Social media framing of the comprehensive sexuality education curriculum in Ghana

Abstract

The study focuses on framing the comprehensive sexuality education policy in Ghana, drawing data on social media, specifically Facebook. In particular, the study examined social media and how it is used to champion a social cause and government policy. The study highlighted how Ghanaian citizens reacted to government’s policy on young people receiving a range of messages about sexuality and gender on a daily basis. The literature suggests, that a curriculum-based sexuality education programme can help children and young people navigate these messages, and develop positive norms about themselves, about their relationships, about their health, and about being responsible citizens. This study utilised framing theory and relied on cyber-ethnography. The findings indicated that social media (Facebook) has given freedom to all categories of people to air their views on government policies. The study also indicated that Facebook users framed comprehensive sexuality education policy within the context of culture, religion, politics and economic perspectives, with culture being the dominant frame. The study also revealed that messages and posts on the comprehensive sexuality education differed from one person to the other. The study concludes that social media has proven to be a powerful vehicle for bringing policy issues to the attention of a wider audience in a two-way symmetrical manner that focuses on dialogue and sustains mutually beneficial relationships.