Abstract:
The study identifies the dominant issues that emerged from the posts shared on Facebook
by audiences on the 20th VGMA incident between Ghanaian entertainment icons; Shatta
Wale and Stonebwoy. It also probed into the outpour of emotions of the audiences through
the posts and also examined how Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were represented by the
audiences through the posts. This research, through the lens of reader-response theory and
Ekman’s Theory of Basic Emotions, interrogated Facebook posts of the incident between
Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy at the 20th VGMA using qualitative content analysis and
purposive sampling technique. This study indicates that just as people are the lifeblood of
businesses, fan bases are the core patrons of every musician and their songs. Also, the study
reveals that the fan base culture that emerged from the posts shared on Facebook on the
said incident not only strengthens the interaction of the audience in expressing their
opinions and experiences but also increases the opportunity for musician – fan interactions.
This is supported by the audiences describing 20th VGMA incident between Shatta Wale
and Stonebwoy along the following themes: mismanagement, terror and antagonism.
Further, the study showed that the audiences exhibited three out of the six basic emotions
outlined in Ekman’s theory of basic emotions. These emotions were: anger, fear and
surprise. Also, in response to how Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were represented by the
audiences, the study revealed the themes of cowardice, heroism and sore loser. The study
therefore concludes that while some audiences pinned the incident at the 20th VGMA on
Charterhouse for mismanaging the event, other audiences also laid the blame squarely on
both Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Communication and Media Studies,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Communication, submitted to
the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of degree Master of Philosophy
Communication and Media Studies
(Media Track)
in the University of Education, Winneba.
MARCH, 2021