Centre for Communication, Media and Society

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A discursive analysis of the construction of Afrophobia in TimesLive, News24 and Independent Online in South Africa, 2019 - 2022.
(2024) Jani, Clifford.; Dyll, Lauren Eva.
Immigration has become a global phenomenon where nearly half of the world‘s populations are refugees, migrants or asylum seekers. However, the representation of black African migrants has not been fair and balanced leading to studies outlining the negative representation of migrants in the media. Previous scholarship has explored how such reporting could be deemed xenophobic. This study is specifically interested in the phenomenon of Afrophobia, defined as fear of black people or systematic discrimination against people with African ancestry (Dube, 2019). This study explores the representation of black African migrants in Timeslive, News24 and IOL news sites and how the reporting language may be used in the construction of Afrophobic sentiments. The study utilises content analysis to gather data. A total of 66 news articles were purposively selected from the three news sites. The data is grouped according to emerging themes: illegality, undocumented migrants, job takers, criminals and drug dealers. Critical discourse analysis is used to analyse the discursive portrayal of black African migrants. The focus of the analysis is on how Afrophobia is problematised and transformed into a discursive crisis through the construction of anti-immigrant themes. Representation theory and post-colonial theory conceptually guide this study. Although the findings of this study generally support earlier studies which argue that the media representation of black Africans is negative, the critical discourse analysis also revealed sympathetic representations available in the news. The study‘s unique contributions are that it explores the Afrophobic sentiments manifested as prejudices and stereotypes, and systemic discrimination faced by foreign nationals in South Africa, through the online news as they are depicted as criminals, drug dealers and illegal or undocumented people, blamed for social ills in South Africa. It also reveals positive reporting where black African migrants are portrayed as entrepreneurs, employing the local population and adding value to the economy. However, the negative homogenous reporting of black African migrants is still prevalent.
An examination of how Sowetan Live and Daily Sun reported on Operation Dudula and foreign nationals: January to June 2022.
(2023) Xulu, Luyanda Randy.; Dyll, Lauren Eva.
Abstract available in PDF.
‘Beauty is in the eye of the Instagrammer’: a walk-through approach exploring narratives of female beauty on Instagram among Durban higher education students.
(2023) Webster, Kayley Jade.; Gibson, Sarah Elizabeth.
In the twenty-first century female beauty is increasingly perceived as a social construct that intersects identity and femininity. Social media platforms have evolved into participatory spaces for women to negotiate and perform their identities, share information about their daily lives, engage with user-generated content, and explore modes of self-expression. South Africa's media landscape has witnessed a shift towards social media platforms, with millions of active users in the country. The literature revealed the need for research on African perspectives in the context of media, and revealed gaps in the intricate connection between feminism, femininity, and social media's influence on women's self-presentation and identity. This study aimed to address the gap in research in focusing on the unique narratives of young female higher education students in actively engaging in the construction of feminine beauty on Instagram. It sought to explore how this construction of feminine beauty on Instagram shaped the articulation of a feminine gendered identity through gender performances. This study also explored how young female students negotiated concepts of feminism and femininity through their engagement in the construction and negotiation of female beauty on Instagram. To ensure that the goals of this study would be achieved, a qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted. The main data collection method employed in this study was a form of walk-through known as the media go-along method that were conducted with 13 young female higher education students. The participants were selected by means of purposive sampling and a reflexive thematic data analysis was performed. The themes ‘Digital Craftsmanship’, ‘Instagram Performativity’, and ‘Dialectics of Empowerment’ ultimately generated insightful findings pertaining to young South African women's contributions to constructing female beauty on Instagram, the platform's role in shaping gender performativity, and the intricate interplay of feminism and femininity in this digital space. This study's findings revealed that young female students on Instagram engage in diverse modes of active curation to shape their beauty ideals in alignment with personal preferences and values. Instagram played a role in constructing future career aspirations by interplaying beauty, professionalism, and identity. Instagram’s unique features further encouraged participants to become content co-creators, fostering creative expression and digital discourse. An insightful finding was that young women’s self-representation balanced beauty norms with playfulness and authenticity. Cultural and social influences were evident in beauty practices, and these young women navigated a complex negotiation between conforming to and challenging beauty norms while engaging in feminist discussions on Instagram.
