The use of Social Media in Accessing Political Campaign Messages during Ghana's 2016 Presidential Elections: A Case of University of Ghana Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of social media for accessing political campaign messages during the 2016 presidential elections with reference to University of Ghanaf students. The study also sought to establish why University of Ghana students are moving away from the traditional means of accessing political messages to the use of information on social media. The study specifically aimed to investigate whether University of Ghana students visit social media platforms and sites for the purpose of looking for political messages. The study employed the quantitative research design. In pursuit of this, a set of self-administered questionnaires was used to elicit data from a cross section of students of the University of Ghana. The study revealed that majority of University of Ghana students studied looked for political messages online thereby rationalising the decision of political parties and their candidates to put a lot of focus and attention on campaigning on social media. Thus, the demand for political messages by majority of University of Ghana students justify the decision of politicians and their parties to post political information on social media.