Dialogic Communication on Digital Platforms as Public Relations Technique: A Case of Two Political Parties

This study investigates how social media promotes public relations practices in the Ghanaian political landscape by examining whether the Facebook pages and Twitter handles of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2020 general election campaign were dialogic. Our goal is to provide rich insights into dialogic public relations discourse in the context of electioneering campaigns on African social media platforms. The study used the qualitative approach by employing cyberethnography and interviews to collect data from NDC and NPP’s official Facebook pages, Twitter handles, and Communication Officers of both political parties. The study revealed that NDC and NPP established a relationship in communicating with Ghanaians using their Facebook and Twitter handles. Also, both parties have used Facebook and Twitter more frequently during the 2020 general election than in previous elections. Thus, Facebook and Twitter have become essential mediums for political parties to dialogue with Ghanaians on campaign messages for electoral votes. The study recommends that the NDC, NPP, and other political parties should take advantage of Facebook and Twitter to build and maintain relationships with the Ghanaian electorate using the Dialogic Public Relations approach.