Social Media Usage Patterns among Ghanaian Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants, A Study into Intergenerational Communication.
Date
2017-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University Of Ghana
Abstract
Social media has become common place in Ghana. The younger generation adopted the
use of social media at the beginning of the millennium. Their usage habits characterised
and dominated the social media-scape. However, due to the subsequent ubiquity and
penetration of social media in Ghana there is an increased involvement of the older
generation in the use of social media. Social media has become the central
communication media for both the young and older generations as well as increasing
mediated communication between the two generational cohorts.
With the two different generations intercommunicating with the media that has always
been seen as the preserve of the younger generation, anecdotal evidences abound to
suggest that there is miscommunication between the two generations when they
intercommunicate as a result of the lack of understanding of each other’s communicative habits and usages. Such miscommunications sometimes degenerate into generational
distancing, increasing the generational gap.
Using the mixed method approach, this study sets the overarching objective to explore
the patterns of usage of social media between the two generational cohorts in Ghana and
how the characteristics of their communicative practices on social media influence
intergenerational communication. The purpose of this study is the illumination on the
complexities of intergenerational communication through social media
To achieve the overarching objective of the study,
• The origin, growth and development of the media in Ghana is analysed from a
historical perspective. The analysis reveals that the prevalence of social media is a
reflection of the democratisation of the media landscape in Ghana.
• The pattern of social media usage between the young and older generations is
explored with the findings that social media usage is prevalent with both generational
cohorts. However, there are significant variations in the patterns of usage in terms of,
ownership of devices, site subscription, motives for subscription, activities undertaken
and time spent connected to sites between the two generational cohorts. Education and
financial capabilities are key factors that enable both generations to engage in social
media usage.
• The interactional experiences, perception and attitudes of the two generational
cohorts in their use of social media are also explored. Based on participants’
experiences, DN and DI have different perceptions of the same concept of control,
exposure, vulnerability and empowerment in using social media. At the same time, DI
have the penchant to be more cautious while DN have an enthusiastic attitude towards
social media in general.
• The characteristics of their social media communicative practices and how they
influence intergenerational communication is analysed. The analysis reveals that the
characteristics of social media communicative practices of the two generational cohorts
are predisposed towards generational perspectives as well as the nature of the social
media as a technology. Social media, in spite of it multimodal means of communication
than previous communication media, suffers from the lack of social cues that are needed to take into cognisance the cultural ambiences that surround intergenerational
communication to ensure success.
The study concludes that, social media usage has brought DN and DI together through
communication on similar networks, applications and platforms. However, the use of
social media as the means of communication between the two generations accentuates
generational communication gap because it lacks the required social cues to moderate
the behavioural and cultural aspect of the communication processes. In other words, the
underlying gap in intergenerational communication is not solely the result of
generational differences and differentiated use but rather as a result of the use of the
available cues left to the communicator using a medium with leaner social cues than
could be found in face-to-face interaction.
Description
PhD.
Keywords
Social Media, Digital, Intergenerationa, Communication