Changes and continuities? Investigating the representations and readings of female characters in South African soap operas Uzalo and Scandal!
(2024) Onuh, Janet Atinuke.; Dyll, Lauren Eva.
This study explores the construction and readings of female characters concerning their gender roles within localised South African soap operas Uzalo and Scandal! Concerning the issue of female representation, it is not just crucial to have a significant presence of women in television, it is equally important that these characters represent women fairly. This is particularly important within a country like South Africa, where gender inequality is a problem and gender-based violence is declared a second pandemic as femicide remains is prevalent. Since characterisation is one of the most important elements in any soap opera, this study investigates how female characters are represented. It explores the changes and continuities in how female characters are intentionally constructed in South African soap operas and if these representations support or subvert previous representations and dominant discourses in society. It is theoretically framed within feminist media theory, with a particular emphasis on intersectionality and the active audience theory guided by the circuit of culture model. Located within the interpretive paradigm, its qualitative methodology ascertains the perceptions of individual viewers (University of KwaZulu-Natal students) and Uzalo and Scandal! production staff. The data, gathered via interviews and focus group discussions, were organised through reflexive thematic analysis. The study found that the representation of mistress, mother, and matriarch are some of the roles still prominent in soap opera depictions. However, a shift exists in that conventional characters such as the villainess and matriarch are still central but are represented differently, based on the South African context, particularly that of the township locale. Female characters are also included in the storylines, such as CEOs, businesswomen, and other prominent roles often associated with male characters and public domains. Contemporary and traditional-styled characters are aspirational depending on the preference of lifestyle values held by the viewer of the soap operas. Soap opera has the potential to educate audience members about socio-economic, socio-political, and other developmental issues that will enhance social change. The study contributed new knowledge to understanding the construction of female representations and the possible subversions these texts offer to normative societal representations. It is unique in that it considers both a production and viewer perspective, which is a gap within South African scholarship that typically includes one of these perspectives. Through this study, an analytical matrix combining the circuit of culture and intersectionality has been developed that could be used for further research.
Exploring the reception of global health campaigns at a local level: a study of the WHO #SafeHands handwashing social media campaign for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Twitter.
(2024) Haffenden, Sarah.; Gibson, Sarah Elizabeth.
This study explores the efficacy of the universal WHO #Safehands Handwashing campaign at a localised level, specifically for students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa. It is essential to develop a greater understanding of the reception and effectiveness of global health campaigns in the context where they are received to improve future campaigns' success. This study also explores participatory platforms for health communication, such as social media platforms, to determine if they have a more significant impact on behaviour change. This study is helpful in assessing whether these platforms should be used more often in the future to achieve a greater impact on health communication campaigns. A further objective of this study is to better understand the affordances and limitations of health communication campaigns on Twitter (now X), as Twitter was the main platform utilised to distribute the WHO #SafeHands Handwashing campaign. This study is beneficial in guiding future campaigns that plan to utilise Twitter as an example of social media to disseminate health communication campaigns, particularly pandemic campaigns, as more effective campaigns can save lives. Within the study, a qualitative research approach was performed in the form of online focus groups conducted via Zoom. The sample included registered UKZN students based in KwaZulu-Natal who were either in a rural or urban area during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period. The data analysis technique performed was the six-phase reflexive thematic analysis process to identify emerging themes and differentiate the three potential readings of the campaign from Stuart Hall’s Reception Analysis. Reception Analysis and Participatory Culture were the theoretical guides for this study. The reception of the campaign was positive overall, and participants felt better equipped to wash their hands effectively after seeing the campaign. The challenge of recreating videos within the campaign, which encouraged participants to actively participate in the campaign, however, was not received as positively. This is largely due to inadequate living conditions, whereby some participants did not have the same facilities or basic amenities,such asrunning water. The study discovered that vast contrasts in the living conditions of some of the local 4 participants had impacted the effectiveness of the WHO #Safehands Handwashing campaign for these participants. The impact of this research highlights the need for global health authorities to work closely with local health authorities to ensure that unique regional circumstances and cultural differences are considered when designing campaigns. For global health campaigns to be more impactful and relatable, they may need to be adapted within different regions. By taking this into consideration, global campaigns may be more successful and ultimately save lives.
