The Role of Social Media in Income Generation Among the Youth in Kenya: a Case of Senior Youth in Four Selected Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Nairobi

Abstract

This study sought to address the role of social media in income generation among the Kenyan youth, with the target population being senior youth from four sampled Seventh-day Adventist churches in Nairobi County. The objectives were to find out the extent to which youth are exposed to social media; to find out the dominant uses which the youth make of social media and to find out the extent to which the youth use the social media to generate income. The study used descriptive survey design to collect data on the role of social media in youth economic empowerment. The target population was the youth aged 19 to 34. A sample of 162 youth was studied for generalisation. The four churches: Newlife church, Nairobi East church, Kibera church and Mathare North church, were purposively sampled since they had the highest number of young people under study in Nairobi County. A total of 158 questionnaires with both closed-ended and open questions were distributed to the young people, systematically from the four churches. Four key informants, who were sampled through snowballing, were interviewed. The four comprised those who had or were using the social media to earn money. Uses and Gratification and Technological Determinism theories were employed to elucidate how the variables were related. The researcher used descriptive statistics to analyse and present the data in frequencies and or percentages. Multiple methods of data collection and analysis were employed to attain reliability and internal validity. Content analysis was done to analyse qualitative data. Percentages and frequencies were used to summarise data into meaningful form. The findings were presented in frequency tables and narratives. Conclusions were drawn from the study findings and recommendation and suggestions for further studies made. The study results revealed that 61.4% of the youth are unemployed and that 95% of them use social media. Though these youths are aware that social media are powerful tools for economic empowerment through income generation, and that they know ways through which income can be generated through social media, few have harnessed this opportunity and that they have persistently continued to use the social media for chatting and other activities that do not generate income. This leaves many still unemployed. As a result, the study recommended that institutions such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports train youth on use of social media as entrepreneurial tools. Further, universities and colleges could offer courses on use of social media as a source of income. The youth should also seize the opportunities in social media and engage more in activities that are income generation related. This will close the unemployment gap.