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Social Media

Does Africa’s supposed digital disadvantage protect it from election interference?
Thought Leader
/ 19 June 2025

Does Africa’s supposed digital disadvantage protect it from election interference?

Data analytics and strategic manipulation have become the new tools in today’s politics, even in Africa

By Thuto Khumalo & Mihle Kambula
The hidden economy of rage bait on social media has a human cost
Thought Leader
/ 11 June 2025

The hidden economy of rage bait on social media has a human cost

With social media platforms becoming commercial spaces, social and political influencers, fake news pages or attention seeking pages use rage bait

By Shatadi Phoshoko
AI and social media: A double-edged sword that demands responsibility
Thought Leader
/ 10 June 2025

AI and social media: A double-edged sword that demands responsibility

The G20, and countries like South Africa, must work out practical safeguards, framed by ethical responsibility and democratic values to regulate AI

By Daryl Swanepoel
Trigger fingers: The rise of digital gangsterism
Opinion
/ 9 June 2025

Trigger fingers: The rise of digital gangsterism

Technology is not neutral — it reflects societal values and addressing inequality is crucial to prevent technology from becoming another tool for control and violence

By Nasreen Watson
Unfiltered and unfinished: How social media reveals South Africa’s struggles with racism
Thought Leader
/ 9 May 2025

Unfiltered and unfinished: How social media reveals South Africa’s struggles with racism

Racist posts can go viral in seconds, showing the world that South Africa’s divisions are not history, and reminding us that we still have work to do

By Lesedi Senamele Matlala
Tweeting ministers, silent ministries: SA’s missed opportunity in digital governance
Thought Leader
/ 16 April 2025

Tweeting ministers, silent ministries: SA’s missed opportunity in digital governance

Those in government must stop using social media for public relations and start using it as a means of two-way communication with citizens

By Lesedi Senamele Matlala
A crater, a curry and an arthritic baboon saved my sanity
Columns
/ 4 April 2025

A crater, a curry and an arthritic baboon saved my sanity

One person’s pothole is another’s route to millions … how online content helps us to navigate the rough ride that life can be

By Christian Stephen
Social media can transform citizen-based monitoring and improve service delivery
Thought Leader
/ 31 March 2025

Social media can transform citizen-based monitoring and improve service delivery

By embracing social media as a tool for inclusive governance, the government can transform how it interacts with its citizens, creating a more participatory, transparent and stable society

By Lesedi Senamele Matlala
Diplomacy by tweet: Trump, the spectacle and the politics of chaos
Opinion
/ 17 March 2025

Diplomacy by tweet: Trump, the spectacle and the politics of chaos

To resist this performance politics, characterised by shock-and-awe tactics through social media, we must organise and mobilise in different spaces rather than merely engaging angrily on social media

By Vashna Jagarnath
Trapped in an extreme world
Opinion
/ 1 March 2025

Trapped in an extreme world

The real Slim Shady of the M&G newsroom is surprised to find even Trump is just imitating – or so his younger colleagues reckon

By Christian Stephen
Why do health warnings exclude bottled water and social media?
Opinion
/ 28 February 2025

Why do health warnings exclude bottled water and social media?

Since Homo sapiens became a thing about 300 000 years ago, we have never breathed more carbon dioxide, absorbed more industrial toxins or processed more privatised propaganda

By Guy Oliver
Meta’s freedom of speech gamble: Rights in the age of algorithms
Opinion
/ 24 February 2025

Meta’s freedom of speech gamble: Rights in the age of algorithms

We need a discussion about the intersection between technology and human rights so the loudest voices don’t drown out the most truthful

By Ian Mangenga
Why we must abandon corporate social media for community-rooted tools
Thought Leader
/ 14 February 2025

Why we must abandon corporate social media for community-rooted tools

We can build a digital landscape that prioritises people over profit, collaboration over control and justice over exploitation

By Anaïs Nony
Turn to nature to nurture better social interactions in the digital age
Thought Leader
/ 13 February 2025

Turn to nature to nurture better social interactions in the digital age

Survival of the fittest misunderstood and misused fuels unchecked competitiveness, which is exacerbated by social media

By Emmanuel Anoghena Oboh
‘We have lost a leader and compatriot’ – Ramaphosa on Tito Mboweni’s death
Politics
/ 13 October 2024