Mugabeism and factionalisation of journalism: interrogating the state of print media journalism in Zimbabwe (2014-2017).
(2023) Maodza, Takunda.; McCracken, Donal Patrick.
This qualitative study investigated how ZANU-PF factionalism cascaded into The Herald, Daily News and NewsDay newsrooms and “factionalised” the newspapers’ reportage of Robert Mugabe’s succession in the period between 2014 and 2017. The period marks the height of ZANU-PF factionalism after independence. In the context of this study, “factionalisation” of journalism infers adoption of either of the ZANU-PF factions contending to succeed Robert Mugabe by journalists in their reportage of the intraparty schisms promoting the ideological aspirations of one group over the other. There were two factions at any given moment in ZANU-PF angling to succeed Mugabe owing to his old age. ZANU-PF has experienced episodes of factionalism since its formation as a break away party in 1963 from Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU. The study is guided by Mugabeism as its main theoretical lens supported by the Critical Political Economy of the media model. It sought to establish how The Herald, Daily News and NewsDay reported ZANU-PF factionalism between 2014 and 2017. Further, the study examined how ZANU-PF factionalism permeated newsrooms and corrupted newspapers’ narratives on Mugabe’s succession. The study also highlights the implications of Mugabeism on The Herald, Daily News and NewsDay’s reportage of ZANU-PF factionalism during the period under review. Whereas this study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the media and politics, research into implications of ZANU-PF factionalism on political journalism are still nascent. Further, this study’s uniqueness is in its deployment of Mugabeism – a theory domiciled in political science and history – in media studies to account for journalistic process that informed or were influenced by Mugabe’s succession matrix. Use of the Mugabeism model is also a response to growing calls to decolonise, decentre and dewesternise media studies through deployment of indigenous theories to account for developments in the global south. Data was gathered through in-depth face-to-face interviews with purposively selected journalists at The Herald, Daily News and NewsDay and via Qualitative Content Analysis. The study established that ZANU-PF factionalism permeated into daily newspaper newsrooms in Zimbabwe leading to the “factionalisation” of journalism. Journalists adopted either of the factions angling to succeed Mugabe and aligned their reportage to the respective interests in an editorial disposition devoid of impartiality and factuality. In some instances, journalists were motivated by material inducements to adopt and promote factional positions. It is also this study’s finding that through rhetoric Mugabe provided cues to journalists at both state-controlled and privately owned newspapers on how to report on his own succession. As a result, ZANU-PF factionalism compartmentalised journalism by allowing or denying ruling party politicians a platform for expression depending on which faction they belonged. Newsrooms were turned into war zones as journalists became enemies in a battle to protect interests of factions they editorially adopted.
The challenges and benefits of documenting Bakoni tangible heritage and perceptions thereof using Photovoice.
(2024) Mbili, Qiniso.; Dyll, Lauren Eva.; Lange, Mary Elizabeth.
This thesis explores the existing official and scholarly interpretations of the Bakoni heritage stonewall settlement sites in Mpumalanga, Mashishing. It also studies the contemporary narratives that exist within the Mashishing local and Indigenous communities concerning Bakoni heritage. This study simultaneously explores the benefits and challenges of using Photovoice as a method of documenting heritage and in particular intangible heritage. This research is conducted using Participatory Action Research, which produces knowledge in a democratic manner while pursuing development objectives. It highlights the knowledge produced by local and Indigenous community members with the aim of valorising their narratives and opinions regarding the Bakoni heritage and Photovoice methodology. The participants’ narratives are explored and studied in relation to already existing scholarly and official interpretations of the Bakoni heritage. Their opinions of the Photovoice methodology are explored with the intention to contribute towards the understanding of Photovoice as a data collection tool. This thesis produces visual depictions of the Bakoni stonewalls as photographed by the participants to document and store the Bakoni heritage. This approach is mobilised to include Bakoni knowledge produced by local and Indigenous communities in the public domain.

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