SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: USAGE OF FACEBOOK AND TWITTER BY THE POLITICAL ACTORS OF PAKISTAN AND ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE REACTION Submitted By Savera Mujib Shami Roll No: 2 (Session 2008-2013) Supervisor: Dr. Ayesha Ashfaq Assistant Professor Institute of Communication Studies University of the Punjab, Lahore Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zakria Zakar Dean, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences Acting Director, Institute of Communication Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB, LAHORE i Declaration This dissertation is the outcome of an independent investigation. Wherever the work is indebted to the work of the others it has been acknowledged and cited. I declare that this dissertation is submitted in the partial fulfillment of Doctor of Philosophy degree at Institute of Communication Studies, University of the Punjab. This dissertation has not been accepted in substance for any other degree, nor it concurrently being submitted in candidature or achievement of any other degree at any other university Savera Mujib Shami ii CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL It is certified that Ms. Savera Mujib Shami (Session 2008-2013) has completed her dissertation titled “Political Communication through Social Media: Usage of Facebook and Twitter by the Political Actors of Pakistan and Analysis of Audience Feedback” in accordance with the requirements for the partial fulfillment of the PhD degree in Communication Studies under our supervision. Dr. Ayesha Ashfaq Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zakria Zakar Assistant Professor Acting Director Institute of Communication Studies Institute of Communication Studies Dean, FBSS iii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to three most precious people in my life. My FATHER who always stood behind me, supported my dreams, championed my projects, encouraged my pursuits, gone along with my interests, and guided me in the right direction. Without his motivation, drive, and support I might not be the person I am today. My MOTHER who is amazing, strong, selfless, and loving. Whatever, I am, all that I do, all that I ever had, it’s all because of her endless support. My HUSBAND who watched me succeed, seen me fail, kept me strong. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I am grateful to Almighty Allah for giving me strength to successfully complete my work and validating my belief that I can achieve anything, including the impossible, with His help. Secondly, I would like to thank my parents, whose love and guidance are with me in whatever I pursue. They are my ultimate role models and all my success is indebted to them. I would like to express my deepest gratitude for my co-supervisor, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zakriya Zakar, without his guidance and persistent help, this dissertation would not have been possible. I am extremely grateful for his kindness and consistent support. I would also like to acknowledge the caring attitude and extensive professional guidance of my supervisor Dr. Ayesha Ashfaq. I have been very fortunate to have my dear friend as my supervisor who was always prompt in responding to my queries; thank you for always being there. I don't have words to express how grateful I am to my constant support, colleague and friend Sana Naveed Khan. I vehemently appreciate her concern and inspiration during difficult times. She has been consistently encouraging me for the completion of my dissertationn. Sana never fails to make me smile and was always there whenever I needed her. I also appreciate the input of Zain Zafar in this dissertation. I got a golden opportunity to spend a semester at Arizona State University (ASU) to work on my research under a university partnership program “Building Linkages Transdisciplinary Approaches to Communication and Development Studies” between Arizona State University and University of the Punjab, supported by US Department of State. I met various scholars and attended numerous conferences and seminars. My stay there changed my vision, refined my capabilities and polished my research skills and eventually I figured out my strengths and weaknesses. I am especially indebted to all the faculty members at ASU who were a part of that project. I am incredibly fortunate to have the support of Dr. Hazel Kwon, Assistant Professor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism (ASU) as my mentor. She helped me with statistical analysis and was always willing to give time, never hesitant to have hours long meetings. I could not have done this without her endless support. I also want to acknowledge the kindness and generosity of Dr. Bill Sillcock, Assistant Dean, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism; he spent hours with me in the school, discussing and refining my theoretical framework. He always said “I value our friendship”, and today I take this opportunity to tell him “I value our friendship”. I learned a lot from Dr. Chad Haines, Director, ASU-PU University Partnership, through his