Sexuality Going Viral: Using WhatsApp As a Site for Sexual Exploration Among College Students in Ghana

• Main Author: Adu-Kumi, Benjamin
• Other Authors: Maier, Scott
• Language: en_US
• Published: University of Oregon 2016
• Subjects: College students; Ghana; New media; Sexual exploration; Social media; WhatsApp
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/20551

Among college students in Ghana, the new media app WhatsApp has been widely adopted as a medium for both communication and sexual exploration. Drawing on a classical media effects theory Uses and Gratifications, this mixed method research is designed to investigate sexual practices staged on WhatsApp among college students in Ghana. This study surveyed 314 students, along with in-depth interviews with eight respondents from the African University College of Communications in Accra, Ghana, to investigate the practice of viewing and circulating sexually explicit materials on WhatsApp. Key findings from this study with the exception of impact of sexual content on both male and female college students, point to no statistically significant differences in sexual gratifications on WhatsApp. This thesis delineates the various forms of motivations regarding the use of WhatsApp as a sexual gratification platform.