Using Social Media to Campaign: Are Ghanaian Political Parties Getting It Right

Emmanuel Abeku Essel

doi:10.11648/j.ss.20200901.14

Abstract

It is an undeniable fact that in recent years internet usage has increased in the area of information dissemination in Ghana. Indeed, when the roll call is made Ghana would not be found wanting on the league of African countries with internet penetration and social media usage. According to Ramamohanarao et al, (2007), interment usage has become one of the easiest tools for seeking information and the fastest for that matter in communicating with friends and loved ones. Due to the comparative advantage, social media has over traditional media, it has become a means by which many are using it to reach their targeted audience at the shortest possible time. The study investigates how some selected supporters of the two major political parties in Ghana, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) use social media platforms to campaign for and to woo potential voters for their respective parties. The study was undertaken as desk research and the research relied on secondary sources with particular reference to posts of some supporters of the two leading parties in Ghana, who have all in the last two to three decades have had the opportunity of ruling in the country ever since the country returned to democratic rule. The results revealed that indeed supporters of the two major political parties through social media with particular reference to Facebook use the internet to both propagate the ideologies and philosophies of their political parties, making social media a vital platform for campaigning and also allowing the Ghanaian populace to participate in political activities.

Highlights

Traditional means of campaigning by political parties over the years has been door-to-door canvassing for votes and rallies
In the last decade or more, it "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has dramatically changed the world”, they further added that “new media and technology have changed the interpersonal interaction, communication patterns, and social and political discussions” [2], Undoubtedly, social media has played a major role in most social disturbances all over the world in recent times
The city streets in the Philippines in 2001, the revocation of the results of the fraudulent elections in Moldova in 2009, the M-15 movement with their accompanying camps, the demonstrations in Spain in 2011, the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East in early 2011, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement that began in New York City in the USA in 2011, the Yellow Vests Movements in France in 2018 and on a the good and refreshing note, the campaign fundraising leading to the election of Barack Hussein Obama as President of the United States of America (USA) in 2008, all have one thing in common, the use of social media

Summary

Introduction

Traditional means of campaigning by political parties over the years has been door-to-door canvassing for votes and rallies This is done by way of chanting of party slogans and house-to-house campaigns, which involves the use of party faithful and followers gathering at a particular point for their leaders to address them and articulate their agenda to the electorates amidst drumming and dancing. Though this system has its own advantages and largely some disadvantages, its usage in recent years has dwindled owing to the influx of science and technology and its attendant social media. The city streets in the Philippines in 2001, the revocation of the results of the fraudulent elections in Moldova in 2009, the M-15 movement with their accompanying camps, the demonstrations in Spain in 2011, the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East in early 2011, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement that began in New York City in the USA in 2011, the Yellow Vests Movements in France in 2018 and on a the good and refreshing note, the campaign fundraising leading to the election of Barack Hussein Obama as President of the United States of America (USA) in 2008, all have one thing in common, the use of social media

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion