INTEGRATED SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITY RADIO SYSTEM: REDIFINING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Abstract

Community radio is a vital tool of participatory communication that essentially boosts social inclusion through local dialogue and grassroots empowerment. With a phenomenal rise of social media platforms, community radio broadcasting has undergone substantial transformation, thus, opening up a whole world of novel prospects for public engagement. This particular research is aimed examining how the integration of social media with community radio has led to the enriching of audience participation and civic engagement.

The study investigates how various social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) have played a pivotal role in the expansion and interactivity of community radio through real-time communication, user-generated content, and participatory journalism. The paper utilises some major communication theories such as Participatory Communication Theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, Network Society Theory, and the Public Sphere concept to delineate the delicate and decipher the complex relationship between social media and community radio. The paper emphasises the impact of social media-integrated community radio in essential domains such as education, disaster communication, gender empowerment, youth participation, cultural preservation, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Simultaneously, paper highlights some of the key challenge for social media integration of community radio in India including the digital divide, misinformation, financial constraints, technological limitations, algorithmic dependence, and regulatory barriers. To conclude, research stresses that the integration of social media with community of community radio is an innovative and convenient approach for inclusive communication model that ultimately ensure higher democratic participation and enhanced public engagement.