Evaluating coverage of the environment: a comparative study of the observations of academics and journalists
- Authors: Koro, Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64888 , vital:28628
- Description: This study is a comparative analysis of the way that academics and journalists evaluate media coverage of news about the environment. The purpose is to gain insight into the kind of contributions that each of these groups can make to debates about the role that such coverage should play within processes of public deliberations about the environment. The dissertation begins by establishing theoretical terms of reference for assessing discussions of the journalistic coverage of the environment. It proposes that it is of value to consider the conceptualisation, within such discussions, of credible knowledge about the environment and, more particularly, to establish whether such conceptualisation is based within a positivist, interpretive, or critical realist paradigm. It is demonstrated that each of these epistemological traditions brings valuable perspectives to the discussion of journalism about the environment within such literature. It is, however, the positivist perspective that remains dominant, and this limits the extent to which the potential of the other two epistemological positions are fully realized. It is also demonstrated that there is a tendency, within this literature, to focus on the performance of individual journalists with minimal attention to the particularities of institutional and social context. It is proposed that this tendency results from the adherence to a positivist approach to the evaluation of journalism. The dissertation then describes the design and implementation of the empirical component of the study - dealing with decisions made about the overall methodological framing, the choice of method, the fieldwork plan and the approach to analysis. It is explained that the aim of the empirical component was to examine South African print journalists’ discussions of coverage of the environment in their own publications, and to compare such discussion to that which is represented in the academic literature. The dissertation then presents a summary of the themes that emerged from the analysis of the interview material that formed part of this empirical work. It is demonstrated that the evaluation of coverage of the environment, as articulated by the research participants, is informed by many of the assumptions and values that can be identified within academic literature. Such evaluation is, furthermore, similarly informed by a positivist, interpretive and critical treatment of knowledge - with, again, a tendency for the positivist position to dominate. One important difference is that the research participants include more references to institutional context. It is proposed, however, that the tendency to prioritise a positivist epistemological framing continues to place limitations on the extent to which the participants are able to fully articulate their knowledge about such context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Koro, Emmanuel
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64888 , vital:28628
- Description: This study is a comparative analysis of the way that academics and journalists evaluate media coverage of news about the environment. The purpose is to gain insight into the kind of contributions that each of these groups can make to debates about the role that such coverage should play within processes of public deliberations about the environment. The dissertation begins by establishing theoretical terms of reference for assessing discussions of the journalistic coverage of the environment. It proposes that it is of value to consider the conceptualisation, within such discussions, of credible knowledge about the environment and, more particularly, to establish whether such conceptualisation is based within a positivist, interpretive, or critical realist paradigm. It is demonstrated that each of these epistemological traditions brings valuable perspectives to the discussion of journalism about the environment within such literature. It is, however, the positivist perspective that remains dominant, and this limits the extent to which the potential of the other two epistemological positions are fully realized. It is also demonstrated that there is a tendency, within this literature, to focus on the performance of individual journalists with minimal attention to the particularities of institutional and social context. It is proposed that this tendency results from the adherence to a positivist approach to the evaluation of journalism. The dissertation then describes the design and implementation of the empirical component of the study - dealing with decisions made about the overall methodological framing, the choice of method, the fieldwork plan and the approach to analysis. It is explained that the aim of the empirical component was to examine South African print journalists’ discussions of coverage of the environment in their own publications, and to compare such discussion to that which is represented in the academic literature. The dissertation then presents a summary of the themes that emerged from the analysis of the interview material that formed part of this empirical work. It is demonstrated that the evaluation of coverage of the environment, as articulated by the research participants, is informed by many of the assumptions and values that can be identified within academic literature. Such evaluation is, furthermore, similarly informed by a positivist, interpretive and critical treatment of knowledge - with, again, a tendency for the positivist position to dominate. One important difference is that the research participants include more references to institutional context. It is proposed, however, that the tendency to prioritise a positivist epistemological framing continues to place limitations on the extent to which the participants are able to fully articulate their knowledge about such context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Constructions of nationhood in secession debates related to Mthwakazi Liberation Front in Bulawayo's Chronicle and Newsday newspapers in 2011