interactive and inspiring seminars at ASU. While discussing my research, he often v asked “so what?" This question kept on haunting me till the end of my dissertation. It forced me to read more, struggle more and think more. I really appreciate Dr Yasmin Saikia, Co-Director of the project, who always encouraged me and strengthened my trust in myself. I would also like to thank Dr. Marianne Barrett, for her valuable input in my synopsis. Here I would like to mention Dr. Kristin Gilger, Associate Dean, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Dr. Dawn Gilpin for their help and support as well. I am extremely thankful to Ivette Chavez and Lisa Cahill. I attended their writing skills workshops in Pakistan and US and I must say they are the best trainers. My biggest fear was writing the dissertation but they made it quite easy. My sincerest gratitude to Dr. Kanwal Ameen for taking the pain to read my synopsis and encouraging me to keep improving. I would also like to thank Dr. Rubina Zakar for her thoughtfulness and words of comfort. I cannot forget the unconditional support of my dear friends Amina Ali and Maria Gulraize. Amina edited and proofread my work on a very short notice, only a sincere friend can be so committed. I am indebted to Ms. Marium Aurangzeb for her strenuous effort to get the questionnaires filled from MNAs. I am extremely thank to Mr. Mubashir Mir (Karachi), Mr. Shehbaz Sb. (KPK), Mr. Anwaar ul Haq Kakar Sb. (Quetta) and Mr. Javed Iqbal (Lahore) who helped me during survey. I am also thankful to Mr. Sajjad Bhatti for his cooperation. I am thankful to Nabeel Malik for all his assistance and support. I am extremely thankful to Mr. Imran Bhatti, Librarian, ICS and Nadeem Perviaz, Library Attendant, ICS, and Waqas Shehzada for their endless support. Thanks to Ali Ashraf, Muhammad Iqbal, Said Ahmed and Munir and all others who made the entire process smooth and easier for me. I am also grateful to the Akbar Chahcha, Asif and Ahmed for their continuous support. I am grateful to my students, Zain-ul-Abidin, Madiha Maqsood, Mahrukh Maqsood, Mahim Zahid, Maryam, and Naveed Zafar who have assisted me in my work and all my coders. I am grateful to all my colleagues at ICS especially Mr. Naveed Iqbal, Mr. Akram Somroo, Mr. Fahad Mehmood, Ms. Shazia Toor and Ms. Seemab Bukhari who have been constantly asking me about my dissertation and have given me motivation to pursue my work. I also want to acknowledge the contribution of my younger brother Usman, for deputing his office staff in helping in data collection from Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. In addition, I really appreciate much needed moral support and words of encouragement of my elder brother Umer and sister-in-law Rabia. I am thankful to all other family members too who have been my constant support. Last but not the least, I would like to thank my husband, Noshad. We have always worked as a team and have supported each other throughout all the challenging times. I feel blessed to have him in my life. A working-mother always feels guilty, of not giving enough time to her children. I know my sons, Ahmed and Asmad were being ignored during the last few months but they remained my constant support; always praying for the completion of my degree, every night before going to bed. Finally, I have achieved my goal and I thank each and every person who has been a part of my journey and also all the political actors, who have filled the questionnaires. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Introduction…………..………………………...………………….....1-11 1.1. Status of Social media in Pakistan………………………………………...6 1.2. Statement of Problem………………………………………………...........6 1.3. Research Objectives……………………………………………….............9 1.4. Significance of the study…………………………………………………..9 1.5. Roadmap of the study…………………………………………………….10 1.5.1. Part A: Survey to analyse the Purpose and Quality of Relationships……………………………………………………..11 1.5.2. Part B: Content analysis to Measure Purpose and Strategy of using Facebook and Twitter…….……….…….…….…….……………11 1.5.3. Part C: Reputation Management and Audience Engagement………………………………………………………11 1.5.4. Part D: Correlation between Survey Purpose and Content Purpose…………………………………………………………...11 Chapter 2. Review of Literature ……………………………………………...…12-35 2.1. Usage of social media by Political Actors…….…….…….….……………...12 2.2. Political Public relations and social media…….….…….…….…….……….22 2.3. Relationship Cultivation and reputation Management….…….……………..31 Chapter3. Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………36-51 3.1. Part a: Strategic Political Communication…….…….………….…….…..…37 3.1.1. Political Communication…….…….…….…….…………………..37 3.1.2. Political actors and strategic political communication…….….…...38 3.2. Part B: Political Public Communication…….…….…….…………………..39 3.3. Part C: Strategic Political Communication and Political Public relations through social media……..…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…………….41 3.3.1 Online Public Relation …….…….…….…….……………………44 3.4. Part D: Relationship Cultivation and reputation management…….…..…….45 3.4.1.