For a nation to progress victims must ‘move on’: a case of Zimbabwe’s social media discourses of Gukurahundi genocide silencing and resistance

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-129
Author(s):  
Shepherd Mpofu
Author(s):  
Ryan Whibbs ◽  
Mark Holmes

This research presents the findings of a year long study, undertaken between 2016 and 2017, seeking to understand the degree to which students are influenced to attend culinary school by food medias, social media, and the Food Network. The notion that food medias draw the majority of new cooks to the industry is often present in popular media discourses, although no data exists seeking to understand this relationship. This study reveals that food medias play a secondary or tertiary role in influencing students to register at culinary school, while also showing previously unknown patterns related to culinary students’ intention to persist with culinary careers. Nearly 40 percent of this sample do not intend to remain cooking professionally for greater than five years, and about 30 percent are “keeping other doors open” upon entry into culinary school. Although food celebrity certainly plays a role in awareness about culinary careers, intrinsic career aspirations are the most frequently reported motivation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Perdana ◽  
Alastair Robb ◽  
Fiona Rohde

ABSTRACT Multiple discourses are critical in determining the success of information technology (IT) diffusion. Since its inception, such discourses also appear in the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) diffusion sphere. To help explain XBRL diffusion, we explore the discourses relative to XBRL in social media. A case study with text mining and content analysis was conducted to address three research questions covering community discourses, polarity of viewpoint, and learning surrounding XBRL in social media. Our sample data consisted of members' posts and comments in LinkedIn XBRL groups over the period 2010 to 2013. Our analysis finds that XBRL discourses in social media have largely revolved around the dissemination of XBRL information to raise awareness among potential adopters (i.e., theorization) and to properly implement XBRL (i.e., translation). Our findings indicate that XBRL's theorization is not in doubt, while XBRL's translation remains challenging. Professionals generally view XBRL positively. Those who view XBRL less favorably are more likely to be skeptical rather than dismissive. We also observe that social media like LinkedIn is a relevant channel for communities to learn about XBRL. We discuss the findings and include several insights and implications that may be useful in augmenting the future of XBRL.


Author(s):  
Qihao Ji

Through a content analysis on Chinese online dissidents' social media discourses, this study examines the impact of Internet censorship on Chinese dissidents' political discourse in two social media platforms: Weibo and Twitter. Data was collected during a time period when China's Internet censorship was tightened. Results revealed that Chinese online dissidents are more likely to post critical opinions and direct criticism towards the Chinese government on Twitter. In addition, dissidents on Twitter are more likely to engage in discussing with others, while Weibo dissidents tend to adopt linguistic skills more often to bypass censorship. No difference was found in terms of dissidents' civility and rationality across the two platforms. Implications and future research are discussed in detail.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-260
Author(s):  
Qian Huang ◽  
Rashid Gabdulhakov ◽  
Daniel Trottier

Connected by platforms and equipped with mobile recording devices, social media users are able to conduct near-constant mutual scrutiny. Such mediated scrutiny sometimes escalates to public denunciations online and even mediated or embodied interventions. A recurring theme of such scrutiny can be observed not only on Chinese social media but also on platforms in Russia and elsewhere, in which hostility is openly expressed towards people with nice cars (i.e. late model, luxury, foreign vehicles). In these cases, nice cars are not merely a fact provided by participants in their denunciations; they also serve as an implication of the privileges the owners might possess. By juxtaposing cases in China against other socio-political contexts, the research intends to achieve a better understanding of how and why nice cars are rendered meaningful by participants via mediated scrutiny on social media in China and beyond. The research collects and analyses relevant social media discourses on platforms including Sina Weibo (China), YouTube (Russia), and Facebook (United Kingdom; Australia; United States). Comparing and contrasting cases in different countries, the research demonstrates various forms of critical and populist sentiments that are shaped by unique socio-cultural and political contexts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yini Zhang ◽  
Dhavan Shah ◽  
Jordan Foley ◽  
Aman Abhishek ◽  
Josephine Lukito ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 601-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle O’Reilly ◽  
Nisha Dogra ◽  
Natasha Whiteman ◽  
Jason Hughes ◽  
Seyda Eruyar ◽  
...  

Despite growing evidence of the effects of social media on the mental health of adolescents, there is still a dearth of empirical research into how adolescents themselves perceive social media, especially as knowledge resource, or how they draw upon the wider social and media discourses to express a viewpoint. Accordingly, this article contributes to this scarce literature. Six focus groups took place over 3 months with 54 adolescents aged 11–18 years, recruited from schools in Leicester and London (UK). Thematic analysis suggested that adolescents perceived social media as a threat to mental wellbeing and three themes were identified: (1) it was believed to cause mood and anxiety disorders for some adolescents, (2) it was viewed as a platform for cyberbullying and (3) the use of social media itself was often framed as a kind of ‘addiction’. Future research should focus on targeting and utilising social media for promoting mental wellbeing among adolescents and educating youth to manage the possible deleterious effects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariza Georgalou

Abstract The phenomenon of brain drain migration from Greece, also known as Greek neomigration, has acquired an astoundingly massive character due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country. Considering that a migrant’s identity is defined by a physical move from one place to another, this paper aims at exploring the discourse practices of place-making by Greek neomigrants, focusing on the role of social media in this endeavour. Drawing on discourse analysis (Myers 2010; Aguirre and Graham Davies 2015), identity construction theories (Blommaert 2005; Benwell and Stokoe 2006), environmental psychology (Proshansky, Fabian and Kaminoff 1983) and discourse-centred online ethnography (Androutsopoulos 2008), this study presents and discusses empirical data from a Greek neomigrant settled in the UK, who writes about his migration experience on his blog as well as on his Twitter and Facebook accounts. The analysis demonstrates that the Greek neomigrant place identity construction can be realized through a complex of linguistic and discourse strategies, including comparison and evaluation, construction of in-groups and out-groups, language and script alternations, entextualisation of other voices, and visual connotations. It is shown that, for migrants, social media constitute significant outlets for place-making, constructing place identity and asserting (or eschewing) belonging. In so doing, it also brings to the surface crucial social, cultural and psychological aspects of the current Greek neomigration phenomenon and confirms the potential of social media discourses to heighten awareness of neomigrants’ dis/integrating processes, placing discourse analysis at the service of global mobility phenomena.


Author(s):  
Qihao Ji

Through a content analysis on Chinese online dissidents' social media discourses, this study examines the impact of Internet censorship on Chinese dissidents' political discourse in two social media platforms: Weibo and Twitter. Data was collected during a time period when China's Internet censorship was tightened. Results revealed that Chinese online dissidents are more likely to post critical opinions and direct criticism towards the Chinese government on Twitter. In addition, dissidents on Twitter are more likely to engage in discussing with others, while Weibo dissidents tend to adopt linguistic skills more often to bypass censorship. No difference was found in terms of dissidents' civility and rationality across the two platforms. Implications and future research are discussed in detail.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Ryle ◽  
Jope Tarai

This article explores discourses and debates on secularism, religion, and politics in social media in connection with the 2018 Fiji general election campaign, and in interviews with leading figures in churches and religious organisations. It discusses how people responded to these issues. It shows that there is still a pervasive lack of clarity in the Fijian population as to what the terms Christian state, secular state, secularism, and secularisation mean, how people understand, discuss, and debate them, and how this lack of clarity was used politically during the campaign.


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