ETD Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/104


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    Chinese and US digital diplomacy in South Africa: An analysis of Facebook during the Covid-19 lockdown
    (2023) Petje, Nomzamo
    Digital diplomacy is a new concept in diplomacy generally and more specifically in public diplomacy. It emanated from the emergence of the internet and digital technologies in the 1990s and has been practised since then. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2019 (Covid-19) ushered in novel communication and diplomatic practices. Diplomats still needed to influence and improve their countries’ image to their foreign publics. Digital diplomacy was the most viable option for them to successfully ply their craft during a pandemic. Since the 1990s, diplomats and ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs) have been going digital. The gaps in the field and the scarcity of literature on the topic highlight the importance of and the need for more research. Due to the novelty of digital diplomacy, there is no formal definition of the concept yet; instead, there are myriad definitions influenced by a different understanding of scholars who define it from their different vantage points. This study focused on Chinese and US digital diplomacy because their digital diplomacy strategies have not focused on the Global South or South Africa. The study established their successes and failures in using digital diplomacy strategies towards South Africa. The research is significant in that it highlights the need for diplomats to adapt in practising their craft. The study highlights the complementary nature of digital diplomacy to public diplomacy and its importance during a pandemic. The significance of the study is in its ability to demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between digital diplomacy and public diplomacy and how it contributes to the field of journalism and diplomacy since the advent of social media. The research used digital diplomacy and media theories, such as agenda setting and framing, alongside the qualitative network analysis method. The data collection approach was by means of surfing the relevant embassies’ Facebook pages to find posts that fell into the chosen period for this study through sampling and by creating a code sheet. The methodology section below explains in detail how we used the method, how data was obtained, and the period.
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    "We're living in an era of facebook and blogs. It's a familiar and comfortable space" : exploring the use of virtual support groups by women diagnosed with breast cance.
    (2012-07-02) Kgatitswe, Lesego Bertha
    This research project explores the use of virtual support groups by women diagnosed with breast cancer in South Africa. Through a content analysis of the online forums and eight in-depth interviews with women of various backgrounds (age, race and socio-economic status) it becomes evident that women use these virtual spaces for information exchange, sense of belonging, search for meaning and most significantly support. Various factors within the illness experience of breast cancer influence the initial use, continuation, breaks and withdrawal from of these online forums. The analysis of online forums is framed around concepts of lay consultation, gender, adaptation theory and social capital to conceptualise and make sense of these virtual interactions. The virtual groups allow women to read and write on breast cancer according to their perceptions and experiences, thereby lessening the dominant medical power to create space for their personal voices. The interactions on the forums foster a sense of empowerment, social support and social engagement critical to their wellbeing and adaptation to the condition. This study also brings attention to the lack of studies about virtual groups within the South African context which is increasingly becoming significant as more and more individuals use virtual groups as part of health lay interaction and consultation.
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    Perceptions of privacy and career impression management : the case of facebook.
    (2012-06-21) Pilcer, Danielle
    Facebook (FB) is a ubiquitous category of web 2.0 technology that has embedded itself in the present day reality of people worldwide. It represents the constantly evolving online environment and brings to light the associated implications of synthesising people’s online private and work life. FB can act as a platform for employees to create and manage the impressions formed of them in their work context. On the backdrop of the social capital theory, this research explored the relationships between FB experience, perceptions of FB privacy and FB career impression management (FB CIM) and specifically whether perceptions of FB privacy moderated the impact of FB experience on FB CIM. Phase 1 was concerned with creating reliable scales through the implementation of a pilot study. Phase 2 initiated the main study with a convenience sample of 217 respondents, made up of FB users and non- users, recruited online on social networking sites and within a South African based IT organisation. They completed an online survey consisting of biographical information; FB experience, perceptions of FB privacy and FB CIM items (self-developed scales). From the analyses conducted it was found that the constructed scales were reliable, with co-efficient alpha’s yielding scores of above 0.6; and structurally valid as seen with the factor analyses. It was found that younger respondents experienced higher FB experience than older respondents (r=-0.39). FB experience was related to perceptions of FB privacy with an increase in FB experience being related to increased levels of trust (r=0.16) (part of the perceptions of FB privacy subscale). FB experience was associated with increased FB CIM activities (self- monitoring r=0.26; work relations r=0.23) with FB experience being the strongest predictor of FB CIM. As such FB experience and one’s perceived importance of FB privacy may have an influence on the degree to which one actively engages in FB CIM.