influential individuals.
Respondents acknowledged that citizens need to self-censor and be careful in the manner they use social media applications to attack Government. Government officials noted in their response some level of concern about citizens’ use of social media. Interview responses suggest that from within Government ministries, there is apprehension concerning the manner with which citizens attack officials using the internet and social media. Although according to NI 12, no official claims of arrest regarding citizens social media attacks on public office holders has been made so far. However, government officials made cautionary statements that citizens should be mindful of how they criticise the Government because some instances of citizens’ arrest, detention and victimisation have occurred .
Overall, initial coding was open with over 80 free nodes obtained inductively from the interview transcripts.
Figure 5.9 above, presents a matrix query of responses categorised as the emerging themes from the interview excerpts. Each participant is given a unique code and colour, whilst their responses were used to indicate the number of times a particular emerging theme was mentioned based on the questions asked. Through this modelling, we see how the various nodes fit together to answer the research questions ..
Figure 5.10 below, shows the connections among different nodes and sub-nodes and the connections between items in the model. In the first hand coding the model gave the sense of the ideas generated in relation to the research questions addressed. Note: the model represents one case analysis, that of the democratic institution participants.
Figure 5. 10: Case modelling of based on the response of participants
Step four in line with Creswell 2014 model of qualitative data analysis, codes are used to generate a small number of themes – usually five to seven. Saldana, (2013) refers to this stage as the second hand coding style, where the primary goal is to develop a sense of categorical organisation from an array cycle of coding (p207) by reducing the number of redundant hierarchies found in some nodes to create unified themes.
Figure 5.11 below, shows the overall results following second hand coding. The results show a majority of participants agree that use of the media is a means of empowerment which reflects change in various aspects of political development. The process of conducting elections, and use of the media to express opinion and create fresh narratives is changing the landscape of Nigeria’s bad
governance, and in the process, raising a threat to political leaders and power holders.
Finally, the emerging themes have been aggregated according to participant categories in line with the context of Sens’s HCDA, ICT and social media intervention, conversion factors and finally ICT and social media capabilities . The study will focus on outcome development according to the views of all participants. The figure below is a thematic representation of the aggregated responses of each case analysis.
Note: general citizens are highlighted in green; the blue colour represents the views of democratic institutions, dark blue colour represents participants working in IT agencies, and finally purple represents government officials. The data values are written on each of the charts.
After some preliminary analysis and modelling, additional themes and constructs drawn from interviews and chronological frameworks were added... This was considered to be theoretical saturation indicating that the historical account was substantively complete as narrated and documented (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).
The main themes for analysis are shown in the table below according to Sen’s capability model Table 7: Final themes for discussion
Nvivo Entity Main themes for discussion
Intervention Understanding and awareness of ICTs and Social Media Mobile
phones
Facebook Twitter
Conversion
Censorship ICT infrastructure
Social and economic factors Illiteracy
Functioning Election process
Enhancing freedom of expression An aid to fight corruption Citizen’s means of counter surveillance Future Government/citizens interaction Media empowerment
The table lists 9 NVIVO entities and nodes at the conclusion of the analysis, drawn from the Project Log and NVIVO Projects Summary. All were important to on-going theoretical reflection and development of the analytical account in Chapter Six. The initial outputs from this analysis were case study descriptions and the detailed chronological account of the evolution of Nigeria’s use of ICTs and social media.
Step 5 advances how the description and themes are represented in the qualitative narrative. According to Creswell, (2014) qualitative researchers use visuals, figures or tables as adjuncts to discussion, this is also known as process modelling which conveys descriptive information about each participant in a table (as in case studies), (p 200).
Step 6 A final step in data analysis involves making an interpretation in qualitative research of the findings .The analysis suggests the use of social media to be an empowerment tool, particularly in relation to transparency of electioneering, freedom of speech, government/citizen interaction and also a means by which citizens can hold governance accountable for issues related to corruption. The next section presents Part 2 of the Questionnaire analysis