INTERNET TROLLS AS A POLITICAL MECHANISM AS PERCEIVED BY SELECTED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS IN THEIR CHOCE OF CANDIDATE

The research aimed to analyze internet trolling as a political mechanism as perceived by selected social media users in their choice of candidates by exposing the respondent’s exposure to social media platforms. Also, the study examines the awareness of the respondents about internet trolling effectiveness and comprehends the impact of trolls on selected users of social media platforms. Political theories such as Labelling theory, Machiavellianism, and John Locke were utilized in this study. The researcher used a descriptive survey method through a Google form with 100 selected social media users as the respondents. The questionnaire was distributed using various online applications and data gathered were being analyzed and interpreted trough descriptive and statistical measures. The researcher concluded that chosen social media users were exposed to themselves on various social media platforms based on the study's major conclusion. The findings also indicated that the respondents are wellversed in the core ideas of online trolling and how it is used as a political tool in campaigns. Given the precise answer data, respondents regarded online trolling as a political tactic to be rather effective. Although these selected social media users are influenced by online trolls, they do not feel compelled to pick and vote for the candidate who was presented and promoted using trolling techniques.