Influence of social media on political participation among the Kenya’s youth

Abstract

In political communication, there is a surge in the use of social media as a tool for communicating to the electorate. Kenya has not been left behind by this technological advancement. For instance, the country is experiencing a surge in the number of young people and politicians using these virtual spaces. Despite the rising numbers, it is not clear about its influence on political participation. Moreover, the available studies emphasize on the use of social media for political revolts in the Arab world, political campaigns and fundraising in advanced democracies. Therefore, this study sought to examine the influence of social media on political participation among Kenya's youth. As such, it sought to answer the following research questions: how has social media affected political awareness? How has social media affected mobilization of young voters? And what are the gains and setbacks for using social media for political purposes by the Kenya’s youth? The study was informed by the cognitive engagement and technological determinism theories and guided by the pragmatist research philosophy. It adopted mixed method design and the study area was Nairobi City County and Kakamega County. A sample size of 600 respondents was selected from a target population of 398,166 respondents. Purposive, stratified, and snowball sampling was used in selection of the sample population. Structured oral interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires, and documentary analysis were used for the generation of primary data while secondary data was derived from documentary analysis.Qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis and quantitative data descriptively. This study determined that social media to a larger extent has positively influenced political participation among Kenya's youth. Social media provides a space for Kenya's youth to discuss politics. It has enhanced engagement of the youth in political parties' affairs, campaigns, and activism. Secondly, social media has enabled the formation, solidification, and operations of the social movements. Morever, it has been used to promote peace, national cohesion, and integration. However, a significant number of youths do not want to voice their political concerns through these platforms due to fear of victimization. Moreover, fake news, hate speech, and content manipulation were among the major challenges. This study concluded that, first, social media usage positively affects political awareness and significantly contributed towards the mobilization of the young electorate. The youth have immensely benefited politically from the usage of social media however to a lower extent they face a fair share of setbacks. This study recommends; the government and other stakeholders to tap into this area and advance it in enhancing youth political participation. Scale up the accessibility of political information in rural areas. Protect users from political victimization and counter fake news, sensitize the youths on constitutional and legal legislations on the use of social media.