- Authors: Ndlovu, Mphathisi
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Newspapers , Bulawayo , Matabeleland , Zimbabwe , Chronicle , Newsday , Secession , Devolution , Nationhood , Ndebele , Ethnic identity , Mthwakazi Liberation Front , Mthwakazi Liberation Front -- Zimbabwe , Mass media and nationalism -- Research -- Zimbabwe , Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) -- Newspapers , Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) -- History -- Autonomy and independence movements , Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) -- Social conditions , Zimbabwe -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3415 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001846
- Description: This study investigates the constructions of nationhood in two Bulawayo newspapers, the Chronicle and Newsday. Against the backdrop of the emergence of a secessionist movement, Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF), this research examines the discourses of nationhood in the secessionist debates raging in these two newspapers. This study is premised on a view that nationhood constructions cannot be understood outside the broader context in which these newspapers are embedded. Accordingly, it traces the roots and resurgence of Matabeleland separatist politics, exploring the political-historical forces that have shaped a distinctive Ndebele identity that poses a threat to the one, indivisible Zimbabwean national identity. Further, the study situates Matabeleland separatist politics within the broader African secessionist discourse challenging the post-colonial nation-building project on the continent. Informed by Hall’s (1992, 1996) constructivist approach to identity, it considers national identities as fragmented, multiple and constantly evolving. Thus, this study is framed within Hall’s (1997) constructivist approach to representation, as it examines the constructions of nationhood in and through language. The study uses qualitative research methods, as it examines the meanings of nationhood in key media texts. Informed by Foucault’s discourse theory, this research employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse 12 articles from the two newspapers. The findings confirm that the representations of nationhood in the two newspapers are influenced by their position within the socio-political context. The state-owned Chronicle legitimates the unitary state discourse advocated by ZANU PF. On the other hand, Newsday’s representations are informed by the discourses of the opposition political parties and civil society that challenge the dominant nation-building project. Thus, within this paper, secession and devolution emerge as alternative imaginaries that contest the authoritarian discourse of nationhood
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Ndlovu, Mphathisi
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Newspapers , Bulawayo , Matabeleland , Zimbabwe , Chronicle , Newsday , Secession , Devolution , Nationhood , Ndebele , Ethnic identity , Mthwakazi Liberation Front , Mthwakazi Liberation Front -- Zimbabwe , Mass media and nationalism -- Research -- Zimbabwe , Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) -- Newspapers , Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) -- History -- Autonomy and independence movements , Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) -- Social conditions , Zimbabwe -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3415 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001846
- Description: This study investigates the constructions of nationhood in two Bulawayo newspapers, the Chronicle and Newsday. Against the backdrop of the emergence of a secessionist movement, Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF), this research examines the discourses of nationhood in the secessionist debates raging in these two newspapers. This study is premised on a view that nationhood constructions cannot be understood outside the broader context in which these newspapers are embedded. Accordingly, it traces the roots and resurgence of Matabeleland separatist politics, exploring the political-historical forces that have shaped a distinctive Ndebele identity that poses a threat to the one, indivisible Zimbabwean national identity. Further, the study situates Matabeleland separatist politics within the broader African secessionist discourse challenging the post-colonial nation-building project on the continent. Informed by Hall’s (1992, 1996) constructivist approach to identity, it considers national identities as fragmented, multiple and constantly evolving. Thus, this study is framed within Hall’s (1997) constructivist approach to representation, as it examines the constructions of nationhood in and through language. The study uses qualitative research methods, as it examines the meanings of nationhood in key media texts. Informed by Foucault’s discourse theory, this research employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse 12 articles from the two newspapers. The findings confirm that the representations of nationhood in the two newspapers are influenced by their position within the socio-political context. The state-owned Chronicle legitimates the unitary state discourse advocated by ZANU PF. On the other hand, Newsday’s representations are informed by the discourses of the opposition political parties and civil society that challenge the dominant nation-building project. Thus, within this paper, secession and devolution emerge as alternative imaginaries that contest the authoritarian discourse of nationhood
