Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Social and Traditional Media on Political Transformations in West Africa

Abstract

This study investigates, through comparative analysis, including six major protest movements across Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso, the impact of social and traditional media campaigns on government policy reforms in West Africa. This study uses crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to identify conditions sufficient and necessary for media activism to translate into actual policy changes. Analysis reveals two reform pathways: the joint effect of organisational structure and traditional media coverage, and the joint effect of low levels of censorship and traditional media coverage. The authors conclude that due to the peculiarities of economic development and the availability of the latest information technologies for the general population, traditional media remain of key importance in the dissemination and consumption of information as well as in the processes of political change. Social media platforms such as X, Facebook and YouTube mobilise people and effectively raise awareness, but their influence on reform depends upon enabling environments that happen to be broader, such as media legitimacy, civic freedom and structured coordination.