Leveraging social media for knowledge sharing in development communication and social transformation: a review

Abstract

This study explores how social media facilitates knowledge sharing within the realms of development communication and social change, addressing the question: How is social media utilized to promote knowledge exchange in these contexts? Despite extensive research on social media’s role in knowledge dissemination, its application in development communication and social transformation remains underexplored. This systematic literature review employs the PRISMA protocol to analyze 57 articles sourced from Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, using Boolean keyword combinations. Data were qualitatively analyzed with NVIVO 12 Plus and Microsoft Excel 2021. Findings reveal that quantitative approaches dominate, with health and education sectors being the primary focus, and the public as the main research subject. Most studies are conducted in developed countries, and Facebook emerges as the most studied platform. The review identifies diverse research types based on motivation, data collection methods, and variable roles, alongside various theories and variables applied. Key findings highlight research gaps, such as limited exploration of qualitative and mixed-method approaches, underrepresented sectors like agriculture, and understudied platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The study underscores the need for further investigation into developing countries and less-examined subjects like farmers and experts to enrich understanding.