ICT-facilitated accountability and engagement in health systems: a review of Making All Voices Count mHealth for accountability projects

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and mHealth innovations hold great potential to improve health systems and health outcomes while at the same time enhancing citizen engagement and accountability. Yet there has been little assessment of the impact of mHealth innovations on the ground. This paper reviews the experiences of seven mHealth initiatives funded by the Making All Voices Count programme. It discusses the accountability model adopted by each project, and the challenges they faced. The report concludes that there are limits to what technology can deliver in terms of augmenting citizen voice and enhancing accountability, particularly in the absence of other offline activities such as engaging citizens in meaningful ways and building good relationships with key government actors and departments. The initiatives discussed include: OurHealth, eThekwini WACs and Thuthuzela Voices (all in South Africa), Mobile Mapping for Women’s Health (Tanzania), Text2Speak (Nigeria), SMS Gateway (Indonesia), and Citizen Journalism for Quality Governance of Universal Health Insurance Scheme (also Indonesia).DFIDUSAIDSidaOmidyar Networ

Digital Agriculture Profile: South Africa

This Digital Agriculture Profile for South Africa leverages the expertise of stakeholders to evaluate the current landscape of digital agriculture in the country, including key players across the value chains, the main barriers they face, and the potential to overcome those barriers through the adoption of innovative technologies

Use of Mobile Phones for HIV Prevention and Testing Information Needs By Emerging Adult Male Population in Rural Kenya. A Qualitative Study

Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency disease syndrome (AIDS) among young people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a serious public health issue which needs urgent cost-effective interventions locally, regionally, and internationally. HIV and AIDS is currently the leading cause of death among young people in SSA, calling for strategic HIV prevention approaches applicable to emerging adults. While most studies have focused on young women, studies focusing on emerging male adults are lacking. The purpose of this dissertation study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the needs, barriers, and facilitators of using mobile phone to access HIV prevention and testing information by emerging male adults in rural Kenya.A qualitative descriptive study design was used. Sixty emerging male adults in rural Kenyan setting participated in the study. Thirty in-depth interviews and three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded using the software MAXQDA. Attention was focused on the readability, credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability, and thus, trustworthiness of the findings. The findings derived from interviews centered around two major themes major theme: (i) Needs of emerging male adults in HIV prevention; and (ii) facilitators and barriers to the use of mobile phones in HIV and other disease prevention by emerging adults in rural settings. The results outlined emerging male adults in the rural setting are faced with myriad of risk factors and challenges in accessing and utilizing HIV information and prevention services. Findings also showed that most of the emerging adults in rural settings own a smartphone and this mobile technology can be tapped as a cost-effective intervention in creating awareness in HIV prevention and testing among the young people. The study underscore that HIV is still the greatest threat among emerging adults in SSA and mobile health and they were receptive and acknowledge several benefits of use of mHealth technology for creating awareness about HIV prevention and testing, but they also described many barriers. The findings and recommendations of the dissertation study have a great potential to inform the public health policy and healthcare informatics on cost-effective use of mobile phones in HIV prevention not only to this age group but also to other age groups faced with similar challenges as we work to reach and sustain an AIDS-free generation

Biodiversity messaging to generation Y students at the Durban University of Technology, KwaZulu-Natal.

Doctor of Philosophy in Centre for Communication, Media and Society. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2016.This study deals with the intersection of three global influences that are rapidly changing our world; the first a looming environmental crisis or loss of biodiversity, the second the growing influence of a new generation of students (Generation Y) who possess the ability and power to reshape the socio political, economic and cultural landscape and finally the phenomenal power and penetration of multimedia communication platforms. Mindful of these global themes and context this particular research focuses on a relatively new area of study not yet covered in the literature, that of South African university students perceptions of nature. The study involved establishing the extent of the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of South African students (Generation Y) toward Nature, discovering how they connect with local biodiversity and determining the best communication modes for reaching this audience. The work posited that Generation Y students may be unfamiliar with the exact meaning and significance of the term biodiversity but could respond positively when exposed to nature based experiences at accessible botanic gardens, and protected urban green spaces. Student opinions (n= 428) at the Durban University of Technology were sampled statistically using an appropriate survey instrument. The resultant quantitative data revealed significant student levels of concern for biodiversity loss and a strong cultural bias in terms of personal linkages with medicinal plants. Visitor frequency to nature reserves was low however the use of botanic gardens proved more popular. Visual modes of communication such as television were preferred over text modalities and while the influence of multimedia electronic platforms was acknowledged the possible use of nature apps received a limited response. Qualitative data gathered from four focus groups involved guided discussion on the relevance of biodiversity, and local field visits to Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve and the Durban Botanic Gardens. Students produced response posters which revealed high levels of personal empathy and connection to nature, emphasizing existing cultural connections with local plants. A biodiversity communication model for South African university students was presented building on these findings

