The Perceived Influence of Social Media on the Development of Ethnic Prejudice among Staff of Women’s, Children and Social Affairs Bureau, Addis Ababa City Administration.
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Date
2025
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study investigated the influence of social media on ethnic prejudice among 170 respondents who are employees of the Bureau of Women, Children, and Social Affairs in Addis Ababa City Administration. Instruments used to collect data were questionnaire and interview. Lickert-Scale was also used to collect data. Descriptive, correlation, chi-square and independent t-test were applied methods to analyze the data. The main findings indicated that participants predominantly utilized Facebook, Tik-Tok and You-Tube social media platforms. These social media platforms significantly influenced attitudes and play key roles in promoting or aggravating ethnic-based prejudice. There is significant gender and age difference in the development of ethnic prejudice and also the time spent on social media, frequency and form of message had a notable influence. Hate speech and discriminatory messages posted in different formats on social media platforms fuelled animosity and spread biased information, influencing perceptions of ethnic discrimination. No significant difference was found between the influence of message posted by government officials, activists and ordinary citizens. Overall, social media usage influences the creation and aggravation of ethnic-based prejudice. The implication of the results for practice and research are indicated.
Key words: Prejudice, Social media, ethnic prejudice, Influence of Social media
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Keywords
Prejudice, Social media, ethnic prejudice, Influence of Social media