Digital Media and Strategic Public Relations in Advancing Intra-African Dialogue among Postgraduate Students in Select Universities in Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between digital media, strategic public relations, and intra-African dialogue among postgraduate students in select universities in Rivers State. Specifically, it determined the relationships between social media communication, stakeholder engagement, two-way symmetrical communication and intra-African dialogue. A correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised 427 postgraduate students from Rivers State University and the University of Port Harcourt, while 357 retrieved questionnaires were used for analysis. Data were collected using the Digital Media and Strategic Public Relations Questionnaire (DMSPRQ) and Intra-African Dialogue Questionnaire (IADQ). Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed significant positive relationships between social media communication and intra-African dialogue (r = .714, p < .001), stakeholder engagement and intra-African dialogue (r = .683, p < .001), and two-way symmetrical communication and intra-African dialogue (r = .742, p < .001). The study concluded that digital media and strategic public relations practices provide important opportunities for strengthening communication, stakeholder interaction, knowledge exchange, and intra-African dialogue among postgraduate qqqstudents. It recommended greater use of interactive digital platforms to facilitate academic and cross-cultural communication among African students. Keywords: Digital Media, Strategic Public Relations, Intra-African Dialogue, Social Media