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Understanding the perceived role of mobile media in relation to development in a South African rural area
- Authors: Chatikobo, Tatenda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems -- South Africa , Internet telephony -- South Africa , Mobile communication systems -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Internet telephony -- Social aspects --South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/95360 , vital:31148
- Description: This study explores the different perceptions of mobile media in relation to development within Dwesa, a marginalised rural community in South Africa. The proliferation of mobile phones and increasing access to the internet in Africa, and South Africa in particular, is extensively documented and attempts have been made to explore its impact on development. Drawing on adapted aspects of the Diffusion of innovation theory (DoI), the study seeks to understand the relative advantage, compatibility with needs and values, and observable benefits of using mobile media for a rural community. I provide a critical discussion of the concept of development and its relationship with digital technologies and innovation. I reflect on the Diffusion of innovation theory, highlighting its critiques, adaptations and modifications in studies, particularly in the Global South. The present study employs a qualitative methodology and relies on focus groups, semi-structured interviews and observation as methods of data collection. Participants were divided into three focus groups based on Rogers classification of innovativeness (early adopters, majority adopters and late/non-adopters) and I conducted two follow-up interviews with participants of each focus group. I analysed the data thematically. Research participants identified several areas where mobile media contributed to development and positive change, such as lowering the cost of access to information and communication, staying in touch with distant relatives, increasing access to services and providing entertainment, especially among young people. The participants noted that despite these positive changes, that mobile media on its own cannot be expected to address challenges of infrastructure and public service delivery. Research findings also revealed that mobile media might interfere with socio-cultural values of respect, human dignity and privacy. I conclude that, while mobile media is generally considered as beneficial, its critical role in improving the socio-economic conditions of people in Dwesa still remains in doubt. The study provides an opportunity to further investigate the compatibility of mobile media with socio-cultural values along the lines of age and gender, and address issues of digital skills and digital marginalisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Chatikobo, Tatenda
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems -- South Africa , Internet telephony -- South Africa , Mobile communication systems -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Internet telephony -- Social aspects --South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/95360 , vital:31148
- Description: This study explores the different perceptions of mobile media in relation to development within Dwesa, a marginalised rural community in South Africa. The proliferation of mobile phones and increasing access to the internet in Africa, and South Africa in particular, is extensively documented and attempts have been made to explore its impact on development. Drawing on adapted aspects of the Diffusion of innovation theory (DoI), the study seeks to understand the relative advantage, compatibility with needs and values, and observable benefits of using mobile media for a rural community. I provide a critical discussion of the concept of development and its relationship with digital technologies and innovation. I reflect on the Diffusion of innovation theory, highlighting its critiques, adaptations and modifications in studies, particularly in the Global South. The present study employs a qualitative methodology and relies on focus groups, semi-structured interviews and observation as methods of data collection. Participants were divided into three focus groups based on Rogers classification of innovativeness (early adopters, majority adopters and late/non-adopters) and I conducted two follow-up interviews with participants of each focus group. I analysed the data thematically. Research participants identified several areas where mobile media contributed to development and positive change, such as lowering the cost of access to information and communication, staying in touch with distant relatives, increasing access to services and providing entertainment, especially among young people. The participants noted that despite these positive changes, that mobile media on its own cannot be expected to address challenges of infrastructure and public service delivery. Research findings also revealed that mobile media might interfere with socio-cultural values of respect, human dignity and privacy. I conclude that, while mobile media is generally considered as beneficial, its critical role in improving the socio-economic conditions of people in Dwesa still remains in doubt. The study provides an opportunity to further investigate the compatibility of mobile media with socio-cultural values along the lines of age and gender, and address issues of digital skills and digital marginalisation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Zooming in: an ethnographic study of visual journalism for smartphones - journalistic roles and routines at South Africa’s largest graphics unit, Graphics24
