ASHESI UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ‘LIKE OR FOLLOW’; THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE DAILY ROUTINES OF RADIO JOURNALISTS IN ACCRA BY JOSEPH AMO NTI APRIL 2015 Thesis submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College In partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science/Business Administration/Management Information Systems 1 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own original work and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this university or elsewhere. Candidate‘s signature: ……………………………………………………………………………….. Candidate‘s Name: JOSEPH AMO NTI Date: 14th April, 2015 I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of thesis were supervised in accordance with the guidelines and supervision laid down by Ashesi University College. Supervisor‘s Signature: ………………………………………………………………………………………… Supervisor‘s Name: Mr. Kobina Graham Date: 14th April, 2015 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMNTS Many thanks go to Mr. Kobina Graham, my supervisor for the tremendous help he provided in the undertaking of this study. I would also like to recognize the efforts of Professor Joseph Oduro- Frimpong, Nina Chachu, Sena Agyepong and Edgar Cooke in helping with the conceptualization of this study. To the entire Ashesi community and all who provided feedback by listening to me or attending any of my presentations, I am truly grateful. Last but not least, massive thanks go to my mother, Michelle Bruce-Okine for her financial support on this study. 3 ABSTRACT This exploratory study investigated the role of social media in radio journalism at Accra-based radio stations. It was inspired by the steady evolution of radio in Ghana‘s democratic space and the insurgence of social media through increasing internet connectivity in Accra. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative methods. From a sampling frame of 33 radio stations, the study used a healthy combination of random sampling methods; purposive sampling and snowballing for its data collection. In selecting and determining the radio stations that made the cut for the research, primary data was collected from 7 social media platforms. Each social media platform was given particular weighted averages based on the total numbers gathered from each of the radio station‘s social media accounts. The top 3 highest ranking radio stations were selected by virtue of their social media engagement because of the insight they would provide on social media use in radio journalism. Using structured interviews, a total of 10 radio journalists from the top three most engaging Accra-based radio stations were contacted and interviewed. All of the interviews were in-depth and lasted for 20 minutes on a one-on-one basis. It is important to note that though the journalists provided various functions of social media in their jobs, they all acknowledged that its number one role was to provide timely information. This paper concludes with a recommendation for research into radio stations that are yet to join social media or incorporate it into their news reporting. 4 Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Background of Study ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.4 Research Objective ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.5 Research Question ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.6 Scope of Study ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 1.7 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................................................................................................ 14 1.8 Cognitive Map .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 1.9 Significance of Study .................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER TWO......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17 2.2 Social Media ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17 2.3 Radio in Africa .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 2.4 Post-Modern Form of Broadcasting: Citizen/Participatory Journalism ........................................................................................................ 21 CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 3.1 Sampling Strategy ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 3.2 Research Design ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 3.3 Qualitative Design ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 27 3.4 Quantitative Design ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 3.5 Data Collection Tools/ Instruments.............................................................................................................................................................. 28 3.6 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 28 CHAPTER FOUR ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 29 4.2 Interviews .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 4.2.1 Social Media Usage ................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 4.2.2. Alternative Social Media Platforms Used ................................................................................................................................................. 34 4.2.3. Organizational Attitude to Social Media .................................................................................................................................................. 35 4.2.4. Effects of Social Media on Radio Journalism ............................................................................................................................................ 36 4.2.5. Findings from Textual Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER FIVE .........................................................................................................................................................................................................