The Role of the Social Media as a Source for Political Information: a Case Study on the Use of Facebook and Twitter Among Selected Youth in Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
The growth of the Internet has brought with it new ways of communicating and interacting.
Social networking sites have indeed become quite popular in the recent past especially among
the urban population. This is as a result of the fact that SNSs are not only being accessed on
computers but are also accessible on mobile devices. Majority of the mobile devices purchased
today are more for online networks than for their telephone calls making and texting capabilities.
The capability of social media to allow individuals to share their experiences, opinions and ideas
being seen as an enabler for participation and democracy among citizens. The youth today
engage a lot with the internet and particularly the SNS leading to the question if the SNSs can be
used effectively to get them interest in political issues. This study sort to establish the role of the
social media as a source for political information and in particular the use of Facebook and
Twitter among the urban youth in Kenya. Its objectives were to investigate the use of social
media to access political information by urban youth, their main objectives for engaging in it and
if there was a direct link between social media and the youth perception of the political issues in
Kenya. The research design used was Case Study of a selected population sample. Data
collection method was through the use of questionnaires. The data collected from the study was
both quantitative and qualitative. The study found that majority of the urban youth in Nairobi
subscribe to Facebook with the second SNSs subscribed to being Twitter. In addition, half the
urban youth population in Nairobi use social media to access political information. This makes
Facebook a good avenue that can be harnessed for the sharing and exchange of political
information in Kenya by both the youth and political elite as it is a tool that be used to reach,
engage and interact with the youth. To reduce youth apathy to politics SNSs need to be used for
the circulation of credible political information. In addition, SNSs should be used as a two-way
rather than one-way communication system. Adequately responding to raised queries and also
giving relevant information would inform and educate the youth thereby creating a more
engaged citizenry.
Citation
Masters Of Arts Degree In Communication Studies,2014Publisher
University of Narobi