Social media use by rural communities in Namibia: A case study of the Anamulenge constituency in the Omusati region
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Date
2025
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University of Namibia
Abstract
This study sought to determine the level of social media use among the residents of
Anamulenge Constituency in the Omusati Region using a mixed method involving
qualitative (in-depth interview) and quantitative (survey) designs. The study employed
multi-stage cluster sampling by adopting systematic and random sampling to choose
settlements, houses and finally participants who use social media for the survey
component while interviewees were purposely chosen using the same criterion. A
survey questionnaire and interview guide constituted the research instruments. The
findings of the study were that Facebook is the most utilised social media platform by
the Anamulenge community members, followed by TikTok which speaks to these
platforms user-friendliness, not only to the community members but to public officials
who wish to communicate messages to the community; despite these social media's
popularity, a weakness was that it was being used for misinformation and
disinformation. However, their advantage is that it allows for timely communication
among residents of Anamulenge Constituency. Therefore, it is recommended that the
government enforces its social media use policy and use social media for government
information sharing in Anamulenge Constituency given its widespread adoption. It is
also critical to open up access to community members to make for interactivity and
engagement as well as aid the task of development. In this connection it is
recommended that more network towers be erected for stronger connectivity for
individuals to access the internet without difficulties
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies
Keywords
Facebook, Connectivity, Engagement, User-friendliness, Interactivity, Namibia, University of Namibia