The use of social media by three political parties during South Africa’s 2014 general election
Main Article Content
Keywords
social media, political parties, South Africa, general elections
Abstract
Since the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994, electoral campaigns have changed significantly, largely due to social media, which now play a vital role in influencing voters throughout the world. This study examines the social media campaigns of three major South African political parties, namely the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), prior to the 2014 general election. Data comprised interviews with members of Parliament (MPs) of all three parties, and an analysis of their Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and YouTube channels. The study finds that, while all three parties made active use of social media, the full potential of this form of communication was not exploited, as they continued to disseminate traditional political messages instead of interacting actively with voters.
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References
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Yolisa M. and O. Osunkunle. 2017. ‘Social media and youth political participation in South Africa’s 2014 general election’. Communitas 22. https://doi.org/10.18820/24150525/Comm.v22.12
Adeniji, B. and K.C. Anyanwu. 2019. ‘Social Media and its Influence on the Academic Achievement of Students in Junior Secondary Schools in Dutse, Bwari Area Council of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja’. ATBU Journal of Science, Technology and Education,7(1).
Atagana, M. 2011. ‘Exclusive: Alan Knott-Craig buys Mxit, Herman Heunis steps down’. At memeburn.com. 22 September.
Anderson, F. 2018. ‘The use of social media in education: A friend or foe?’ International Journal of Advances in Electronics and Computer Science.
Baksh, N. 2014 ‘South African expats in UAE vote for the first time in country’s elections’. The National. Abu Dhabi. 30 April.
Ball, T., R. Dagger and D.I. O’Neill. 2014. Ideals and Ideologies: A Reader. Routledge. At https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315663968
Boateng, R.O. and A. Afua. 2016. The Impact of Social Media on Student Academic Life in Higher Education. Global Journal of Human-Social Science, 16(4)
Booysen, S. 2014, ‘Election 2014’. Keynote address, Transformation Lecture Series, University of Johannesburg, 16 May.
Braun, D and T Schwarzbözl. 2019. ‘ Put in the spotlight or largely ignored? Emphasis on the Spitzenkandidaten by political parties in their online campaigns for European elections’. Journal of European Public Policy 26(3): 428–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2018.1454493
Broockman, D.E. and J.L. Joshua. 2022. ‘When and Why Are Campaigns’ Persuasive Effects Small? Evidence from the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. American Journal of Political Science. doi:10.1111/ajps.12724
BusinessTech. 2014. ‘SA social media numbers revealed’. 16 September.
Busuyi, F.O. et al. 2020. ‘Social Media: Online Modern Tool to Enhance Secondary Schools Students’ Academic Performance’. International Journal on Studies in Education, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonse.7
Butler, A. 2012. ‘The Idea of the ANC’. Athens: Ohio University Press.
Calland, R (ed). 1999. The First Five Years: a review of South Africa’s democratic Parliament. Cape Town: IDASA.
Daniel, W.T., L. Obholzer and S. Hurka. 2019. Static and dynamic incentives for Twitter usage in the European Parliament. Party Politics 25(6): 771–781.
David, C. 2022. Political Campaigns and Social Media Municipal Elections in Finland 2021 During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Masters Thesis, Arcada University of Applied Sciences.
Dunn, J. 1993. Western Political Theory in the Face of the Future. Cambridge University Press.
Duncan, J. 2014.’Election 2014: The Campaigns, Results and Future Prospects’, in C. Schulz-Herzenberg & R. Southall (eds). Jacana Media.
Farjana, N., P. Debnath and B. Dipti. 2020. How Does Internet Usage Influence the Academic Performance of University Students? A Case of MBSTU. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME), 10(3): 15-24.
Francis, S. 2011. Institutionalizing elites: Political elite formation and change in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature. BRILL, Afrika-Studiecentrum Series. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004224094
Horowitz, D. 2016. ‘The role of branding in the success of the Economic Freedom Fighters’. University of Cape Town.
Inman, R. P. 2013. Understanding the Democratic Transition in South Africa. American Law and Economics Review Advance. https://doi.org/10.3386/w17799
Kanazawa, S. 2010. ‘Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent’. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73(1); 33–57) https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272510361602
Lauren, T. 2013. ‘Will social media influence election campaigning in South Africa?’
Lodge, T. 2003. ‘How the South African Electoral System was Negotiated’. Journal of African Elections 2 (1):71-76. https://doi.org/10.20940/JAE/2003/v2i1a6
Oubibi, M., K. Mohamed and B. Ram. 2018. ‘The uses of wechat among international students in China, case northeast normal university’. Journal of Research in International Education. 4.
Oyetunde, J.O. 2017. Influence of Facebooking and Social Media Use on Academic Performance among Nigerian Undergraduate Social Sciences Students. Masters Thesis, University of South Africa.
Ridge-Newman, A. and M. Mitchell. 2016.’ Digital political marketing and political participation’. In D. G. Lilleker & M. Pack (eds), Political Marketing and the 2015 UK General Election. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58440-3_7
Robinson, J. 2014. ‘The Economic Freedom Fighters: Birth of a giant?’ In C. Schulz Herzenberg and R. Southall (eds), Election 2014 South Africa: The campaigns, results and future prospects. Auckland Park: Jacana.
Rohanlall, L. 2014. Party ideology in South Africa. Master’s Thesis. University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Sides, J. et. al. 2018. Campaigns and elections: rules, reality, strategy, choice. New York: W.W. Norton. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351054621-14
William T. D. and O. Lukas. 2020. ’Reaching out to the voter? Campaigning on Twitter during the 2019 European elections. Research & Politics, 7(2). At https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168020917256
Yolisa M. and O. Osunkunle. 2017. ‘Social media and youth political participation in South Africa’s 2014 general election’. Communitas 22. https://doi.org/10.18820/24150525/Comm.v22.12
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Published
Jan 16, 2023
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The use of social media by three political parties during South Africa’s 2014 general election. (2023). Digital Policy Studies, 1(2), 40-46. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v1i2.2279
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How to Cite
The use of social media by three political parties during South Africa’s 2014 general election. (2023). Digital Policy Studies, 1(2), 40-46. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v1i2.2279