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Both Madagascar and South Africa go to the polls this week. They’re just two of the 20 African nations set to vote during 2024 and, as is the case elsewhere in the world, technology will play a key role in the elections. Maxwell Maseko explains the potential threats and benefits that digital technologies – like e-voting systems and social media – pose to democracy on the continent.
In the digital era, social media can be a site of bullying and discrimination. But a new study of openly queer TikTokkers in Zimbabwe reveals that the opposite is also true. Thanks to TikTok’s more engaged algorithm and to the frank, hilarious and brave LGBTIQ+ users on TikTok, Zimbabweans are showing that same-sex love is normal and healthy, even in a homophobic society. Princess Sibanda and Gibson Ncube discuss their research.
We’ve published various articles over the years which highlight the many uses of social media - from fighting crime to job searches. We’ve included some of these in this newsletter.
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Natasha Joseph
Commissioning Editor
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Maxwell Maseko, University of the Witwatersrand
Digital technologies can help more people to participate in building their countries’ democracies.
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Gibson Ncube, Stellenbosch University; Princess Sibanda, University of Fort Hare
These social media posts aren’t just for fun – they’re a way to fight back against discrimination and show the world that queer love is powerful and important.
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Martin N Ndlela, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
The system behind apps like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp isn’t neutral. It encodes political communication, influencing what users see.
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Stephen Mutie, Kenyatta University
TikTok has become an integral part of social media culture in Kenya, offering a space for creativity, entertainment and community interaction.
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Megan Knight, University of Hertfordshire
Whatever approach you take to managing your feeds, remain cautious and sceptical.
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Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi, University of Fort Hare; Liezel Cilliers, University of Fort Hare; Obrain Tinashe Murire, Walter Sisulu University
By building and maintaining a personal brand, young social media users can identify work opportunities.
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Deborah Fry, The University of Edinburgh
Our new report has produced the world’s first estimate of the scale of online child sexual exploitation.
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From our international editions
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Shutterstock/Namning
Deborah Fry, The University of Edinburgh
Our new report has produced the world’s first estimate of the scale of online child sexual exploitation.
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Hugh Breakey, Griffith University
Each side is righteously sensitive to any perceived hate speech from the other, but seems unwilling to limit their own punitive strategies or inflammatory language.
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Sukhbir Sandhu, University of South Australia
Whether we can recycle plastic or not depends on what it’s made of (because there are many different types of plastic), if it’s sufficiently clean and if enough people will buy recycled products.
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Narelle Yeo, University of Sydney
Walt Disney songwriter Richard M. Sherman, who has died aged 95, wrote some of Hollywood’s greatest film musical songs.
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