#StopGalamseyNow: The Role of Social Media in Transforming Online Activism into On-Ground Protests in Ghana

Social media is an amplifying tool used in communities around the world to communicate to a wider audience. It has also been leveraged to promote activism and protests, as well as to mobilize people towards on-the-ground protests. In Ghana, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) played a crucial role in the growth of social activism and citizen protests that speak against certain government policies, citizen grievances, and general economic challenges. This research aims at understanding the role of social media in social movements and the motivating factors that transform online activism into on-ground protests. The study also examines youth perception of the impact of social movements in driving policy change. Based on focus group discussions, it was discovered that the affordances of social media platforms enhance the information-sharing efforts by activists, thereby facilitating their mobilization efforts even with limited resources. The generative role taking in the use of social media and the hashtag mechanism helps individuals connect with others and share identities to reach a common goal. These shared identities and a sense of collective struggle were motivating factors that led to engagement in protests. Storytelling and the relatability of content were among the factors that translated online activism into on-ground protests. The study also makes an important discovery on the impact of social movements, showing that even when an expected outcome is not reached, several other positive unintended consequences result from social movements.