Evaluating the power of social media influencing mainstream media social representations of migrants in South African townships

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Authors

Sitto‑Kaunda, Karabo

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer

Abstract

The relationship between mainstream media and social media for news reporting is a complex one. Mainstream media news is relied on as a source of information on key social issues, carrying and reproducing the social representations of a society. South African townships have been reported as a hotbed of anti-migrant unrest, with the growing reliance on the communities’ lens through their social media representations shared online often considered by mainstream media as authentic sources of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Townships are spaces of contestation for belonging and despite the diversity of those communities, there remains stigmatizing social representation between migrants and citizens, with communities attributing social ills to migrants. This study analyses how social media has influenced the reproduction of social representations in mainstream media of anti-migrant township unrest. Through a qualitative exploratory approach, mainstream news articles were analyzed for how social representations from social media are reproduced in mainstream media reporting. Social media representations reproduced in mainstream media reporting may risk perpetuating communication risks of othering, affect social cohesion in those communities, and fuelling mistrust among citizens and migrants living in South African township communities.

Description

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: The author confirms that all data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article, under the methodology section.

Keywords

Social representations, South African townships, Social media, Mainstream media, Electronic word-ofmouth (eWOM), African migrants, Immigrants, SDG-10: Reduced inequalities, SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG-10:Reduces inequalities
SDG-16:Peace,justice and strong institutions

Citation

Sitto-Kaunda, K. Evaluating the power of social media influencing mainstream media social representations of migrants in South African townships. Discover Global Society 2, 32 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00060-w.