6 - Ambivalence and Activism: Netizens, Social Transformation and African Virtual Publics
Corresponding Author(s) : Yunusa Z. Ya’u
Africa Development,
Vol. 37 No. 1 (2012): Africa Development: Special Issue onThe African Public Sphere:Concepts, Histories, Voices and Processes
Abstract
Despite the fact that Africa is the least connected continent on the internet, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is becoming pervasive and deeply embedded in social and political relations. They are impacting on the way citizens live their lives and relate to both the state and other actors in the society. In this process, some citizens are becoming ‘netizens’. Cyber networking, which has been facilitated by access to ICTs, has given rise to a public sphere that is virtual. This paper explores some of the key issues relating to the development of ICTs in Africa and the social and political processes they have spawned in their wake. It is argued that while the virtual public is not unique to Africa, its manifestations, organisational modes, and concerns in Africa are informed by African conditions, both in terms of the specific issues addressed and the wider context of technological deficit that the continent faces.
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- MacFarlene, A., 1993, ‘New News and Old: Revising the Literature’ in Caejac Journal, Vol. 5, 1993, the Commonwealth Association for Education in Journalism and Communication, Ontario, Canada, pp. 5-20.
- O’Neill, Kelly, 1999, Internetworking for Social Change: Keeping the Spotlight on Corporate Responsibility, UNRISD Discussion Paper DP111, Geneva: UNRISD.
- Obadare, Ebenezer, 2004, ‘The Great GSM (cell phone) Boycott: Civil Society, Big Business and the State in Nigeria’, Dark Roast Occasional Paper Series, Isandla Institute.
- Patelis, Korinna, 2000, ‘The Political Economy of the Internet’, in Media Organizations in Society, ed, London: James Curran, Arnold, pp. 84-106
- Sesan, G., ed, 2005, Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society, Lagos: Paradigm Initiative.
- Shachtman, N, 2002, ‘Econ Forum Site Goes Down’, Wired, http://www.wired.com/news/politics/text_file.asp?pick=72
- Stevenson, Nick, 1999, The Transformation of the Media: Globalization, Morality and Ethics, London: Longman.
- Stone, B and M. Helft, 2009, ‘In Developing Countries, Web Grows without Profit’, www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/technology/startups/27global.html?_r=1 Wasserman, Herman, 2005, ‘Connecting African Activism with Global Networks: ICTs and the South African Social Movements’, Africa Development, Vol. XXX, Nos. 1 and 2, pp 163-182.
- Witse, E., (Globalization, Fandom, and ‘Cyber-Solidarity’) in O'Brien, S. and I. Szeman, eds, 2003, Content Providers of the World Unite! The Cultural Politics of Globalization, Working Paper Series, May.
- Ya’u, Y.Z., 2003, ‘Between Cybermap and Colonial Boundaries in West Africa: Rethinking Citizenship in the Information Age’, Paper for the West African Regional Conference of CODESRIA, 6-7 September 2003, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
- Ya’u, Y.Z., 2005, ‘Staking the Future: ICTs and Youths in Nigeria’ in Sesan, G., ed, Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society, Lagos: Paradigm Initiative.
- Yang, Guobin, nd, ‘Information Technology, Virtual Chinese Diaspora, and Transnational Public Sphere’, Virtual Diasporas and Global Problem Solving Project Paper, University of Hawaii at Manoa."
References
MacFarlene, A., 1993, ‘New News and Old: Revising the Literature’ in Caejac Journal, Vol. 5, 1993, the Commonwealth Association for Education in Journalism and Communication, Ontario, Canada, pp. 5-20.
O’Neill, Kelly, 1999, Internetworking for Social Change: Keeping the Spotlight on Corporate Responsibility, UNRISD Discussion Paper DP111, Geneva: UNRISD.
Obadare, Ebenezer, 2004, ‘The Great GSM (cell phone) Boycott: Civil Society, Big Business and the State in Nigeria’, Dark Roast Occasional Paper Series, Isandla Institute.
Patelis, Korinna, 2000, ‘The Political Economy of the Internet’, in Media Organizations in Society, ed, London: James Curran, Arnold, pp. 84-106
Sesan, G., ed, 2005, Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society, Lagos: Paradigm Initiative.
Shachtman, N, 2002, ‘Econ Forum Site Goes Down’, Wired, http://www.wired.com/news/politics/text_file.asp?pick=72
Stevenson, Nick, 1999, The Transformation of the Media: Globalization, Morality and Ethics, London: Longman.
Stone, B and M. Helft, 2009, ‘In Developing Countries, Web Grows without Profit’, www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/technology/startups/27global.html?_r=1 Wasserman, Herman, 2005, ‘Connecting African Activism with Global Networks: ICTs and the South African Social Movements’, Africa Development, Vol. XXX, Nos. 1 and 2, pp 163-182.
Witse, E., (Globalization, Fandom, and ‘Cyber-Solidarity’) in O'Brien, S. and I. Szeman, eds, 2003, Content Providers of the World Unite! The Cultural Politics of Globalization, Working Paper Series, May.
Ya’u, Y.Z., 2003, ‘Between Cybermap and Colonial Boundaries in West Africa: Rethinking Citizenship in the Information Age’, Paper for the West African Regional Conference of CODESRIA, 6-7 September 2003, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Ya’u, Y.Z., 2005, ‘Staking the Future: ICTs and Youths in Nigeria’ in Sesan, G., ed, Global Process, Local Reality: Nigerian Youth Lead Action in the Information Society, Lagos: Paradigm Initiative.
Yang, Guobin, nd, ‘Information Technology, Virtual Chinese Diaspora, and Transnational Public Sphere’, Virtual Diasporas and Global Problem Solving Project Paper, University of Hawaii at Manoa."