Demographic factors influencing the adoption and use of social media in university libraries in Ghana: A unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) approach

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of demographics as moderators of the factors influencing library workers’ and library patrons’ behavioral intention toward the use of social media in university libraries in Ghana. The theoretical model for this study was based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The study employed a cross-sectional survey and quantitative data was collected from a total of six-hundred and five usable responses obtained from the sampled respondents using a pre-tested questionnaire. Statistical analyses were carried out using the t-test analysis (using Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances) and the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Key findings were that although partial relationships were established, the mediating roles of the demographics of library workers and patrons on factors influencing the intention to use and actual use of social media in the university libraries were significant. Establishing the effect of the user demographics on factors influencing social media use in the context of the UTAUT is novel within the Ghanaian university library setting and thus contributes new knowledge to methodological discussions to improve practices and policies on social media adoption and use. However, since this study was largely quantitative, future research could include both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to explore any other important constructs that fit into the context and can explain adoption in further detail. Recommendations based on findings are provided in the article.