Ghana Social Science Journal

The African youth and communicative behaviours in digital spaces

2025-07-01T14:20:14+00:00

The 2023 edition of the Trends in Media and Communication Conference (TiMC) provided a forum for researchers and practitioners in communication to convene and discuss current developments in young Africans’ use of digital spaces, particularly as regards their communicative behaviours. Having positioned itself as a preeminent platform for sharing scholarship on emerging trends in communication and media within the African continent, this edition of the conference discussed the theme, “The African youth and communicative behaviours in digital spaces”. The conference accepted over 50 papers from scholars and practitioners in Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Iran, Latvia, Turkey, and the United States of America among others. Over 100 conference participants engaged in scholarly reflections on how African youth are using the communicative freedom that digital spaces provide to create economic opportunities to counter their high unemployment. Participants also deliberated on how young people leverage and also navigate challenges confronting their online communication endeavours. As well, they considered trends developing around the production, consumption, and moderation of extremist content in African digital spaces. Specifically, the accepted papers responded to questions including but not limited to: 1) What dynamics play out in constituted online communities and how are the youth taking advantage of digital spaces construct and express their personal and social identities and for their social and economic benefits? 2) How aware are digital users of existing cyber policies, and other regulatory policies and how do they affect user engagement and content creation on social media platforms? and 3) What role do digital platforms play in promoting civic engagement and activism among African youth and how does gender influence participation and representation in digital technology?

Attraction, retention, and satisfaction in social media use: Are there age differences between Ghanaian youth and the elderly?

2025-07-01T14:20:14+00:00

This research challenges the conventional assumptions on age-related behaviours in social media spaces. Employing an explanatory mixed methods design, it compares social media attraction, retention, and satisfaction between youth (aged 15–35) and elderly (aged 60+) populations in the Greater Accra Region. Quantitative data, analyzed using difference-in-mean chi-square tests, reveal significant variations across age groups, while qualitative insights from in-depth interviews uncover the limited influence of youth on elderly adoption of social media. Findings demonstrate that older adults are more attracted to social media for alleviating loneliness and reconnecting with lost contacts, contributing to higher retention rates compared to youth, who exhibited more exploratory usage patterns. Despite these differences, overall satisfaction levels with social media were similarly high across age cohorts, reflecting unique but equally fulfilling user experiences. The study advocates promoting intergenerational connectivity initiatives to encourage experience sharing and foster a supportive, age-inclusive digital community.

Critical literacy as a countermeasure to misinformation in the social me-dia age: Review of the literature

2025-07-01T14:20:15+00:00

In the social media age, misinformation presents significant challenges to information integrity. This study explores critical literacy as a countermeasure to misinformation in the social media age, through a review of the literature. The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and the Message Interpretation Process (MIP) model served as theoretical framework. Articles reviewed were manually and purposively extracted from Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar and Research Gate. 36 articles in total, comprising 3 discourses, 6 literature reviews, and 17 position papers, amongst others, analysed. Results showed that critical literacy promotes analytical thinking and informed cynicism pertinent to fostering good power relations, reducing inequalities, and empowering people to effectively recognise and challenge misinformation. The study concludes that raising a generation of critically educated people may offer a solid basis for spotting misinformation, halting its dissemination, and countering its detrimental impacts. The study recommended the incorporation of critical literacy in educational curricula and public awareness initiatives to counter misinformation, particularly from a Nigerian perspective

Social media entrepreneurship: Youth participation, evolving business norms, and communication strategies

2025-07-01T14:20:15+00:00

This research delves into the dynamic transformation ignited by social media within Ghana's business landscape of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on the COM-B theory of behaviour change, the research examines how capability, motivation, and opportunity influence business shifts from conventional to online platforms and identifies effective communication strategies for online business growth. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative data from 127 youth-owned online enterprises and qualitative insights from 15 in-depth interviews with purposively selected entrepreneurs. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis via STATA 17, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Findings from the quantitative analysis revealed that financial limitations, difficulty accessing credit, and regulatory restrictions significantly influence youth participation in social media businesses. While the qualitative analyses also evident that content marketing and audience engagement were the most utilized communication strategies. This study advocates for a comprehensive re-evaluation of business regulations that seamlessly accommodates both online and hybrid social media models. Furthermore, there is the need for social media entrepreneurs to also extend their communication strategies to embrace those of analytical and evaluation strategies which are equally important for business success and their continued employability.

Exploring the use and impact of digital platforms on Spanish language learning among University of Ghana students

2025-07-01T14:20:16+00:00

Learning a foreign language requires consistent practice and interaction, which poses a significant challenge for students who lack regular opportunities to engage with native speakers. This study investigates the use of digital platforms to enhance foreign language learning by students. The research explores the extent to which students use tools such as Padlet, Audio Lingua, Fluent Key, and common social media platforms to practice Spanish and connect with other learners and native speakers worldwide. It aims to highlight the benefits and limitations of digital media in foreign language learning and to provide insights into how digital tools can be better leveraged to support language acquisition in educational settings. Through a survey, the study analyses students' online language learning behaviours, preferred digital resources, and the perceived effectiveness of these platforms in enhancing language proficiency and cultural understanding. Findings indicate that while digital platforms provide valuable opportunities for language practice and cultural exposure, there are varying levels of engagement and effectiveness among students.

Awareness and use of Virtual Assistant Technologies by postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria

2025-07-01T14:20:17+00:00

The spread of the Internet has led to advanced technological inventions. One of the technological innovations considered engaging is the Virtual assistants (VAs), designed to imitate human-like behaviours. This study was designed to investigate the awareness and use of VAs focusing on postgraduate students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted, and a multistage sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Data was collected with a structured questionnaire. Findings revealed that most students were aware of VAs and had a high level of use. VAs were used for various purposes, mainly general knowledge, work-related tasks, and entertainment. The students used VAs because of the following: the multitasking ability of VAs, the ability of VAs to provide immediate feedback to users, the ability of VAs to provide personalised and individualised communication with users, the fun derived from the use, the ability of the user to pick up on other signals or information that are conveyed through VAs, and the ability of VAs to understand and convey information in everyday language that its users easily understand. A major challenge associated with use is that VAs sometimes misunderstand the students’ requests or commands because of differences in accents. Since an individual’s understanding of VAs plays a crucial role in their utilisation, stakeholders should consider providing education and training programmes that could increase users’ knowledge and confidence in interacting with VAs to ensure increased and continuous usage. VA developers need to improve on language and accent recognition.