The role of a Facebook group in facilitating public participation, civic engagement and social capital: a case study of Willowfontain community in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Prior to democratization in 1994, South Africa was governed by laws and policies that limited public participation in policy processes and structures. However, the shift from apartheid to democracy in 1994 remained one of the most significant turning points in South African history. The introduction of participatory governance and democracy sought to establish and strengthen public participation amongst all races but especially disadvantaged communities, to participate in governance processes and structures to democratically empower all citizens to voice their opinions on issues affecting their livelihoods. However, post 1994 formal spaces for community participation have not produced the intended results amongst marginalized communities where service delivery remains significantly low. The introduction of social media networks such as Facebook in 2004 created a platform whereby people can engage with one another and post their views and matters that affect them with the hope that their matters can be resolved. The study examines the role of Facebook, specifically one Facebook community group in facilitating public participation, civic engagement, and social capital in the Willowfontein community located in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu - Natal. The study sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the role of the Facebook community group in the Willowfontein community? 2. Does the Willowfontein community Facebook group facilitate or constrain public participation, civic engagement and social capital? 3. What are the challenges faced by the Willowfontein Facebook group administrator? 4. How does the Willowfontein ward representative (councillor) engage with Willowfontein Facebook group members? This study adopted a mixed method approach which involves both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study also used the case study approach. The semi-structured interviews were employed with the key informants comprising one ward councilor from the Willowfontein community and one Facebook administrator from the Willowfontein community. The study also used an online survey questionnaire for the 32 online participants from the Willowfontein Facebook community group. The study analyzed the qualitative data gathered from the semi –structured interviews according to themes. The themes were derived from the literature review and the conceptual framework. The study also analyzed the quantitative data gathered from the survey questionnaires using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 6) and descriptive statistics. This study further analyzed the content of the posts that were shared in the Willowfontein Facebook Community Group between the years of 2017 and 2019. The posts were analysed according to themes of similar ideas that the researcher identified from the posts that were shared in the group. The study found that the Willowfontein Facebook group facilitates public participation, civic engagement, and social capital. However, this is to a limited extent as there are community members that don’t have smart phones to participate online. The study revealed that the older generation struggles with the new online platform and that hinders their online participation. Further, the study revealed that the Ward councilor is not part of the online group, and this could be limiting public participation. Moreover, the study revealed the challenges that the group administrator encounters such as members that spread fabricated news about others, group members who are insulting other group members and cause chaos and members who run scams on the group to scam other group members their money

Networked participatory cultures in Lusaka, Zambia: how teenagers experience social media and mobile phones.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Teenagers’ networked participatory culture is influenced by the way they interact, self-present themselves, establish and maintain friendships, and the way they coordinate their day to day lives. Livingstone and Third (2017) have argued that these have contributed to teenagers’ pervasive access and use of social media and mobile phones. This study adopted a qualitative approach and an interpretivist paradigm. It adopted Focus Group Discussions [FGDs]. The study sampled a population of teenagers aged 15 to 18 years drawn from six government funded secondary schools in Lusaka, Zambia. Analysis of the FGDs and in-depth interview data using thematic analysis showed that teenagers in Lusaka engage in networked participatory culture. Firstly, the findings reveal that teenagers’ engagement with networked participatory culture is closely linked to the concept of identity and self-representation. The study further reveals that engagement on social media and mobile phones contributes to identity construction through the process of creation of profiles, displaying networks composed of connections, displaying pictures, links, music preference and other personal information. Three key findings emerged from the data on networked participatory culture using mobile phones and social media. Firstly, teenagers consider ownership of smart phones as a key determinant of their participation. The participants reported that absolute ownership necessitated greater privacy and control over information and people they communicated with. Secondly, it was established that the smart phone’s primary purposes were for building social networks, content prosumption and for communication purposes. Thirdly, the study revealed that teenagers were motivated to access and use social media for variant reasons. These include self-expression, gaining freedom and independence to produce content, a need to satisfy an urge to gain popularity, to improve on their personal knowledge and skills, and to cultivate a sense of community belonging and networking in virtual communities. More broadly, the study makes an important contribution to literature as it relates to inter-nationalizing media and communication studies’ (Willems and Mano, 2017: 4; Mutsvairo, 2018; Thussu, 2009; Curran and Park, 2000; Wang, 2011) as well as internet studies and audience studies (Goggin and McLelland, 2009; Butsch and Livingstone, 2014). To be specific, the research makes a novel scholarly contribution to literature on the social and cultural issues influencing networked participatory culture amongst teenagers in Lusaka, Zambia.This thesis looks specifically at teenagers in Lusaka, Zambia

#Democracy : a case study of social media use amongst members of the public sphere during the 2014 South African general election.

