Social media usage and civic engagement among communication students

Abstract

This study through a quantitative survey and a purposive sampling approach examined the use of social media for civic engagement among 200 students at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, National Film and Television Institute and the African University College of Communications. Data for the study were gathered from primary and secondary sources. The study revealed that there is a strong positive correlation between social media usage among communication students and civic participation. The study revealed that majority of students are active users of social media with Facebook being the most preferred choice. This research contributes to the active use of social media in civic engagement and highlights the essence of political actors capitalising on the numerous advantages provided by social media in reaching out to a larger group of citizens for political engagement.