The use of social media to enhance public engagement with Namibian parliamentarians
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Date
2021
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University of Namibia
Abstract
This thesis aimed to determine the extent to which social media can enhance public engagement
between Members of Parliament and the public in Namibia. The purpose of the study was to
determine how social media could be a vehicle or platform for Members of Parliament (MPs)
to communicate matters of the legislature to the public, and how the public would use social
media to communicate and interact with MPs. The study is founded on the Diffusion of
Innovation Theory and, therefore, explored social media use at Parliament based on the five
elements of innovation, namely relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and
observability. A quantitative research approach was employed by way of survey research
design, using a survey questionnaire to collect data. All 146 MPs and people in the Windhoek
city centre at the time of the research formed the population. Several sampling methods were
used - simple random sampling method for MPs and a combination of purposive, stratified and
convenience sampling for members of the public. Purposive sampling was used to produce a
representative sample of the Namibian public. Stratified sampling was used to ensure that there
was equal representation of male and female while convenience sampling was used to ensure
that all respondents were eighteen years and above and Namibian citizens. SPSS software was
used to come up with descriptive and inferential statistics. The study’s key findings revealed
on the information component, social media had relative advantage over traditional media
while on predictability, structure and format, traditional media trumped social media. The study
further found that social media use for engagement included a relatively small number of
people separate from those already politically involved. The study concludes that social media
has still not attained dominance and preference over traditional media as an engagement tool
for MPs and the public. Additionally, the main barriers to social media use are the absence of
a policy or framework, unaffordable data, skills training and general lack of interest in the work
of Parliament. In addition, it was found that social media for engagement was perceived as
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complex, suggesting that social media use would be met with difficulty. The study, therefore,
recommends the formulation of a social media use policy for MPs and social media training to
encourage use. Furthermore, social media use for public engagement is still a new phenomenon
in Namibia, hence, there is a need for a Namibian study on the effectiveness of social media in
reaching the marginalised and disengaged
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies
Keywords
Members of parliament, Namibia, Socia media, Public engagement, Namibian public, University of Namibia