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…

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