The Digital Frontiers: How IT Shapes Social Media Trends in Iringa Municipal, Tanzania
 |
International Journal of Recent Engineering Science (IJRES) |  |
| © 2024 by IJRES Journal | ||
| Volume-11 Issue-5 |
||
| Year of Publication : 2024 | ||
| Authors : Lusekelo Kibona |
||
| DOI : 10.14445/23497157/IJRES-V11I5P108 |
How to Cite?
Lusekelo Kibona, "The Digital Frontiers: How IT Shapes Social Media Trends in Iringa Municipal, Tanzania," International Journal of Recent Engineering Science, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 80-95, 2024. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23497157/IJRES-V11I5P108
Abstract
The integration of Information Technology (IT) has significantly influenced social media trends and user engagement in Iringa Municipal, fundamentally transforming how individuals interact with digital platforms. This study examined the role of IT in shaping social media behavior, focusing on key aspects such as device usage, platform preference, content engagement, and participation in social media trends. Through a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews with 50 respondents, the research explored the impact of mobile technology, the dominance of platforms like Facebook, and the diverse purposes for social media use, including entertainment, news, and education. Findings revealed that smartphones were the primary device for social media access, with 70% of respondents using them to engage with content, highlighting the importance of mobile-optimized platforms. Additionally, 40% of participants actively participated in social media trends, reflecting varying levels of engagement influenced by personal interests and perceived relevance. The study also identified challenges, such as limited participation in trends among certain user groups. It emphasized the need for enhanced digital literacy and targeted content strategies to maximize the benefits of IT in social media engagement. Despite these challenges, the research underlined the transformative impact of IT on social media trends in Iringa Municipal, driving a more dynamic and connected digital landscape.
Keywords
Content Creation, Content Preferences, Digital Literacy, Digital Trends, Information Technology (IT), Mobile Technology, Social Media Behavior, Social Media Trends, Social Media Platforms, Technology Impact, User Engagement.
Reference
[1] Karen Elizabeth McIntyre, “The Evolution of Social Media from 1969 to 2013: A Change in Competition and a Trend Toward Complementary, Niche Sites,” The Journal of Social Media in Society, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 5-25, 2014.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Anne Helmond, David B. Nieborg, and Fernando N. van der Vlist, “Facebook’s Evolution: Development of a Platform-as-Infrastructure,” Internet Histories, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 123-146, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Manish Dhingra, and Rakesh K. Mudgal, “Historical Evolution of Social Media: An Overview,” International Conference on Advances in Engineering Science Management & Technology (ICAESMT)-2019, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India, pp. 1-8, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Cristina Alaimo, Jannis Kallinikos, and Erika Valderrama, “Platforms as Service Ecosystems: Lessons from Social Media,” Journal of Information Technology, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 25-48, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Elisha Merick Magolanga, “Development Journalism Practices on Tanzania’s Social Media: An Analysis of YouTube Online TV,” UMMA: The Journal of the Contemporary Literature and Creative Arts, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 113-139, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] Herman Mandari, and Daniel Koloseni, “Evaluating Social Media Utilization on the Implementation of E-government Goals in Tanzania,” Journal of African Research in Business and Technology, vol. 2016, pp. 1-9, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Hedi Ye, and Ruyang Li, “Analyzing the Impact of Innovative Features in New Social Networks on User Engagement and Content Sharing Dynamics,” International Journal of Education and Humanities, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 227-232, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Hyunjin Kang, and Chen Lou, “AI Agency vs. Human Agency: Understanding Human–AI Interactions on TikTok and Their Implications for User Engagement,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1-13, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Gabriela Poleac, and Alexandra-Niculina Gherguț-Babii, “How Social Media Algorithms Influence the Way Users Decide–Perspectives of Social Media Users and Practitioners,” Technium Social Sciences Journal, vol. 57, pp. 69-81, 2024.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] Jacqueline Nesi et al., “Peer Experiences Via Social Media,” Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Health, vol. 23, pp. 182-195, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] Matthew N.o. Sadiku et al., “Artificial Intelligence in Social Media,” International Journal of Scientific Advances, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 15 20, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] Bu Zhong, Social Media Communication: Trends and Theories, John Wiley & Sons, pp. 1-208, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Ethel Lee, “Impacts of Social Media on Consumer Behavior: Decision Making Process,” Turku University of Applied Science, pp. 1-95, 2013.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Kaledio Potter, and Dylan Stilinski, “The Impact of Social Media on Fashion Trends: How Online Platforms Shape Consumer Preferences,” 2024.
