Social Sciences & Psychology

Social Sciences & Psychology

Archive
Join as an Editor/Reviewer

PATTERNS OF YOUTHS? COMMUNICATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Volume: 4  ,  Issue: 1 , May    Published Date: 19 May 2018
Publisher Name: IJRP
Views: 876  ,  Download: 940

Authors

# Author Name
1 Shafaat Hussain

Abstract

Online communication has become a centerpiece in the social life of youths. They outnumber adults in their use of communication technologies, especially through social networking sites. This study focuses on the patterns of youths’ communication on social media in Western Ethiopia. The objectives of this research paper is to assess the types of social media that Ethiopian youths prefer to use;  the timings that the Ethiopian youths prefer to access the social media; and the size of contacts (friends and groups) the Ethiopian youths have on their social networks. There are three target population of this study from where the sample is drawn: teen cyber café visitors, cell phone using older youths and laptop using professional youths. For the first target population, systematic random sampling is used whereas for the second and third snowball sampling is applied. The sample size (n=264) comprises of questionnaire (n=252) supplemented by interview from key respondents (n=12). The data is collected and analyzed keeping in view the age and gender dynamics and the result is presented. The findings conclude that the youths of Ethiopia are stupendously engaged in online social media use.  They are leapfrogging into online communication landscape through different tools of social media and reshaping the society.

Keywords

  • social media
  • social networks
  • online commun ication
  • Western Ethiopia