Social Media Usage Patterns Among Ghanaian Digital Natives And Digital Immigrants: A Study Into Intergenerational Communication

ABSTRACT

Social media has become common place in Ghana. The younger generation adopted the use of social media at the beginning of the millennium. Their usage habits characterised and dominated the social media-scape. However, due to the subsequent ubiquity and penetration of social media in Ghana there is an increased involvement of the older generation in the use of social media. Social media has become the central communication media for both the young and older generations as well as increasing mediated communication between the two generational cohorts. With the two different generations intercommunicating with the media that has always been seen as the preserve of the younger generation, anecdotal evidences abound to suggest that there is miscommunication between the two generations when they intercommunicate as a result of the lack of understanding of each other’s communicative habits and usages. Such miscommunications sometimes degenerate into generational distancing, increasing the generational gap. Using the mixed method approach, this study sets the overarching objective to explore the patterns of usage of social media between the two generational cohorts in Ghana and how the characteristics of their communicative practices on social media influence intergenerational communication. The purpose of this study is the illumination on the complexities of intergenerational communication through social media To achieve the overarching objective of the study, vi  The origin, growth and development of the media in Ghana is analysed from a historical perspective. The analysis reveals that the prevalence of social media is a reflection of the democratisation of the media landscape in Ghana.  The pattern of social media usage between the young and older generations is explored with the findings that social media usage is prevalent with both generational cohorts. However, there are significant variations in the patterns of usage in terms of, ownership of devices, site subscription, motives for subscription, activities undertaken and time spent connected to sites between the two generational cohorts. Education and financial capabilities are key factors that enable both generations to engage in social media usage.  The interactional experiences, perception and attitudes of the two generational cohorts in their use of social media are also explored. Based on participants’ experiences, DN and DI have different perceptions of the same concept of control, exposure, vulnerability and empowerment in using social media. At the same time, DI have the penchant to be more cautious while DN have an enthusiastic attitude towards social media in general.  The characteristics of their social media communicative practices and how they influence intergenerational communication is analysed. The analysis reveals that the characteristics of social media communicative practices of the two generational cohorts are predisposed towards generational perspectives as well as the nature of the social media as a technology. Social media, in spite of it multimodal means of communication than previous communication media, suffers from the lack of social cues that are needed to take into cognisance the cultural ambiences that surround intergenerational communication to ensure success.