The Effect of the Digital Age on Kenyan Newspapers A Case of the Daily Nation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Digital Age on the Newspaper Industry in Kenya. The study investigated three key areas, namely: social media; Digital Media Consumption and Digital Advertising. A quantitative descriptive case study research design of the Daily Nation was used. This study collected data using a structured questionnaire as its primary instrument. The questionnaire was administered to a sample population of 362 Daily Nation readers derived using the Krejcie & Morgan (1970) formula. The questionnaire was administered through a combination of face-to-face interviews as well as self-administered questionnaires to the sample population located in the Nairobi Central Business District targeted as they bought their copy the Daily Nation from the Newspaper Vendors. The data was then collected checked for completeness and consistency, collated and entered into IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 and analyse using a multiple linear regression model to establish the relationship between the independent and dependant variables. The study found the Daily Nation Newspaper readers were mature audience that were also frequent users of other social media sites and rarely if at all visited the Daily Nation Facebook Page or website. WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter were most preferred social media platforms. The study also found that the primary purpose for using the internet was for social media purposes. The study also showed that the most preferred sources of user generated content to be blogs and entertainment as the number one reason having s social media account. The study also shown that a number of respondents get their news via mobile devices. The study also found that a majority of the respondents found social media accounts to be very important. The study also revealed that a majority of the respondents verified other news sources with the Daily Nation. The study showed that the Daily Nation newspaper was the most preferred source of news followed by social media. The study concluded that readers of digital versions of the Daily Nation do not buy the Daily Nation Newspapers and vice versa. The study also concluded that the Daily Nation Newspaper is still the most preferred format among its readers despite it being available via online, mobile and in e-paper formats. . The study revealed that high internet penetration rates and mobile penetration rates have not discouraged the current Daily Nation newspaper readers from reading the Newspaper, though are mature in age and constitute 20% of the Kenyan population. The study also revealed social media to be the most preferred advertising platform for advertisers in Kenya. As regards advertising revenues, the study concluded that the most preferred advertising medium was social media whereas most advertisers of the Daily Nation advertised in the Daily Nation Newspaper. The study also showed at majority of the respondents rarely buy online. The study also showed the internet download speed to be the most critical characteristics of internet advertising. The study also showed that a majority of respondents responded to positively to internet adverts. The study concluded that WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter were the most preferred social media accounts. Further, the study concluded that Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter was very important medium of receiving news. That the Daily Nation newspaper readers do not read other formats the Daily Nation such as the Daily Nation Online or Facebook Page but instead turn to social media predominantly for entertainment but also as a source of News. The study concluded that Daily Nation newspaper was still the most preferred source of news followed by Other Print Newspapers and social media Networks/Blogs. The study concluded that the Daily Nation Newspaper was the most preferred source of news in comparison to its competitors followed by social media as the third most preferred source of News. The study concluded that though the Daily Nation Newspaper was still the most preferred format for advertisers to advertise on, most advertisers preferred social media as a means of advertising. This study therefore recommends that the Daily Nation adopt user-generated content from social media and crowd sourcing into its mainstream journalism. The study also recommends that the Daily Nation exploit the mobile market through social media advertising by leveraging on the high internet and mobile penetration rates in Kenya. The Study recommends that the Daily Nation adopt Social Media platforms to attract advertisers as this is their most preferred platform.