Master of Arts in English, Media and Performance Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2016.At present social media is used by 28% of the world’s population. The use has naturally penetrated the political sphere where social media presence in election periods is a global growing phenomenon. However, limited research has been conducted examining political social media use in South Africa despite calls for social media research in developing contexts and the pervasiveness of social media use amongst the country’s netizens. In addressing this the dissertation defines the uses of social media during election periods and illustrates how social media was used during the 2014 South African general election. Finally, the study also determines whether social media contributed to the democracy of the country. The researcher used Jϋrgen Habermas’s theory of the public sphere as the theoretical underpinning of the study. An exploratory case study method was employed as the main research method with web archiving, a thematic analysis of Twitter trends and observation adopted as sub-methods. Research was limited to the most popular social media sites in the country: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Mxit. The findings demonstrate that social media was used by the country’s public, the traditional mass media, politicians and political parties, civil society actors and the IEC as part of their undertakings during the election period. The study also found that during the election period an online public sphere was realised in the country and, as a result, facilitated the creation of public opinion by creating communication channels between the electorate and other electoral actors. The dialogues that took place online showed signs of deliberation and was given consideration by the relevant authorities. Finally, the online public sphere regulated the state by enlightening them on public concerns and holding them accountable for their actions

Blogging : investigating the role played by blogs in contemporary South African journalism and the public sphere.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.This thesis seeks to investigate the role that blogs play in contemporary South African journalism through examining six blogs in the South African blogosphere and their content choices. This thesis draws on four key theoretical frameworks around which the research questions have been formulated: New Media and Journalism, Journalistic Blogging, Audiences and the Public Sphere. There are three key research questions: 1. What is the role played by blogging in contemporary South African journalism? 2. To what extent has the blogosphere become a Public Sphere? 3. How have blogs influenced/changed/impacted on the style and content of South African journalism? The qualitative data collected through blog observation, interviews with blog owner/ editors and concluded focus group discussions with blog readers, is designed to help reveal the role blogs and bloggers play in contemporary South African journalism, and through discussions with the audience and monitoring conversations online, help explore the possibilities of a public sphere. The conclusion of this thesis is that blogs do play a role in contemporary South African journalism and can serve as an effective public sphere. Defining what it means to be a journalist and recognising the differences between blogger and journalist is an issue that needs to be effectively understood before a conclusive agreement is to be reached in the blogger/journalist debate. However, for now the relationship between South African news agents and South African bloggers is promising

Science Communication in South Africa

"Why do we need to communicate science? Is science, with its highly specialised language and its arcane methods, too distant to be understood by the public? Is it really possible for citizens to participate meaningfully in scientific research projects and debate? Should scientists be mandated to engage with the public to facilitate better understanding of science? How can they best communicate their special knowledge to be intelligible? These and a plethora of related questions are being raised by researchers and politicians alike as they have become convinced that science and society need to draw nearer to one another. Once the persuasion took hold that science should open up to the public and these questions were raised, it became clear that coming up with satisfactory answers would be a complex challenge. The inaccessibility of scientific language and methods, due to ever increasing specialisation, is at the base of its very success. Thus, translating specialised knowledge to become understandable, interesting and relevant to various publics creates particular perils. This is exacerbated by the ongoing disruption of the public discourse through the digitisation of communication platforms. For example, the availability of medical knowledge on the internet and the immense opportunities to inform oneself about health risks via social media are undermined by the manipulable nature of this technology that does not allow its users to distinguish between credible content and misinformation. In countries around the world, scientists, policy-makers and the public have high hopes for science communication: that it may elevate its populations educationally, that it may raise the level of sound decision-making for people in their daily lives, and that it may contribute to innovation and economic well-being. This collection of current reflections gives an insight into the issues that have to be addressed by research to reach these noble goals, for South Africa and by South Africans in particular.