Social Media Communicative Action and the Interplay with National Security
The Case of Facebook and Political Participation in Zimbabwe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21245711 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simon Matingwina (0000-0002-9181-5744, Communication University of China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 48-68 |
| Publication date | 2018-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Journalism Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2374-3670 • E-ISSN: 2374-3689 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/23743670.2018.1463276 |
| OpenAlex | W2804512930 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 24 |
The use of social media in political participation in Zimbabwe became more visible after the much celebrated use of Facebook and Twitter in facilitating the “Arab Spring” as well as other similar uprisings. Resultantly, national security concerns have been raised based on the perceived potential of the new media to coordinate and mobilise users. Motivated by this potential conflict, this study uses Habermas’s theory of communicative action to understand how communicative power and national security laws relate in Zimbabwe. The study draws on content from This Flag’s Facebook page as well as a survey conducted with 124 students from Great Zimbabwe University. The study finds that protest is the most dominant issue discussed. However, the survey shows that the majority of the respondents were unwilling to engage in protests. On the interplay between content and national security, the majority of the content was not in conflict with national security regulations guiding political communication. What is significant to note is that the issues have a short lifespan which potentially renders the platform ineffective to influence policy. Further, the study argues that national security concerns on social media should be understood from the perspective of presence and not frequency of content conflicting with national security
Communicative action · Media studies · Political communication · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social media · Social science · Sociology · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Social Media and Politics
Youth Masculinities in Zimbabwe’s Congested Gerontocratic Political Space
A Multilevel Analysis of News and Communication Influences on Political Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa
Platform-driven dynamics
Dimensions of democracy and digital political activism on Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume Twitter accounts towards the July 31 st demonstrations in Zimbabwe
The Potential Role of Social Media in Peacebuilding in Zimbabwe
Social Media and Human Rights Activism
Mass Media, Politics and Democracy
Habermas and the public sphere
Mass Media, Politics and Democracy
Frankfurt School Perspectives on Globalization, Democracy, and the Law
Examining the contribution of social media in reinforcing political participation in Zimbabwe
Why states recover
Political gladiators’ on Facebook in Zimbabwe
The Electronic Commonwealth
Sociological Analysis
Social Media
Negotiating the New Media Platforms
Counter-Radicalization via the Internet
Social media and political communication
Cyber-Extremism
Between Facts and Norms
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,2 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |