AKSU Journal of Communication Research (AJCR)

Abstract
Social media platforms have become central to political communication in Nigeria, particularly during electoral cycles, raising concerns about the spread of political propaganda and its implications for democratic governance. Drawing on Third-Person Effect theory, this study examines how Nigerian social media users perceive the influence of political propaganda on themselves relative to others and how such perceptions shape support for content regulation. Using a cross-sectional survey of 620 adult social media users across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, the study finds a significant third-person perception gap, with respondents perceiving others as more susceptible to political propaganda than themselves. Hierarchical regression analyses reveal that thirdperson perception significantly predicts support for social media content regulation, even after controlling for demographic and political variables. The findings extend Third-Person Effect research into the African digital political context and offer policy-relevant insights for platform governance, media literacy and democratic regulation in emerging democracies. The study concludes that Nigerian social media users perceive political propaganda as exerting significantly greater influence on others than on themselves. This perceptual bias was found to be a strong and statistically significant predictor of support for content regulation, even after accounting for demographic and political factors. It also recommends among others that policymakers and regulatory agencies should design content regulation frameworks that are grounded in empirical evidence rather than moral panic. Also, media literacy initiatives should move beyond targeting vulnerable others and instead emphasize universal susceptibility to persuasive communication.