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.