Abstract:
An emerging area concerning social media is how it can be used to champion a social
cause through activism. Social media has demonstrated the potential for mobilising
attention and accountability to women’s right and challenging discrimination and
stereotypes. Also, social media has proven to be a powerful vehicle for bringing
women’s right issues to the attention of a wider public. This study seeks to explore
how social media activisms and “offline” campaigns can be used in the fight against
domestic violence in Ghana. With the use of cyber ethnography, interviews and
theories like the social capital, social network theory and the resource mobilisation
theory, the usefulness of social media (Facebook) in amplifying the atrocities of
victims of domestic violence was investigated. Purposive sampling and snowballing
were the two major types of sampling used to arrive at seven activists who were
interviewed and observed on Facebook. Social media was identified as an avenue for
victims to vent, this offered them the opportunity to tell the whole world what they are
going through. Also, the activists noted that the content of their posts on Facebook has
been able to educate people on domestic violence. Facebook offers a ground for
activists to network and share ideas on how to assist victims who reach out to them.
Funding for activism was one interesting area that emerged in this study. This is when
the activists can use SM space to raise money and other resources needed to boost the
particular cause they are working on.
Description:
A THESIS 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
MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY
(MEDIA STUDIES DEGREE).
MARCH, 2021