Social media, democracy, and freedom of expression: Some evidence from Ghana

Abstract

A qualitative condensed thematic research design was adopted to examine the effects of social media utilization and its likely effects on democracy and the freedom of expression among the citizens in Ghana. An in-depth interview was conducted to solicit data from thirty (N=30) respondents. Twenty-five (n=25) out of the 30 respondents are journalists and media professionals from key private media organizations, while the remaining five (n=5) are democracy and governance scholars from two major universities in Ghana. A key finding from this study suggest that, social media platforms have strongly safeguarded and consolidated the democratic dispensation within Ghana. The application of social media in Ghana have also resulted in hindrances such as hate speech, political harassment as well an increase in fake news in the form of misinformation and disinformation. This study recommends a well-coordinated national policy on effective social media use in Ghana to further enhance democracy and freedom of expression.