- Authors: Gouws, Andries Jacobus
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Journalism -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Smartphones , Visual communication -- Digital techniques , News Web sites -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Information visualization , Graphic arts , Graphics24 , Netwerk24
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63154 , vital:28368
- Description: This study examines the changing roles of graphics journalists in the digital era at Graphics24, the largest information graphics newsroom in South Africa, in the context of their work for Netwerk24, an online news site published in Afrikaans with a strong focus on mobile-first news. The study examines the discursive construction of these new journalistic roles in the digital era where even the core conceptualisation of what journalism is, is being re-examined. It considers external factors affecting the discourse of change, drawing on a hierarchy of influences analytical model, as well as norms specific to the creation of information graphics. Data for this study was gathered by using ethnographic immersion and semi-structured interviews. This study specifically looks at graphics journalists working in a mobile-first environment, and how the pressures of producing information graphics for consumption on smartphones affects their roles. Evidence of two widely differing discourses in the Graphics24 and Netwerk24 newsrooms was found. Visual journalists in this study have created a discourse around being distinct “service providers”, rather than mobile-first journalists, who do not see the need for full integration in the fast-paced mobile news environment of Netwerk24. Word-centric journalists have, by contrast, created a mobile-first discourse. They experience the separateness of the graphics team as a barrier that impedes the creation of good information graphics for mobile phone consumption. Although this is a very localised study in a very particular context, this study contributes to broader thinking in what is a very under-researched field: The changing roles of visual journalists in the digital era and the discursive construction of these roles. The study suggests that even in the digital era where the definition of newsrooms has become much more fluid and less fixed physically, ethnographic methods can still offer a meaningful way to explore journalistic roles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Gouws, Andries Jacobus
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Journalism -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Smartphones , Visual communication -- Digital techniques , News Web sites -- South Africa , Online journalism -- South Africa , Information visualization , Graphic arts , Graphics24 , Netwerk24
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63154 , vital:28368
- Description: This study examines the changing roles of graphics journalists in the digital era at Graphics24, the largest information graphics newsroom in South Africa, in the context of their work for Netwerk24, an online news site published in Afrikaans with a strong focus on mobile-first news. The study examines the discursive construction of these new journalistic roles in the digital era where even the core conceptualisation of what journalism is, is being re-examined. It considers external factors affecting the discourse of change, drawing on a hierarchy of influences analytical model, as well as norms specific to the creation of information graphics. Data for this study was gathered by using ethnographic immersion and semi-structured interviews. This study specifically looks at graphics journalists working in a mobile-first environment, and how the pressures of producing information graphics for consumption on smartphones affects their roles. Evidence of two widely differing discourses in the Graphics24 and Netwerk24 newsrooms was found. Visual journalists in this study have created a discourse around being distinct “service providers”, rather than mobile-first journalists, who do not see the need for full integration in the fast-paced mobile news environment of Netwerk24. Word-centric journalists have, by contrast, created a mobile-first discourse. They experience the separateness of the graphics team as a barrier that impedes the creation of good information graphics for mobile phone consumption. Although this is a very localised study in a very particular context, this study contributes to broader thinking in what is a very under-researched field: The changing roles of visual journalists in the digital era and the discursive construction of these roles. The study suggests that even in the digital era where the definition of newsrooms has become much more fluid and less fixed physically, ethnographic methods can still offer a meaningful way to explore journalistic roles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
“Don’t forget to be awesome”: the role of social learning as a component of belonging in virtual communities: a case study of the Youtube fan community “Nerdfighteria”
- Authors: Steenkamp, Elri Colleen
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Nerdfighteria (Online) , Social learning , Online social networks , Belonging (Social psychology) , Communities of practice , YouTube (Firm)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63753 , vital:28484
