IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING IN GHANA

Sammanfattning

Social media has become a central element of political campaigning across the world, reshaping how parties, candidates, and citizens engage in electoral politics. In Ghana, where competitive multiparty elections have been held since 1992, social media platforms such as Twitter/X, WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok have gained prominence, particularly during the 2020 and 2024 general elections. While previous scholarships have largely examined how political actors deploy these platforms, little is known about how citizens themselves perceive the impact of social media on campaigning. This study addresses that gap.Guided by four research questions, the study examined citizens’ perceptions of: (1) how parties and politicians use social media, (2) its impact on voter engagement and participation, (3)its influence on public opinion, and (4) the opportunities and challenges it presents forpolitical campaigning. A quantitative survey of 399 respondents was conducted online between the 2020 and 2024 electoral cycles. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics for closed-ended questions and thematic coding for open-ended responses.The findings show that citizens perceive Twitter/X (43.9%) and WhatsApp (39.1%) as the most prominent platforms for political campaigning, with news articles (43.1%) and political debates (41.4%) being the dominant content forms. Nearly half of respondents (48.1%)iiireported that social media had changed their opinion of a candidate, while over one-third (36.3%) had attended political events influenced by online content. However, the majority (57.1%) avoided political discussions on social media due to hostility and insults. Citizens considered credible news outlets the most influential and trustworthy (60.4%), while influencers and memes were viewed as least reliable.The study concludes that social media has a profound impact on political campaigning in Ghana. It strengthens informational democracy by increasing awareness and shaping candidate evaluations but weakens participatory democracy by fostering polarisation and hostility. It recommends that political parties adopt credibility-first strategies, policymakers promote digital literacy, and scholars pursue further research on the hybrid relationship between social and traditional media in Ghana’s evolving democracy.