Discursive Communities, Protest, Xenophobia, and Looting in South Africa: A Social Network Analysis

Mathe, Limukani; Motsaathebe, Gilbert

doi:10.1080/02500167.2022.2083204

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Social media are viewed as digital public spheres that enable citizens to converge, deliberate, and share content. Citizens engage in political discussions through sites such as social platforms, commentary forums (Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Tiktok), blogs and other (Mathe, 2023; Mathe & Motsaathebe, 2022; Scheufele & Nisbet, 2002). Discursive communities are formed on digital public spheres as electronic town meetings accessed through digital technologies (Mathe & Caldwell, 2017; Mathe, 2017; Scheufele & Nisbet, 2002).…”

Section: Digital Public Spherementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A fewer people exposed to echo chambers may receive biased information or misinformation and fake news making them feel a “false sense of empowerment” (Papacharissi, 2002, p. 16). By so doing, digital public spheres such as social media become prone to all kinds of online participation such as misinformation, fake news, and even conspiracy theories especially during a social or health crisis (Enders et al, 2023; Jamieson & Albarracín, 2020; Mathe & Motsaathebe, 2022).…”

Section: Digital Public Spherementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The scholarly debate is whether online deliberations exert political changes or just make the netizens feel good or active for challenging or ridiculing governments. Some studies have shown that most of the online participation make media users feel good (Hindman, 2009;Shulman, 2009); while others argue that social media has had less impact in despotic contexts (Mathe & Motsaathebe, 2022;Mathe, 2023;Mutsvairo & Karam, 2018). Contributing to this debate, we use the theory of digital public sphere to analyze tweets in health crisis within the non-democratic context of Zimbabwe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Play on Twitter During Health Crisis in Non-Democratic Context: Gratification or Dissent?

Mathe,

Motsaathebe

2024

Social Media + Society

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There is scholarly debate on whether digital political participation influence decision-making or merely make citizens feel good. Using digital public sphere theory and play, this article explores political participation on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. The study applies a qualitative content analysis on tweets as it answers questions: does perspective by media users in a health crisis exert political change and in what way does play on digital spheres induce participation for gratification purposes? The findings of the study reflect the use of conspiratorial satire, hyperbole, and propaganda in the COVID-19 pandemic as media users laugh at poor health infrastructure, corruption and authoritarianism. We argue that netizens’ political participation on social media is somehow overrated for it has not generated meaningful change in non-democratic context but gives the media user, a sense of gratification for scoffing at the ruling regime.

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