Social media platforms and the campaign against Alcoholism and Drug abuse in state corporations in Kenya: the case of the National Authority for the campaign against Alcohol and Drug abuse

Abstract

The onset of social media brought in diverse opportunities through which an organization communicates. This study aimed to investigate the use of social media platforms in the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse in State Corporations in Kenya with reference to the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse. The objectives of the study were to: examine the influence of social media platforms in the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse at the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse; assess social media campaign policies adopted by the organization in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse; find out social media platforms used by the organization in the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse and examine challenges encountered in relation to the use of social media in the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse. Descriptive survey involving both quantitative and qualitative approaches was applied. Structured questionnaire and document reviews were used to collect data. Data was collected from 120 respondents which included the organization‟s staff and Resource Centre clients. Quantitative data was analyzed with the aid of tables, pie charts and graphs to show different patterns of data categories. Qualitative data was analyzed by noting down the dominant themes and drawing conclusions from the respondent‟s feedback. The study found that the state corporation has embraced social media as a tool for marketing products and services, communication and collaboration and as well as social change. The study also revealed that social media campaign policies, staff capacity development and training have a great effect on campaign against alcohol and drug abuse at the organization. Social media usage has therefore had a positive impact on the organizations campaign against alcohol and drug abuse. The state corporation however faces numerous challenges in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse such as inadequate information communication technology, user exploitation, lack of privacy, limited access to information, pressure from the government to censor some information, internet addiction, lack of clarity on specific duties and responsibilities on social media management and illiteracy among the public users of social media. There is need for organizations to implement a well-planned social media campaign program, regularly build capacities of its personnel on social media platforms usefulness and subsequent technological advancements. National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse as the lead agency in the campaign assignment should review the available policies and provide relevant guidelines that guarantee enhanced alcohol and drug abuse campaign amongst all stakeholders. Organizations should embrace solution focused approach for social media interactions, in order to ensure sustainable social media campaign against alcohol and drug abuse.