Are South Africans really voiceless…technical(ly) speaking

 I’ve had a look at the latest internet penetration demographics and I was just wondering if South Africans are really voiceless. Or are there other factors hindering the development of technological infrastructure, and sidelining a number of voices from the media spectrum. Just a thought…

An empowering aspect of citizen journalism is that it provides a voice for the voiceless. Also true – thanks to technology, a growing number of ordinary citizens are now able to tell their stories. Initiatives such as reporter.co.za have certainly re-defined the media atmosphere in South Africa. Even masses of ordinary citizens, who usually hang in social networks, are now dubbed as digital citizens.

Still on technology, the latest statistics from Nielsen reveal that at least 3.8 million South Africans have access to the internet. That’s about what, 8 % of the 47 million population? This is a huge growth compared to what the numbers used to look like a couple of years ago. 

The figures also reveal that at least 61 % of the users  are working class found in the metropolitan cities; Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg. This leaves the rest of those with internet access scattered across the country.  

Since this is the case, it means that those residing in urban areas are at the forefront of citizen media, leaving the lingering number out from participating since they lack resources.

The surge of technology users that has been experienced in the last few years means that small communities and masses in urban areas can access information and participate in media, through blogging for instance.  Ordinary citizens are no longer relegated to the role of consumers of media only, but are now participating in media production which has provided diversity in content.

But such internet statistics paint an evident social divide, which translates to minority communities being overlooked at and questions the diversity of voices found in the media.

 

When I stumbled across these numbers, I imagined an isolated community in beautiful rural Eastern Cape or the Manyiseni village near the Swaziland border, which had stories to tell – but had no means to do so. Frankly speaking, infrastructural development and the thorny issue of funds to kick-start citizen media initiatives in grassroots areas remains a challenge in our country.

 

The Media Development and Diversity Agency and NGO’s such as SANGONeT have tried to tap into grassroots areas through the provision of grants and subsidies to individual media projects- to promote media development and diversity in these areas. Yet citizen media remains a privilege for the select few.

Government is often interrogated and blamed for taking a backseat when it comes to funding participatory media initiatives. But Gawd forbid, we expect handouts from the government each time we need to do something!

Really now! Our crumbling government has serious things to take care of politically speaking. Like shutting up Malema and disgracing T-bo touch aka Thabo Mbeki! It is the duty of us all who call ourselves citizens to also initiate change in our small communities.

Perhaps the task now is also to start urging the private sector to invest in journalism initiatives aimed at grassroots areas.

How about we lobby one of the three mobile network providers to spare a few millions and roll-out a programme that will see grassroots societies subsidized with mobile phones and free sms bundles.This way, they can send news items to citizen media forums. Of course, you would have to control this by making standard the numbers the phone can send smses to so that smses are not misused.

This is just still in thought, nothing on paper yet…

Dan Gillmor on citizen journalism

Dan Gillmor on citizen journalism and how community groups can facilitate citizen journalism.

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I have a word or two…

While working at a Grocott’s Mail, a local community newspaper in quiet Grahamstown recently, a gentleman once came to the office with a story he wanted us to cover. You see, a citizen dropping by with a story for coverage is a norm in the newsroom. For some odd reason I was smelling trouble with this one. But then again, I thought to myself let me be objective, fair and open-minded. I need a story after all.

Back to my gentleman. For the purposes of this blog, we’ll call him Never. Now Never had been complaining to his ward councilor about a heap of rubbish left in front of his house by his fellow neighbours. And the problem had persisted for a few years – three to be precise. 

“Grocott’s Mail is my last stop, because I’ve told my ward councilor several times about this to no vail. I want you to take this matter up with the premier, Mbulelo Sogoni. And also tell him (Sogoni) that I want to open a cop shop and run it in my neighborhood because crime is rife there,” he sighed. “By telling you all of this and even dragging the provincial head into our little community’s problems am I not asking for trouble,” he asked me. 

 

The look that followed in my face said it all. Perplexed, pitiful and helpless. Yes, helpless because I didn’t know what to say next to someone who wants me to fight his community battles and perplexed because honestly, I’m just a journalist. Nothing more and nothing less! To cut a very long tale short, for the next couple of days, I had to bare daily unannounced visits from Never who came to see my progress with the story and see if I had contacted the office of the premier to request his cop shop. I did write the story though, but calling the premier was just beyond what I could do.

 

You are probably asking yourself “Women, the the point you are trying to make here is?”

Well, I’m also trying to figure out if citizens cannot be given the chance to tell their own stories. A chance to tell issues that are of public interest to them, especially to their communities. Rubbish heap left opposite a house might not sound newsworthy to a mainstream journalist writing for a national audience, but it certainly bothers the disgruntled residents of the small community from Joza in Grahamstown.

 

The media, especially at local level- community newspapers and radios- should start being accessible to ordinary citizens so that they can use it to address issues that affect their communities. There’s a crowd out there using all forms of mediums accessible to distribute information that is relevant to them. And I’m afraid, it seems as though the mainstream media is not picking this up. Or is it just ignoring these trends?

Instead, the media should be offering resources where citizens can learn discover and participate in media within their small communities. Times have certainly changed. And how we tell our community stories as well as what we tell also needs to change….