Social Media and Political Communication in Ghana: Views of Inhabitants of Tema Metropolis

Abstract

Though political parties are increasingly adopting social media to increase voter support, the efficacy of social media campaign strategies  in enhancing political fortunes remains a subject of discussion in Ghana. This study explored the views of Ghanaians on the  use of social media campaign strategies as a political communication tool. In all, 384 social media users who are voters residing within  the Tema Metropolis participated in the study. Data was obtained using a questionnaire and analyzed descriptively. The study observed  that Ghanaian political parties have a strong presence on social media. Again, Ghanaian political parties effectively rely on social media  platforms to engage electorates. Also, they effectively use social media distribute creative and visually appealing contents about their  policies and achievements to the electorates. Further, they adopt campaign-specific hash tags which are creative, memorable, catchy, and engaging to help them to capture attention of voters. The study concludes by accentuating the need for political parties to employ social  media for constructive dialogue and engagement with voters to amplify the impact of social media campaigns on the political fortunes in  Ghana. Finally, practical implications of the findings have been provided to facilitate effective application of social media campaign  strategies for democratic governance.