SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL TRUST IN KENYA CASE STUDY OF KIAMBU COUNTY

Abstract

Many people have rapidly adopted social media for virtual interactions making it a norm in the modern society. Social media has yielded a myriad of benefits such as increased connectivity, ease of sharing information and has acted as a rich source for entertaining content. The interactions at different levels of relationships have influenced social trust. Social trust refers tothe belief in the honesty, integrity and reliability of others. Nevertheless, social media use has posed multiple challenges such as cyber grooming, identity theft, cyber bullying and sometimes ethnic profiling among the users. This study sought to establish the effect of social media use on social trust in Kenya. The study was guided by the following objective; to determine the effects of hedonic activities, sustained strong ties and extended weak ties on social trust in Kenya.The study finding will be beneficial to policy makers in guiding on policy formulation on social media use. Political and social institutions will also use the findings in establishing appropriate approaches to enhancing social trust and cohesion among the Kenyan communities. The study adopted a qualitative approach and participants were selected using uncontrolled quota sampling method. Three focus group discussions were held digitally via zoom application in which a semi structured interview guide was used to ensure that the focus group discussions remained objective. Thematic data analysis was done with the aid of Microsoft Excel spreadsheet macros. The major themes were identified and a discussion made to put the findings into context. It was established that social media has become a very important tool in modern communication. Social media enables people to access information from a wide range of topics, provide news promptly, provide entrainment, enable people to appreciate diverse cultures and bring people closer. These interactions ultimately built trust among the social media users.