Information Disorders and Civil Unrest An Analysis of the July 2021 Unrest in South Africa
Main Article Content
Keywords
Disinformation, Misinformation, Malinformation, Social media, Global South, Civil Unrest, Violence
Abstract
Various scholars in the global north have explored information disorders and have been able to present findings on them and their implications on various sectors; unfortunately, this has not always been the case for the global South. This desktop study explores information disorders in South Africa during the July 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal between the 7-19 July. This paper demonstrates that information disorders on social media have been used as a catalyst for unrest; they are used to mobilize both those online and offline. This work shows how politicians and influential individuals used these disorders to facilitate and instigate civil unrest during July 2021. This work argues that people in political office and influential individuals should be aware of the responsibility of being influential and the consequences of their social media posts. The work further argues that despite various ways to counter these information disorders, the digital divide and literacy rate in South Africa make this challenging.
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References
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Ascott, T. (2020) Is media literacy the magic bullet for fake news?, www.lowyinstitute.org. Available at: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/media-literacy-magic-bullet-fake-news (Accessed: 15 February 2023).
B2B International Market Research (2023) Chapter 4:An Introduction to Research Methodologies, B2B Interntational. Available at: https://www.b2binternational.com/assets/ebooks/mr_guide/04-market-research-ch4.pdf (Accessed: 19 February 2023).
Baines, D. and Elliot, R. (2020) ‘Defining misinformation, disinformation and malinformation: An urgent need for clarity during the COVID-19 infodemic.’, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham., Discussion Papers 20-06.
Bateman, B. (2021) Crime in SA | Fake news fuels social media hysteria | eNCA, www.enca.com. Available at: https://www.enca.com/news/crime-sa-fake-news-fuels-social-media-hysteria (Accessed: February 2023).
Clarke, S. and Cossette, S. (2002) ‘Secondary analysis: theoretical, methodological, and practical considerations’, The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 32(3), pp. 109–129.
Elumalai, V. et al. (2022) ‘Burning urban cities of South Africa due to civil turmoil 2021: Socio-economic and environmental consequences’, Cities, 124, p. 103612. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103612.
Erasmus, D. and Hlangu, L. (2021) REQUIEM FOR SOUTH AFRICA: ‘Phoenix massacre’: What really happened in the deadly collision of brutalised communities, Daily Maverick. Available at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-07-28-phoenix-massacre-what-really-happened-in-the-deadly-collision-of-brutalised-communities/ (Accessed: 22 February 2022).
Fetzer, J.H. (2004) ‘Information: Does it Have To Be True?’, Minds and Machines, 14(2), pp. 223–229. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/b:mind.0000021682.61365.56.
Government of South Africa (2020) About alert system | South African Government, Government of South Africa. Available at: https://www.gov.za/covid-19/about/about-alert-system (Accessed: 21 February 2023).
Greater Good South Africa (2022) The Low Literacy Rate In South Africa: A Major Problem In Need Of Addressing – Greater Good SA, www.myggsa.co.za. Available at: https://www.myggsa.co.za/the-low-literacy-rate-in-south-africa-a-major-problem-in-need-of-addressing/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Hargittai, E. (2003) ‘The Digital Divide and What to Do About It’, New Economy Handbook, pp. 882–841.
Institute of Security Studies (2021) Social media, riots and consequences, ISS Africa. Available at: https://issafrica.org/iss-today/social-media-riots-and-consequences (Accessed: 19 February 2022).
Jimenez, C. (2022) New calculator reveals how much time South Africa spends using the internet per day (and per year) – Nex Media, NEX Media. Available at: https://www.nexmedia.co.za/2022/02/02/new-calculator-reveals-how-much-time-south-africa-spends-using-the-internet-per-day-and-per-year (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Karrim, A. (2022) JULY UNREST | One year on, SA still doesn’t know who masterminded the chaos, News24. Available at: https://www.news24.com/news24/investigations/july-unrest-one-year-later-sa-still-doesnt-know-who-masterminded-the-chaos-20220707-2 (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Kreiss, D. (2021) ‘Social Media and Democracy: The State of the Field, Prospects for Reform’, The International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220985078
Lapping, G. (2021) The July riots: an inflection point for digital media, BusinessLIVE. Available at: https://www.businesslive.co.za/redzone/news-insights/2021-09-01-the-july-riots-an-inflection-point-for-digital-media/ (Accessed: 27 February 2023).
Ly, O. (2020) When disinformation becomes a political strategy, who holds the line?, The Hill. Available at: https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/530777-when-disinformation-becomes-a-political-strategy-who-holds-the-line/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Madrid-Morales, D. and Wasserman, H. (2022) Media literacy education in South Africa can help combat fake news - here’s what’s needed, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/media-literacy-education-in-south-africa-can-help-combat-fake-news-heres-whats-needed-185338.
