Breaking the Barriers: A Phenomenological Study of Social Media Adoption in Women's Non-Governmental Organisations

Abstract

Social media has become a prominent platform for organisations to collaborate and share information. Although several studies have explored the barriers of technology adoption in organisations in different context, not many of them are directly related to the unique barriers of social media adoption. Understanding the barriers of social media adoption can assist organisations in adopting them for their activities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the most pertinent barriers of social media adoption in women's non-Governmental Organisations WNGOs) in North-West Nigeria. The study uses qualitative research design based on a phenomenology approach. Data was collected from 10 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the WNGOs using semi-structure interviews. The findings of the study reveals that the impediments WNGOs encountered in the adoption of social media to share
information include: perceived risk, lack of trust, lack of legal and regulatory framework, cost of data, human and financial resources and lack of social media skills. The study suggests and recommends a number of measures which could be taken by the designers, practitioners and government to address the many barriers identified.