An embracing Africanism:

"African journalism" is a composite term, each element of which is problematic, and is open to differing interpretations. I'll deal with each in turn. An identity of any sort is always relational. Thus "Africa" and things "African" have meaning in relation to what is non-African - usually European or American

You can’t be serious:

As well as pandering to the lowest common denominator and simplifying complex issues, tabloids are also condemned for generally failing to provide information that citizens need in order to make informed political judgements - the latter being the raison d'etre of serious newspapers. In summary, tabloids "lower the standards of public discourse" (Ornerbring and Jonson, 2004: 283)

Submission to Press Freedom Commission (PFC) on Media Self-regulation, Co-regulation or Statutory regulation in South Africa:

Prof Duncan has outlined the relative merits and demerits of self-regulation, co-regulation and deregulation, with which we are in broad agreement. She has also ably dealt with the three functions of regulatory bodies, namely the setting of ground rules for the industry to ensure best practice; enforcement of these; and adjudication of claims and counter claims re journalistic practice (Duncan 2012, p17). Finally, she has also taken up the issue of the necessity of accepting Third Party Complaints as one of the fundamental mechanisms by which citizens can make complaints on the basis of principle, rather than being personally aggrieved. While we are in broad agreement with her on these issues, we would like to highlight some further points for consideration

A baseline study of youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa:

The project on youth identity, the media and the public sphere in South Africa was led by Prof Jane Duncan, Highway Africa Chair of Media and Information Society, at Rhodes University in South Africa. The research project was funded by the South Africa Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD), and partnered in the Netherlands with Prof Irene Costera Meijer (of VU University of Amsterdam) and Prof Nico Drok (of Windesheim University)

Biography, Media Consumption, And Identity Formation

This paper proposes that the biographical or narrative interview is an important method in exploring the relationship of media consumption to identity formation. The paper takes issue with those theorists who place media consumption at the centre of identity formation processes. Rather, in line with the work of British social theorist John Tomlinson, the paper argues the need to see the relationship between media and culture, in the process of identity formation, as an interplay of mediations between cultureas-lived-experienced and culture-as-representation. On the one hand we have the media, representing the dominant representational aspect of modern culture while on the other we have the lived experience of culture which includes the discursive interaction of families and friends and the ‘material-existential’ experiences of routine life. Our media consumption choices and the meanings we take from the media are shaped by these lived cultural experiences while the media we consume also impacts on how we make sense of these experiences. The paper argues that the narrative or biographical interview is a useful way to explore this interplay of mediations in the process of identity formation

Where the global meets the local : South African youth and their experience of global media

Within the context of debates concerning the impact of global media on local youth, this study explores how a sample of South African youth responds to texts which were produced internationally, but distributed locally. Recognising the profound rootedness of media consumption in everyday life, the research examines the way these youth, differentially embedded in the South African economic and ideological formation, use these texts as part of their ongoing attempts to make sense of their lives. The study rejects the 'either/or' formulations that often accompany competing structuralist and culturalist approaches to text/audience relationships. Instead, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, it seeks to highlight the interplay between agency and structure, between individual choice and the structuring of experience by wider social and historical factors. The findings of the study point to the complex individual and social reasons that lie behind media consumption choices, and the diverse (and socially patterned) reasons why local audiences are either attracted to, or reject, global media. These and other findings, the study argues, highlight the deficiencies of the media imperialism thesis with its definitive claims for cultural homogenisation, seen as the primary, or most politically significant, effect of the globalisation of media. As such, this study should be read as a dialogue with those schools of thought that take a more unequivocal point of view on the impact of globalised media culture

Exploring patterns of Facebook usage, social capital, loneliness and well-being among a diverse South African student sample:

There has been much debate over whether the use of social network sites isolate people and truncate their relationships or alternatively, provide beneficial connections with others. This debate has been framed by a growing international literature which explores the triadic relationship between the intensity of use of Facebook to the maintenance of social capital and in turn the relationship between social capital and wellbeing and loneliness. A random list of 1168 Rhodes University students was drawn from the total student body and invited to participate in an online survey. In total, 491 students completed the survey (42% response rate). Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrate that intensity of Facebook usage adds a very small contribution to social capital, is very weakly associated with loneliness, and is not associated with wellbeing. Results contrast with international studies that fail to recognise the extent to which race and class cleavages impact on access to and use of social media

Thinking about South African tabloid newspapers:

A popular view of tabloids is that they pander to the lowest common denominator of public taste, they simplify complex issues, and they generally fail to provide information that citizens need in order to make informed political judgments - the latter being the raison d’etre of serious newspapers. In summary, tabloids “lower the standards of public discourse” (Ornerbring and Jonson, 2004:283)

Media and Mobile Phones in a South African Rural Area: A Baseline Study

In South Africa, access to information remains unequal and often hampered by language barriers, poor infrastructure and endemic poverty, particularly among members of rural and peri-urban communities. The government recognises the potential of media and information and communication technology (ICT) to promote socio-economic development and social cohesion. In this paper we discuss the findings of a survey on media and ICT (particularly mobile phones) in a rural community. The area is the site of a number of interventions and research projects by a nearby university. Our study provides a baseline to measure their impact and identify future trends. Data from 300 households was collected through a set of open-ended, as well as closed, questions. Language emerged as an important factor in media consumption. Broadcast media were more common than print and people showed a preference for news, followed by entertainment. While computers were virtually non-existent, mobile phones were omnipresent and most respondents could be considered experienced users. Although the costs associated with mobile phones were key concerns, most households had access to at least one phone with advanced features such as internet connectivity. Different activities performed on mobile phones reflected different gender and generational roles. Our work indicates that further research is needed on quality and frequency of media consumption as well as a more detailed study of mobile phone use. Research along the age and gender dimensions promises to yield interesting results. A qualitative approach is best suited for such in-depth investigation

The African reception of global media:

This chapter engages debates concerning the impact of global media on local youth audiences in Africa. Recognizing the profound rootedness of media consumption in everyday life, the chapter specifically examines the way selected South African youth audiences, differentially embedded in their particular economic and ideological formations, use local and global media texts as part of their ongoing attempts to make sense of their lives