- Description: The growth of the Internet has allowed fans who consume various media products, to interact and convene with other who share similar interests in online fan communities. Historically the study of fans has focused on pleasure and enjoyment as the main motivating factors why individual fans join, stay and participate in fan communities. This study, however, suggests that learning as a component of belonging has been underestimated within contemporary fan studies. Close examination of the literature of fan studies and the social practices of online fan communities reveal that these spaces may serve as fertile spaces for learning and the sharing of knowledge. Daily learning occurs within multiple spheres, including personal interests, peer culture, and academic content; all elements which can be found within fan communities. This study used the social learning theory “communities of practice” (CoP) model developed by Wenger (1998) to understand of this element of learning and knowledge sharing that seems to take places within fan communities. This study explores learning as a component of belonging to online fan communities by using the fan community of the YouTube personalities Vlogbrothers, which has named itself Nerdfighteria, as a case study. Through a qualitative research approach, which includes participation observation methods and qualitative interviews, this thesis has analysed the fan community Nerdfighteria, and used two Nerdfighter fan Facebook groups, the global NERDFIGHTEIRIA and local Nerdfighters South Africa, as case studies to evaluate whether the elements of learning taking place within these spaces serves as a motivating factor for belonging and participation. The results of this research support the idea that learning plays a role within the fan community Nerdfighteria and thus that it functions as a CoP. Fans within the global NERDFIGHTERIA Facebook group use this fan space to discuss and debate content related to their media of choice; thereby learning and acquiring knowledge as a CoP. The Nerdfighters South Africa Facebook group, despite the learning potential, fails to function as a CoP because it is no longer functionally allows for shared learning. Online fan communities, this research found, have the potential to serve as functioning communities of practice (CoP) only if they embody the characteristics and practicalities consistent with a learning space. Overall these fan groups may be categorised as communities of interests but sub-sections within these communities fit the criteria of a community of practice due to the kind of learning that is taking place. This research supports an alternative, yet promising, approach to the study of fan online communities which prioritises learning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Steenkamp, Elri Colleen
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Nerdfighteria (Online) , Social learning , Online social networks , Belonging (Social psychology) , Communities of practice , YouTube (Firm)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63753 , vital:28484
- Description: The growth of the Internet has allowed fans who consume various media products, to interact and convene with other who share similar interests in online fan communities. Historically the study of fans has focused on pleasure and enjoyment as the main motivating factors why individual fans join, stay and participate in fan communities. This study, however, suggests that learning as a component of belonging has been underestimated within contemporary fan studies. Close examination of the literature of fan studies and the social practices of online fan communities reveal that these spaces may serve as fertile spaces for learning and the sharing of knowledge. Daily learning occurs within multiple spheres, including personal interests, peer culture, and academic content; all elements which can be found within fan communities. This study used the social learning theory “communities of practice” (CoP) model developed by Wenger (1998) to understand of this element of learning and knowledge sharing that seems to take places within fan communities. This study explores learning as a component of belonging to online fan communities by using the fan community of the YouTube personalities Vlogbrothers, which has named itself Nerdfighteria, as a case study. Through a qualitative research approach, which includes participation observation methods and qualitative interviews, this thesis has analysed the fan community Nerdfighteria, and used two Nerdfighter fan Facebook groups, the global NERDFIGHTEIRIA and local Nerdfighters South Africa, as case studies to evaluate whether the elements of learning taking place within these spaces serves as a motivating factor for belonging and participation. The results of this research support the idea that learning plays a role within the fan community Nerdfighteria and thus that it functions as a CoP. Fans within the global NERDFIGHTERIA Facebook group use this fan space to discuss and debate content related to their media of choice; thereby learning and acquiring knowledge as a CoP. The Nerdfighters South Africa Facebook group, despite the learning potential, fails to function as a CoP because it is no longer functionally allows for shared learning. Online fan communities, this research found, have the potential to serve as functioning communities of practice (CoP) only if they embody the characteristics and practicalities consistent with a learning space. Overall these fan groups may be categorised as communities of interests but sub-sections within these communities fit the criteria of a community of practice due to the kind of learning that is taking place. This research supports an alternative, yet promising, approach to the study of fan online communities which prioritises learning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Exploring socialities on Black Twitter: an ethnographic study of everyday concerns of South African users in 2018 and 2019
