The Impact of Social Media Activism on Disaster and Crisis Management in Ghana

Abstract

Social media activism has become an indispensable tool in modern disaster and crisis management, offering new opportunities for communication, coordination, and public engagement. In Ghana, where disaster response systems face logistical and infrastructural challenges, social media activism provides a promising platform for mobilizing resources, disseminating timely information, and influencing public behavior. Despite its growing relevance, limited empirical research has examined how social media activism shapes disaster and crisis management outcomes within the Ghanaian context. This research evaluated the influence of social media activism on disaster and crisis management, utilizing the information systems success model as a guiding framework. Specifically, the study examines the influence of information quality, service quality, system quality, and activism intensity on social media use, and how such use translates into net benefits during crises. A quantitative research design was adopted, with data collected from 400 respondents across governmental agencies, NGOs, and civil society groups engaged in crisis management. Smart-PLS structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that information quality, service quality, and activism intensity are significant positive predictors of social media use, while system quality showed no significant effect. Additionally, social media use strongly predicted net benefits in disaster and crisis management. These results suggest that the effectiveness of social media activism in Ghana depends more on the reliability of information, responsiveness of services, and intensity of activism rather than technical system features. The study contributes to theory and practice by highlighting implications for policymakers, emergency managers, and digital activists in enhancing crisis response strategies. As a result, further study ought to concentrate on examining the direct and measurable impact of social media activism on disaster and crisis management outcomes, beyond just information dissemination.