‘We have lost a leader and compatriot’ – Ramaphosa on Tito Mboweni’s death

Ramaphosa extended his condolences to Mboweni’s family and friends, calling the news “a shock”

By Mandisa Nyathi
Imagining a better digital public sphere
Opinion
/ 14 September 2024

Imagining a better digital public sphere

X, Facebook and Instagram exercise ordinate and often pernicious power, which must be contested and socially enriching alternatives developed

By Richard Pithouse
Fourth Annual South African Social Media Awards
Partner Content
/ 20 August 2024

Fourth Annual South African Social Media Awards

Celebrating digital excellence and honouring digital pioneers

By SASMAs
The digital revolution: How the internet has revolutionised our lives
Partner Content
/ 11 June 2024

The digital revolution: How the internet has revolutionised our lives

These days you don’t have to leave your home to be entertained and fed

By Online Betting
What role did X play in the 2024 elections?
Thought Leader
/ 7 June 2024

What role did X play in the 2024 elections?

South Africans tweeted 1.01 million times during the election but there were only 115 000 unique authors

By Khumo Kumalo
Social media the battlefield for SA’s political parties in this elections
Opinion
/ 2 May 2024

Social media the battlefield for SA’s political parties in this elections

Even social media during the 2019 elections did not have as big a presence as it has in the 2024 elections

By Pedro Mzileni
Announcement of the official venue and date for the upcoming 4th annual South African Social Media Awards
Partner Content
/ 8 April 2024

Announcement of the official venue and date for the upcoming 4th annual South African Social Media Awards

The SASMAs celebrates top brands, influencers and agencies using digital tools for content creation

By SASMAs
Gen Z: Working the internet, forcing a ceasefire
Opinion
/ 27 November 2023

Gen Z: Working the internet, forcing a ceasefire

Our social media feeds are as key a field as any for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Quraysha Ismail Sooliman
Cyber disorders: Spiraling effects of mental health and technology
Thought Leader
/ 22 November 2023

Cyber disorders: Spiraling effects of mental health and technology

The increase in mental health challenges in our homes and workplaces calls for greater attention from our leaders

By Rethabile Tsephe
Using art and traditional storytelling as tools to combat the infection that is fake news in Africa
Opinion
/ 17 November 2023

Using art and traditional storytelling as tools to combat the infection that is fake news in Africa

Music, art, dance and writing have key roles to play in solving society’s biggest problems

By Rethabile Tsephe
The biggest accolade for social media personalities
Partner Content
/ 9 November 2023

The biggest accolade for social media personalities

The SASMAs recognises and awards the best campaigns, individuals and digital tools in social media

By SASMAs
Gen Z’s growing love of cosmetic procedures
Health
/ 20 August 2023

Gen Z’s growing love of cosmetic procedures

Constant online exposure to the seemingly perfect bodies of others can lead to a desire to conform to unrealistic beauty standards

By Umamah Bakharia
Online sales drive illegal trade in endangered African grey parrots
The Green Guardian
/ 26 July 2023

Online sales drive illegal trade in endangered African grey parrots

The birds, which are native to equatorial Africa, have been decimated by the international pet trade

By Sheree Bega
The artificial intelligence endgame
Opinion
/ 6 July 2023

The artificial intelligence endgame

Is (computer) science the new organised ‘religion’ re-colonising the world?

By Sameena Amien
Are social media trends in education empowering students or diluting learning?
Thought Leader
/ 19 June 2023

Are social media trends in education empowering students or diluting learning?

The social media trend of encouraging students to recite answers or educational content has both advantages and drawbacks. It can enhance participation and memory retention but limits critical thinking, understanding and application of knowledge

By Iviwe Mtubu
Senzo Meyiwa trial: Application to ban media ‘a publicity stunt’
National
/ 17 May 2023

Senzo Meyiwa trial: Application to ban media ‘a publicity stunt’

Media lawyer says the state’s next witness, who objected to the live broadcast of her testimony, commented on the trial at the Pretoria high court on social media

By Khaya Koko
Hacked in a nano-second
Friday
/ 20 December 2022

Hacked in a nano-second

Ryan Enslin spent 10 years curating his Instagram account only to have it hacked in seconds.

By Ryan Enslin
Unforgettable social media moments
Friday
/ 26 November 2022

Unforgettable social media moments

To meme or not to meme is the question … we pick some stand-out posts

By Kimberley Schoeman
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