The influence of social media on youth participation in 2015 national elections: a case study of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Institute of Social Works

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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
This study on ‘the influence of social media on youth participation in 2015 national elections’ sought to find out how the uses of social media in election campaigns influenced Tanzanians, especially the youth, to participate in the 2015 national elections. The study investigated the effects of social media on youth’s participation in voter registration exercise, the role played by social media in influencing youth to attend political rallies and the influence of social media on youth’s participation in voting during the 2015 national elections. The study was predicated particularly on the ‘uses and gratification theory’. Case Study research design was applied for an in-depth investigation of the influence of social media on youth participation in the 2015 national elections targeting youth in higher learning institutions from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Institute of Social Work. The researcher used simple random sampling to obtain 100 respondents who participated in the study and employed interview and questionnaires in data collecting. The findings revealed that 84 percent of youth registered in the voters’ registration book due to social media influence. Also, the findings show that 77 percent of the youth got information on the national election through social media. Generally, the findings show that social media helped to raise awareness and participation of youth in the 2015 National Election. The study, therefore recommends for further studies in the area due to changes of communication technology, training on the proper use of social media basing on the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, which has caused fear among social media users, ensuring credibility of information that are circulated on social media, establishment of guidelines for using social media as a tool of political communication and encouraging political and election stakeholders to use social media.
Description
Available in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF HN851.T34M83)
Keywords
social media, youth, national elections, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Citation
Mugarula, F.R. (2017) The influence of social media on youth participation in 2015 national elections: a case study of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Institute of Social Works. Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam.