Social Media as Alternative Public Sphere for Citizen Participation and Protest in National Politics in Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
pp. 17-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collen Sabao ◽  
Tendai Owen Chikara
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Politics ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Impact

The chapter examines and discusses the role and communicative potential of social media based platforms in citizen political participation and protests in Zimbabwe specifically focusing on the #thisflag movement on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. #thisflag is a social media-based platform that rose to challenge the Zimbabwean government over the political and economic decay as well as rampant corruption characterising the country contemporarily. While a new phenomenon to Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean politics, the impact and communicative potential of social media as an alternative public sphere was recently tested in nationwide protest stayaway organised through the Facebook and Twitter movement under the #thisflag handle/brand. This chapter discusses the manners in which such social media platforms impact national politics in Zimbabwe as well as globally, specifically looking at the #thisflag movement as a case study.

Social Media as Alternative Public Sphere for Citizen Participation and Protest in National Politics in Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
pp. 772-786
Author(s):  
Collen Sabao ◽  
Tendai Owen Chikara
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Politics ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Impact

The chapter examines and discusses the role and communicative potential of social media based platforms in citizen political participation and protests in Zimbabwe specifically focusing on the #thisflag movement on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. #thisflag is a social media-based platform that rose to challenge the Zimbabwean government over the political and economic decay as well as rampant corruption characterising the country contemporarily. While a new phenomenon to Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean politics, the impact and communicative potential of social media as an alternative public sphere was recently tested in nationwide protest stayaway organised through the Facebook and Twitter movement under the #thisflag handle/brand. This chapter discusses the manners in which such social media platforms impact national politics in Zimbabwe as well as globally, specifically looking at the #thisflag movement as a case study.

scholarly journals WHATSAPP DAN PEMILIH PEMULA DI KOTA MEDAN: Partisipasi Politik Era Demokrasi Digital pada Pemilihan Gubernur Provinsi Sumatera Utara 2018

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Erond Litno Damanik
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
The Political ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Politics Of Identity ◽  
The Right

This article discusses the political participation of new voters of WhatsApp users in the city of Medan in the governor election of Sumatra Province in 2018. The purpose of the study was to find out about the understanding of democracy and the level of political participation of new voters who use WhatsApp social media as a political discussion. Beginner voters are defined as community members who have the right to vote, aged 17-21 years or have/have been married and registered as a Permanent Voter List. In order to approach the research problem, this study uses the theory of public sphere and contagion. Public sphere is a digital space where critical, rational and objective discussion is transmitted to others. The problem in this study focused on how political participation of new voters who use WhatsApp in city of Medan in North Sumatra gubernatorial election 2018?. Can WhatsApp social media be considered a public sphere in the digital age? The results of the study show that the political participation of new voters of WhatsApp users has increased significantly but the understanding of democracy is co-opted in the politics of identity. Digital democracy is castrated by politics of identity because of the social situation, family environment, relatives and peers, the influence of the pulpit and the religious scriptures and ethnic communities. Then, WhatsApp social media is not a public sphere but 'mono sphere' or 'solo sphere' which is privatized as a limited discussion room with family, relatives, peers, friends of religion and ethnic friends.

The Rise of a Networked Public Sphere

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Debashis ‘Deb' Aikat
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Contemporary Media ◽  
Cultural Origins ◽  
Networked Public Sphere

The world's largest democracy with a population of over 1.27 billion people, India is home to a burgeoning media landscape that encompasses a motley mix of traditional and contemporary media. Drawing from the theoretical framework of the networked public sphere, this extensive case study focuses on the role of social media in India's media landscape. Results indicate that new social media entities complement traditional media forms to inform, educate, connect, and entertain people from diverse social, ethnic, religious, and cultural origins. The author concludes that social media enable Indian citizens to actively deliberate issues and ideas, increase their civic engagement and citizen participation, and thus enrich India's democratic society.

Sport, Twitter Hashtags, and the Public Sphere: A Qualitative Test of the Phenomenon Through a Curt Schilling Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-400
Author(s):  
Brendan O’Hallarn ◽  
Stephen L. Shapiro ◽  
Marion E. Hambrick ◽  
D.E. Wittkower ◽  
Lynn Ridinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Recent Criticism ◽  
Negative Behaviors ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Qualitative Test ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
The Ideal

Popular social media platforms have faced recent criticism because of the tendency for users to exhibit strongly negative behaviors, threatening the open, prodemocratic discourse that proponents believe was made possible when social media sites first gained widespread adoption a decade ago. A conceptual model suggests that the microblogging site Twitter, and especially sport-themed debate through hashtags, can still realize these ideals. Analyzing a dataset of tweets about the firing of former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling by ESPN on April 20, 2016, as well as a qualitative questionnaire given to the users of the hashtag, this study attempted to ascertain how closely the discourse comes to realizing the ideal of the Habermasian public sphere. The findings demonstrate that although users draw value from participation in the discussion, they are less inclined to desire interaction with other hashtag users, particularly those who disagree with them. This suggests that Twitter hashtags provide an open forum that approaches the participatory requirement of the public sphere, but the lack of back-and-forth engagement suggests the medium is not ideal for the generation of deliberative public opinion.

Does Religious Attendance Increase Immigrant Political Participation?: A Case Study in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 440-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
The Political ◽  
Electoral Participation ◽  
Election Study ◽  
Political Resources ◽  
Universal Applicability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe relationship between religion and immigrant political participation has not been rigorously investigated in the literature set in Australia. In this study, I test whether religious attendance influences electoral and non-electoral participation among immigrants. Drawing on data from the 2013 Australian Election Study, I demonstrate that the impact of religious attendance on political participation may be overstated. I find that religious attendance is not significantly related to electoral and non-electoral participation among immigrants in Australia. This result may relate to three factors: the ability of religious attendance to affect immigrants’ key political resources; competition between religious and secular organizations; and the political salience of particular religious denominations within the Australian context. This study does not provide the much sought-after empirical confirmation to associational theories of political participation, but instead sounds a note of caution about the universal applicability of such theories.

scholarly journals Voices of conflict, reconciliation, and transnational belonging : interrogating the events at the II roundtable discussions for Salvadorans in Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise I-fen Chung Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
The Political ◽  
Strong Indicator ◽  
Conflict Reconciliation ◽  
The Impact

This Major Research Paper is a case study examining an act of civil disobedience at a Salvadoran community event which occurred in 2007 to explore the political participation, transnationlism and a sense of belonging for Salvadorans in Canada. Interviews were done with participants who attended the event as well as members of the community not present. The questions explored are: 1. Is political engagement a strong indicator of social relations within the community? 2. What do these social relations mean for the political participation of Salvadorans and how do these intersections affect their sense of belonging? and; 3. Do these dynamics affect a sense of identity for Salvadoran in Canada? Research data emphasized an understanding of politics as "party politics" among participants, embedded with socio-economic hierarchies which are transferred through generations. Other concepts emerging from the data highlight the political socialization of Salvadorans and the impact of the civil war.

scholarly journals Voices of conflict, reconciliation, and transnational belonging : interrogating the events at the II roundtable discussions for Salvadorans in Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise I-fen Chung Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
The Political ◽  
Strong Indicator ◽  
Conflict Reconciliation ◽  
The Impact

This Major Research Paper is a case study examining an act of civil disobedience at a Salvadoran community event which occurred in 2007 to explore the political participation, transnationlism and a sense of belonging for Salvadorans in Canada. Interviews were done with participants who attended the event as well as members of the community not present. The questions explored are: 1. Is political engagement a strong indicator of social relations within the community? 2. What do these social relations mean for the political participation of Salvadorans and how do these intersections affect their sense of belonging? and; 3. Do these dynamics affect a sense of identity for Salvadoran in Canada? Research data emphasized an understanding of politics as "party politics" among participants, embedded with socio-economic hierarchies which are transferred through generations. Other concepts emerging from the data highlight the political socialization of Salvadorans and the impact of the civil war.

scholarly journals The Impact of Uncertainty Money Growth on the Economic Growth of South Asian Countries during 2004-2016

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-42
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
Political Action ◽  
The Political ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Political culture, as a part of public culture and a group of beliefs, virtues, norms and approaches with views to the political area, is one of the basic issues which has been paid attention and the subject of many researches, especially since the second half of the 20th century. The topic of this article is studying Afghanistan political culture as well as answering the question of which impacts it has had on Afghanistan political participation during the after-2001 years. Also, in this research, by using an analytic-descriptive method, at first, the definition of political culture and its features in Afghanistan are presented and then, the occurred changes in the indexes of Afghanistan political coopetation in the recent decades are studied too. Political culture, as the system of empirical beliefs, symbols, virtues and the norms, which are regarded as the foundation of political action and the political behaviours of the public people, parties and the government officials is one of the basic issues which has been considered and studied by many experts of politucal area for the recent era. The continuity and strength of any any kinds of cooperations depends on the society political culture origin as it is a very important factor for defining the political social identity of the public members and determining their views, virtues and norms toward politics and authority. Moreover, in this study, at first,the level of changes in the last-two-decade political culture of Afghanistan society is discussed and then its impact on political participation is analysed through explaining the tie between beliefs and behaviours as well as a case study over the political cooperarion increase.

scholarly journals The role of social media in promoting political participation: The Lebanon experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saud ◽  
Dima Bassam El Hariri ◽  
Asia Ashfaq
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Political Knowledge ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Talk ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Political Sector ◽  
Expression Rate

Social media, as part of the political experience, is an emerging trend in the sociology of youths and politics. The present study aimed to investigate the dynamic role of social media in the context of promoting political participation in Lebanese society. A quantitative survey method was used to collect the data from the field, and a total number of 260 questionnaires were filled in throughout the study. The study suggests that people are openly sharing their political opinions on social media platforms and that their expression rate in terms of sharing and learning political knowledge is increasing.  The majority of respondents are using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for political purposes. The creation of social media has brought about an innovative advancement when it comes to individuals participating freely for political reasoning. Additionally, with exciting features and the freedom to share videos, pictures, and status updates, social media applications increasingly allow them to participate in political discussions. Where social media is providing opportunities for the public to participate in politics, electronic media is also facilitating a generation in terms of them gaining political knowledge from political talk shows. Social media’s appropriateness for spreading something broad has triggered a contagious phenomenon that allows every notice polled to be accessed by everyone. It is possible to conclude that social media is suitable for use as an online political platform, and it provides an opportunity for the respondents to participate in the political sector of their country.

scholarly journals Pop Culture, Twitter, and Study Abroad: Estonia as a Case Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (01) ◽  
pp. 204-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
The Political ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Lead Study

AbstractThis article highlights a number of different pedagogical practices that can be used with study abroad programs, both classroom methods and out-of-class techniques. In this particular class—which focused on Estonia's Singing Revolution and included a 10-day trip abroad to Estonia—social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr were frequently used to create collaboration among students. In addition, Estonian music and pop culture were studied, giving students a unique insight into a culture very foreign from their own. Although Estonia was the focus of this particular class, the results of these methods are generalizable to help others who lead study abroad programs and develop creative ways to foster interaction. This article also demonstrates why social media platforms are helpful to political scientists and the political science discipline more generally.

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