Social Media and Political Participation: A Case Study of Sunyani Municipal

Abstract

This study examined the factors that enable or disable citizens to use social media for political participation. The main focus was residents of Sunyani municipal, Ghana. The research questions that guided the study sought for the main forms of social media used by the citizens, the activities the citizens perform on social media, reasons why the citizens use social media for political activities and what prevented them from using social media for political participation. The study was anchored on the theory of deliberative democracy which explains interactions and discussions promotes political participation. Also, the concepts of social media and political participation were used to support the study. Quantitative analysis was used in analyzing the 279 responses obtained from the respondents. The results unveiled that social media use for political activities has gained root among the citizens in Sunyani municipal. Prominent among these factors in promoting social media use for political activities among the citizens is cost effectiveness, wider coverage and less time consuming. The study established that with the adoption of social media into the political arena, information sharing has greatly been improved, allowing citizens to discuss political and social issues. The study concludes that social media has played and will continue to play a very important role in enhancing citizen’s political participation.