Makatse, M. (2022) Apartheid aggression lingers on as police, army brutalise blacks, City Press. Available at: https://www.news24.com/citypress/voices/apartheid-aggression-lingers-on-as-police-army-brutalise-blacks-20200408.
Makonye, F. (2022) ‘. Interrogating the July 2021 Looting, Burning and Violence in South Africa: Case of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)’, African Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 11.
McLane, L. (2021) ‘Dual Disruptions: Overcoming the Effects of Disasters and Mis-, Dis-, and Mal-Information on Democracies’, The Journal of the NPS Center for Homeland Defense and Security [Preprint]. Available at: https://www.hsaj.org/articles/17463 (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Mothibi, O. and Gillwald, A. (2018) After Access: The State of ICT in South Africa, Research ICT Africa. Available at: https://researchictafrica.net/publication/state-of-ict-in-south-africa/ (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
My broadband (2021) South Africa’s 2021 riots were organised on WhatsApp — and could have been stopped, Mybroadband.co.za. Available at: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/trending/433010-south-africas-2021-riots-were-organised-on-whatsapp-and-could-have-been-stopped.html.
Nair, N. (2022) ‘Oksalayo — we are not going back!’ Zuma’s daughter tweets after SCA ruling, MSN. Available at: https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/oksalayo-we-are-not-going-back-zuma-s-daughter-tweets-after-sca-ruling/ar-AA14mwI4.
Oluwole, V. (2022). 10 African countries that have the most number of internet users in 2022. [online] Business Insider Africa. Available at: https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/10-african-countries-that-have-the-most-number-of-internet-users-in-2022/cy3p01v#:~:text=With%20a%20penetration%20rate%20of [Accessed 13 Jun. 2023].
Opp, R. (2021) The evolving digital divide. Retrieved from United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Development Programme. Available at: https://www.undp.org/blog/evolving-digital-divide (Accessed: 18 February 2022).
Patel, P. and Everatt, D. (2021) 2021-07 - What drove South Africa’s recent violence and looting and what to do about it - Wits University, www.wits.ac.za. Available at: https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/opinion/2021/2021-07/what-drove-south-africas-recent-violence-and-looting-and-what-to-do-about-it.html (Accessed: 1 March 2023).
Polletta, F. and Callahan, J. (2017) ‘Deep stories, nostalgia narratives, and fake news: Storytelling in the Trump era’, American Journal of Cultural Sociology, 5(3), pp. 392–408. doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41290-017-0037-7.
Sey, A. et al. (2022) ‘Sub Saharan Africa’, in Meeting the challenges of information disorder in the Global South. Available at: https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/handle/10625/60954 (Accessed: 22 February 2023).
Singh, O. (2021) TimesLIVE, TimesLIVE. Available at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-07-21-with-5https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-07-21-with-500-bodies-phoenix-mortuary-is-full-as-deaths-pile-up-after-riots/00-bodies-phoenix-mortuary-is-full-as-deaths-pile-up-after-riots/.
Statista (2019) South Africa: digital population 2022, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/685134/south-africa-digital-population (Accessed: 27 February 2023).
Steenberg, B. (2023) Vaccine hesitancy in South Africa: COVID experience highlights conspiracies, mistrust and the role of the media, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/vaccine-hesitancy-in-south-africa-covid-experience-highlights-conspiracies-mistrust-and-the-role-of-the-media-198002.
Stoddard, E. (2022). ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: South Africa the world’s most unequal country – World Bank report. [online] Daily Maverick. Available at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-03-13-south-africa-the-worlds-most-unequal-country-world-bank-report/.
The 2030 Reading Panel (2023) 2030 Reading Report Background Report, 2030 Reading Panel., p. https://www.readingpanel.co.za/resources. Available at: https://www.readingpanel.co.za/resources (Accessed: 15 February 2022).
Vhumbunu, C.H. (2021) The July 2021 Protests and Socio-political Unrest in South Africa, ACCORD. Available at: https://www.accord.org.za/conflict-trends/the-july-2021-protests-and-socio-political-unrest-in-south-africa/ (Accessed: 25 February 2022).
Wasserman, H. (ed.) (2022) Meeting the challenges of information disorder in the Global South. 1st edn. University of Cape Town. Available at: https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/handle/10625/60954 (Accessed: 25 February 2023).
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Nov 2, 2023
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Information Disorders and Civil Unrest: An Analysis of the July 2021 Unrest in South Africa. (2023). Digital Policy Studies, 2(1), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v2i1.2538
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How to Cite
Information Disorders and Civil Unrest: An Analysis of the July 2021 Unrest in South Africa. (2023). Digital Policy Studies, 2(1), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v2i1.2538