New media and democratization in Ghana: An impetus for political activism

Abstract

This article argues that the democratization process in Africa is being catalyzed by digital media (Web sites and social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter or video/photo-sharing sites such as YouTube and tumbler) inasmuch as they afford the citizens the opportunity to intensify their political activism to determine the future direction of national and local politics. The new media have proliferated and opened up the political arena, making the people more informed, empowered, and motivated to demand a say in the management of national affairs. With particular emphasis on the democratization process in Ghana, the article argues that old media (state-controlled print and electronic media) have serious limitations such as the unidirectional model of information flow from the producers of the media content to the audience as well as censorship by the government, which works to ensure the survival of the status quo. Digital media neutralize official control and open users to multidimensional, multidirectional, and multipurpose functionalities to galvanize themselves toward influencing political decision making. The more accessible these improved information and communication technologies become, the more instrumental will their role be in the democratization process. For as long as the citizens have access to new media, they will use them widely to ensure that governance becomes as transparent and productive as needed. That’s what democratization promises them; and that’s what they will use new media to accomplish.

Keywords: Digital/new media, social media, social networking, political activism, authoritarianism, civic engagement, collective action, democratization, political participation, political consciousness, political mobilization.