[Google Scholar]
[15] Teodor Kostov, “Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Behavior,” Master Thesis, Universities of Applied Sciences, pp. 1-54, 2020.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Azimov Shokhrukh, “The Impact of Social Media on Teenage English Slang: Investigating the Influence of Platforms like Instagram and Tiktok on the Evolution of English Slang Among Teenagers,” Kokand University Research Base, pp. 86-93, 2024.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Abu Muna Almaududi Ausat, “The Role of Social Media in Shaping Public Opinion and its Influence on Economic Decisions,” Technology and Society Perspectives (TACIT), vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 35-44, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Michael Luca, “User-generated Content and Social Media,” Handbook of Media Economics, vol. 1, pp. 563-592, 2015.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] Siqing Shan, Jie Ren, and Cangyan Li, “The Dynamic Evolution of Social Ties and User-generated Content: A Case Study on a Douban Group,” Enterprise Information Systems, vol. 11, no. 10, pp. 1462-1480, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[20] Manuel Ceballos, Ángel Garcia Crespo, and Nora Lado Cousté, “Impact of Firm-created Content on User-generated Content: using a New Social Media Monitoring Tool to Explore Twitter,” Rediscovering the Essentiality of Marketing, pp. 303-306, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] Yi Ding et al., “The Role of Marketer-and User-generated Content in Sustaining the Growth of a Social Media Brand Community,” 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Waikoloa, HI, USA, pp. 1785-1792, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[22] Harish Kumar, Manoj Kumar Singh, and M.P. Gupta, “Socio-influences of User Generated Content in Emerging Markets,” Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 36, no. 7, pp. 737-749, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[23] Reza Alibakhshi, and Shirish Chandra Srivastava, “Is ‘New’Always ‘Nicer’? Examining the Influence of Innovation in Social Media,” Academy of Management, vol. 2021, no. 1, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[24] Muhammad Rizki Nur Kandias, and Nia Karniawati, “The Phenomenon of Bandung City Community Participation in the 2024 Presidential Election Through Tiktok Media,” Jurnal Politik dan Pemerintahan Daerah, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 24-33, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[25] Kathy-Ann Fletcher, and Ayantunji Gbadamosi, “Examining Social Media Live Stream’s Influence on the Consumer Decision-Making: A Thematic Analysis,” Electronic Commerce Research, vol. 24, pp. 2175-2205, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] Matthew A. Gilbert, “Strengthening your Social Media Marketing with Live Streaming Video,” Smart Technologies and Innovation for a Sustainable Future, pp. 357-365, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[27] Shirumisha Kwayu, Banita Lal, and Mumin Abubakre, “The Influence of Social Media on Engendering Strategic Organisational Practices The Case of Two Tanzanian Telecommunications Companies,” Smart Working, Living and Organising, pp. 47-59, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[28] Allen Shembilu, “Importance of Social Networking for Student Participation in Education in Tanzania,” Master’s Thesis, pp. 1-59, 2013.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[29] Leyla Juma Pongwe, and Josephine Churk, “Social Media Marketing Platforms and Sales Revenue in Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited,” International Review of Management and Marketing, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 31-38, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[30] Ni Huang et al., “Social Media Integration and E-commerce Platform Performance: A Randomized Field Experiment,” Available at SSRN 2969670, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[31] Bogdan Mróz, Consumer Shopping Behaviours on Social Media Platforms: Trends, Challenges, Business Implications, Disruptive Platforms, 1st ed., Routledge, pp. 1-17, 2021.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[32] Haipeng Zhang et al., “Chelsea Won, and You Bought a T-shirt: Characterizing the Interplay Between Twitter and E-Commerce," ASONAM '13: Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, Niagara Ontario Canada, pp. 829-836, 2013.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[33] Bruno Schivinski, and Dariusz Dabrowski, “The Effect of Social Media Communication on Consumer Perceptions of Brands,” Journal of Marketing Communications, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 189-214, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[34] Rajdeep Singh, “A Study of Customer’s Behavior Towards Social Media Marketing,” International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 262-267, 2016.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[35] Dwi Arini Nursansiwi, “The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Consumer Behavior,” Management Studies and Business Journal (PRODUCTIVITY), vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 180-188, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[36] Kyle Nash, “Exploring the Impact of Self-concept and IT Identity on Social Media Influencers’ Behavior: A Focus on Young Adult Technology Features Utilization,” International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, pp. 1-12, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[37] Sony Varghese, and Mansi Agrawal, “Impact of Social Media on Consumer Buying Behavior,” Saudi Journal of Business and Management Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 51-55, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[38] Shadrack Madila, “Development of an Implementation Framework and Social Media Analytics Tool for Tanzania's Tourism Small and Medium-sized Enterprises,” NM-AIST, 2023.
[Google Scholar]
[39] Shadrack Madila, Mussa Ally Dida, and Shubi Kaijage, “Tourism SME’s Adoption of Social Media Analytics Tools and Technology,” Computational and Communication Science Engineering, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[40] Amos Kasilima, “The Role of Digital Marketing on Business Performance: A Case of Fast Moving–Consumable Goods in Dar es Salaam Tanzania,” Dissertation, The Open University of Tanzania, 2023.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]