Ninth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

This study examines social media use among Sudanese college students and how they perceived the advantages and disadvantages of social media during the 2018 uprising. Conceptually, the study relies on Castells’ (1996) and Bourdieu’s (1986) “cultural capital.” The Sudanese college students who participated in the in-depth interviews (N=20, ten males and ten females) answered questions about the advantages and disadvantages of social media use and reflected on various aspects of their use in daily activities. The participants underscored speed, economy, and ubiquity as the significant advantages of social media. They stated that they used social media to communicate with family and friends, share videos and photos, and use social media for entertainment. They hailed social media as instrumental in mobilizing and organizing the protesters during the uprising. The interviewees also highlighted the disadvantages of social media. They stated that social media distracted them from their studies, exposed their privacy, and enabled the government’s security forces and police to track them. Some of these findings corroborate previous research findings (Pew Research, 2015; Perrin & Duggan, 2016; Lau, 2017; and Yang & Lee, 2018). These findings provide important insights into social media use in Sudan and the MENA region.