The role of Facebook in the mitigation of corruption among the youth in Uganda

Abstract

This study examines the role of Facebook in the mitigating corruption among the youth in Uganda. It set out to establish youths’ views on the use of social media as a mode of reducing corruption in public enterprises in Kampala Central Division; the challenges encountered in using social media to reduce corruption in public enterprises in Kampala Central Division; and recommend solutions to the challenges encountered in using social media to reduce corruption in public enterprises in Kampala Central Division. The Democratic-Participant Media Theory guided the study. This was qualitative research that employed interview methods in data collection and a sample size of 112 respondents constituted the study. These were determined using purposive sampling technique. Content analysis and thematic approaches were used in data analysis. Findings revealed that youth in Uganda view social media as a new tool in exposing corruption tendencies. Social media platforms provided youth with open and free avenues where they can express themselves on issues that concern society. On solutions to the challenges encountered in using social media to reduce corruption, there is need for some form of regulation of social media anti-corruption activists and the need to reconceptualise and rethink the actual role that social media plays. The study concludes that social media is viewed differently by the youths as a tool of exposure and recommends further engagement with the youth in order to help them appreciate avenues that can control corruption in government entities. The study recommends that the youths need to be trained on better usage of social media to minimize time wastage on chatting and other irrelevant engagements that are not of major importance to their lives.