We limped out of the pandemic, shell-shocked and bamboozled, into a world that is overwhelming us with the ferocious velocity and volume of change that unfolds with every minute and hour of the present. We can be forgiven for getting lost in the noise of it all. Read full article
Camaren Peter argues we are seeing an emergence of both left- and right-wing populism in the South African political spectrum, with both the governing party and the opposition pandering to political narratives and superficial conspiracism that would until recently have been relegated to the dustbin of ideas. Read full article
The report mainly focuses on social media and the role it plays in xenophobic attacks. A recent report released by the Centre of Analytics and Behavioural Change has highlighted how prominent xenophobia has been on social media. Read full article
Research has found that the online anti-foreigner conversation continues to flourish, with proponents citing a number of South Africa’s socio-economic challenges, including unemployment, crime and service delivery, as reasons why foreign nationals should leave. Read full article
The consensus in the online conversation remains that foreigners are one of, if not the main reason, South Africa is in the state it is currently in. Read full article
We are all complicit — whether by fault or default — in the widescale collapse that is unfolding in South Africa today. It is our responsibility to engage in the political realm and actively shape the politics we want. In a functioning democracy, the citizenry can hold power to account. Read full article
On Monday, 31 October, at 8.30am, the 18th African Investigative Journalism Conference kicked off in Johannesburg and will run until Wednesday, 2 November. Read more.
Should advertisers be allowed to manipulate social media algorithms to get content to trend? Yossabel Chetty examines the ethics around a recent iThuba campaign that paid collaborators to tweet but didn’t tell anyone. Read full article here.
The CABC investigation analysed patterns of online engagements on social media platforms between June 1, 2022 and September 15, 2022. The report found that some of the Twitter accounts involved were also encountered by the CABC when investigating the July 2021 unrest. This “network”, the organisation said, is focused on manufacturing online dissent as well as …
Online discussions over Phala Phala theft were manipulated, report finds. Read More »
The Phala Phala saga has remained prominent on social media for several months. The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change analysed the content and patterns which reveal that powerful factional agendas are active online. Read full story here.
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