- Authors: Adebayo, Binwe
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Twitter (Firm) , Social media South Africa , Social media and society South Africa , Black people and mass media South Africa , Language and the Internet South Africa , Mass media and culture South Africa , Race in mass media , Ethnicity in mass media , Mass media and minorities South Africa , Mass media Social aspects South Africa , Sex differences in mass media , Social media Political aspects South Africa , South Africa Social conditions , Finance In mass media , Intersectionality (Sociology) South Africa , Black Twitter
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140575 , vital:37900
- Description: In this thesis, I examine the phenomenon of Black Twitter, as it exists in South Africa. Drawing on its socio-cultural and linguistic elements, I analyse the kinds of socialities which are constituted on the platform. In the study, I do this by focusing on the key issues which drive the space by evaluating the key everyday concerns as expressed by its users. As such, the overarching lens focuses on three elements: Firstly, the idea of socialities and the way in which they manifest in online spaces; a focus on the everyday as an important site for social inquiry; and lastly the issue of ‘blackness’, in terms of the way it is used and understood in the South African Black Twitter context. Historically, the Black Twitter space has been linked almost exclusively to its broad base of African American users, who are significant both in terms of their numbers, and their impact on online social culture. However, in this study I engage with the ways in which Black Twitter has been adopted, co-opted and used by young South Africans. As a bona fide ‘member’ of South African Black Twitter, my approach to the study was cyberethnographic. Drawing on my access to the space, my knowledge of many of its members and dynamics, I engaged in participant observation as my primary methodology. My discussion focuses on three areas of everyday concerns, namely: gender and sexuality; race and politics; finances and the economy. These three areas emerge both as prominent sites of discussion, but also give the best insight into the ways in which young South Africans are grappling with these issues. My analysis focuses on how everyday concerns are handled on the platform, and I focus on the deployment of solidarity, formal language, platform-based language and the invocation of blackness. I argue in my conclusion that while the structure of the broad Black Twitter space reflects a leaning towards a digital public sphere, that the process and construction of Black Twitter’s ideas and content are approached via an incomplete, fluid convivial approach.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Adebayo, Binwe
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Twitter (Firm) , Social media South Africa , Social media and society South Africa , Black people and mass media South Africa , Language and the Internet South Africa , Mass media and culture South Africa , Race in mass media , Ethnicity in mass media , Mass media and minorities South Africa , Mass media Social aspects South Africa , Sex differences in mass media , Social media Political aspects South Africa , South Africa Social conditions , Finance In mass media , Intersectionality (Sociology) South Africa , Black Twitter
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140575 , vital:37900
- Description: In this thesis, I examine the phenomenon of Black Twitter, as it exists in South Africa. Drawing on its socio-cultural and linguistic elements, I analyse the kinds of socialities which are constituted on the platform. In the study, I do this by focusing on the key issues which drive the space by evaluating the key everyday concerns as expressed by its users. As such, the overarching lens focuses on three elements: Firstly, the idea of socialities and the way in which they manifest in online spaces; a focus on the everyday as an important site for social inquiry; and lastly the issue of ‘blackness’, in terms of the way it is used and understood in the South African Black Twitter context. Historically, the Black Twitter space has been linked almost exclusively to its broad base of African American users, who are significant both in terms of their numbers, and their impact on online social culture. However, in this study I engage with the ways in which Black Twitter has been adopted, co-opted and used by young South Africans. As a bona fide ‘member’ of South African Black Twitter, my approach to the study was cyberethnographic. Drawing on my access to the space, my knowledge of many of its members and dynamics, I engaged in participant observation as my primary methodology. My discussion focuses on three areas of everyday concerns, namely: gender and sexuality; race and politics; finances and the economy. These three areas emerge both as prominent sites of discussion, but also give the best insight into the ways in which young South Africans are grappling with these issues. My analysis focuses on how everyday concerns are handled on the platform, and I focus on the deployment of solidarity, formal language, platform-based language and the invocation of blackness. I argue in my conclusion that while the structure of the broad Black Twitter space reflects a leaning towards a digital public sphere, that the process and construction of Black Twitter’s ideas and content are approached via an incomplete, fluid convivial approach.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020