EXPLORING SOCIAL SPACES FOR INFORMATION ACTIVITIES AMONG SOCIAL ACTORS

EXPLORING SOCIAL SPACES FOR INFORMATION ACTIVITIES AMONG SOCIAL ACTORS AT MAI-SHAYI JOINTS (TEA SHOPS) IN SAMARU COMMUNITY, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study explored the social spaces in Hausa communal setting from the perspective of social actors in tea shops in Samaru Community, Kaduna State. To achieve the objectives of this study, one main research question and four sub-questions were raised and answered. The main research question was; what types of social spaces for information activities exist in Samaru Community? The sub-questions were: what information activities occurred in teashops in Samaru Community, who are the social actors involved in information activities in tea shops in Samaru Community, what were the topics of discourse in tea shops in Samaru Community during the period of study in Samaru Community (2016-2018) and how did the propositions of Information Grounds Theory describe social spaces and the actions of individuals in Samaru Community? Information Grounds Theory was adopted for the study and a Case Study research design was employed. Participant observation was carried out in the tea shops to ascertain and redesign the interview protocol and to have a feel of the study setting. Qualitative Data was collected using in-depth interview. A sample of 12 participants was used for the study. However, only 10 participants‟ narratives were used for analysis. The data was analysed using Qualitative Content Analysis. Seven typologies of Social Spaces were identified by participants of this study; Fast-Food Businesses, Non-Food Related Businesses, Discussion/Relaxation Spaces, Venues for Ceremonies, Commercial Transport Stations, Health Care Centres and Office Spaces. Findings of the study also indicated that four out of the seven propositions of the Information Grounds theory described the typologies of Social Spaces in Samaru Community; the Temporal Setting proposition, the Actor/Social types proposition, the Social Interaction proposition and the Formal and Informal Information Sharing proposition. In addition, the Alternative forms of information use proposition and the context rich propositions explained the actions of individuals in tea houses in Samaru Community. The study recommended that the dynamics of inter subjective in small worlds should be considered during the design of information geared at information diffusion and exchange. The study also recommended that social spaces should be used as a channel for information diffusion because people trust information emanating from such spaces.

EXPLORING SOCIAL SPACES FOR INFORMATION ACTIVITIES AMONG SOCIAL ACTORS AT MAI-SHAYI JOINTS (TEA SHOPS) IN SAMARU COMMUNITY, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

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