The Impact of Social Media in Disseminating Information to Small-Scale Businesses in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue II, February 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

The Impact of Social Media in Disseminating Information to Small-Scale Businesses in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

Enesiti Chirume
PhD Student, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Zimbabwe

Abstract:- Many scholars and researchers have since established that social media usage by businesses is gaining prominence in the global markets. This current paper explores the impact of social media in disseminating information to small-scale businesses in the town of Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe. The central objective of the study is to identify the role of social media in the dissemination of information to small-scale businesses in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. The study adopts qualitative research method and uses purposive sampling to administer a questionnaire to educe responses from fifty-(50) small-scale business owners in Chinhoyi. The study provides insight into the advances in social media that are enabling social and cultural changes in business. The major findings of the study are that, social media may help in novel ways to congregate geographical markets for higher sales, transform traditional business approaches, and initiate the much needed and viable consumer-focused communication. The study contributes to the understanding of the impact of social media in disseminating information to small-scale businesses in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. Owing to the increase in social media usage more than the traditional platforms, for information consumption, the study argues that. (i) Where clients frequent should naturally become important for business, since business is about clients. (ii) In addition, now that social media is so available to anyone with an internet connection and even more now for everyone with a smartphone, small-scale businesses should embrace it for information dissemination. Overall, the study recommends that social media should be a platform to increase business brand awareness and facilitate direct feedback from customers.

Keywords: -Social media, small-scale businesses viral, virtual, Web 2.0.

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

A number of previous studies have focused on business-related aspects of social media use in companies(Barnes and Jacobsen, 2013). These aspects include specific sectors, specific platforms, and specific consumer contexts. This manuscript focuses on the impact of social media in disseminating information to small-scale businesses in the town of Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe. The study finds vested interest in small-scale businesses in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe mainly due to the realization that small-scale businesses play a pivotal role for the sustenance of livelihoods of the nation, Zimbabwe where there is a very high rate of unemployment at the time of writing.

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