New Media, politics and political

communication in Zambia
Mudhai et al
 Coming of new media
• Anticipation of the dissolution of politics of
elites by elites
• The coming in of globalization
• National state and new media
• Brought in information age
• Power and decentralization
 ‘New’ media
• The aspect of glamorous
• Exciting
• better
• Extend the interactive process of the old
media
 Models
• Diffusion/modernization model
• Looks at the media as agents of diffusion
• The diffusion of values leading to the
achievement of modernity
• Looks at modernity and the other
• Use of media, getting more educated
• Instrument for sharing knowledge from the
north to the south
 Dependency/dissociation Model
• Looks at relations between the north and
south
• Development for the north means poverty for
the south
• New media is a symbol of dependency
• The south depends on the north
 The participatory-democratic-
communication model
• Focus on participation
• Focus on dialogue taking into consideration
social structures
• Media should give power to the communities
for development
• Community should set its own standards
• New media is seen as a conducive vehicle for
achieving this
• Looks at liberal democracy
 Internet
• It delivers every type of media
• Can be accessed everywhere
• It has no regulator, owner etc
• It is global,
• Digital media
• No boundaries
• Universal access
• Combines commerce, information and
entertainment
 Challenges to Internet
• Free Access
• Storage Facility
• Compatible Delivery
• Personal Privacy
• Contextual, the thought of ict as an agent for
social and economic dependency
• Strategy, political economy of communication
 Digital Media
• Refers to the type of communication that
includes texts, video, sound and pictures while
using technology
• There is writing, storing and reading of data
electronically
• They are compatible
• Today, people can send and receive
information instantly
 New Media
• Access, quality of information, power
• It is internet, emails, cell phones, etc
• Have brought in a faster way of
communication
• It’s something that is increasing the process of
globalization
• Has brought with it the shift into the
information age from the industrial age
 Online Media
• It has changed the face of political
communication in the world and in Zambia
• Politicians, political parties including old media
companies are using it
• It’s a place for the marginal voice as well as a
voice for the opposition
• They can use online media to mobilize voters,
rally support for a civic duty as well as for other
causes
 Mobile Media (cell phone)
• Refers to cell phone
• Content accessed via phone
• Has restrictions
• Videos need to be small
 Internet
• Politicians form campaign websites
• They open up Facebook accounts
• Twitter
• Youtube
• etc
 Advantages of the Internet
• Reduces barriers to participation in politics
• There is the argument that the Internet
reduces social inequalities that normally
plague the real world (Noris 2004)
 Internet and the Public Sphere
• The public sphere is the environment where
people participate on political matters
• According to the internet with the coming of
social media provides the individual with
necessary tools that enable them to engage in
the public sphere (
• Is this possible in Zambia?
 Internet and the International Public
Sphere
• Brought together individual citizens and
informal networks through the networks of
mass comm online
• Possible for international public opinion?
• Can be argued that international public
opinion can alter political power
Growth of the international public sphere

• Growth of international social movements

• Expansion of global markets
• Rise in migration
• Advances in global governance
• Rise in new communication technologies
• These bring in new global solidarities the
stand with France
 Challenges to the I P S
• Spread of information not well globalized
• Local news still take precedent over international news
• Foreign news or information in various countries
centers on those countries were the home country has
interest
• The internet is just for com, entertainment and
correspondence instead of sharing news and
information
• Lack of access to internet
• World is fragmented
• Economic interests endanger the growth of
the international public sphere
• Divergent cultures
• Values, economic interests
 Social Networking Sites
• Offline social networking, looks at the
networks created as result of belonging
societies resulting in a chain or network
• Online networks bring out the networking
from the understanding of offline networking
• Social networking have the ability to bring in
social capital as well as have the ability for you
to influence others
 Facebook
• It has the property of clustering people of
similar traits
• It provides an instant communication platform
• Use it for adverts of candidates too
• For fundraising
 Facebook Properties
• Has video or live self broadcasting
• Can like and dislike
• Has the ability to cluster people
• You can publish anything as long as you want
to
• You can edit on the go
• You can publish videos, photos, articles etc
• You can search
 Advantages of FB
• Provides an individual with the ability to
create a network relations
• Can influence and be influenced by the
network
• Facebook and social media in general
eliminates the costs on the part of the political
actor to reach out the people in a given
network
Facebook and political engagement
• It has the ability to mobilize people to vote as
well as participate in political activities
• The 2012 US primary elections is a good case
• The riots in the London in 2011 show that
Facebook is not just about political
engagement
• What could be the power of Facebook?
 Constraints of Social Media
• It has the ability to reinforce existing beliefs
(Waal Ghonim)
• It affirms already existing political beliefs
• Less control of the conversation
• There are leaders, friends and those that
originate knowledge; for a politician to have
an impact all these have to be reached
 problems
• Operational problems includes the ability to
access online media, this include problems
such as power supply
• Cultural, the idea that ICT brings about social
and cultural dependence
• Strategy, this reflect the political economy of
communication
 Advantages of new media
• They have supplemented old forms of media
• They create a form of interactiviness in their
presentation of information
• They are educational with local language
programs
• It stimulates discussion between citizens and
their leaders unlike the old form of media
• It also provides a platform where citizens can
discuss among themselves
 Blogs
• Its an online discussion group where people
comments on a topic
• Run in reverse (recent comments are at the
bottom)
• It’s a source of information for news
organization
Challenges of new media in Zambia
• Low internet usage
• Elite online communities
 ITC and Democracy
• There is the thought that new media brings
about power shifts
• People will have the power chose what they
want, when and anyhow
 Why ICT is a challenge in Africa
• Africa’s response is optimistic and simplistic
• UN ECA adopted rules AISI for the use of ICT
for economic development
• This in many countries has not been
implemented
• The guidelines are just on particular states
• Privatization, does not really mean good.
 Advantages of ICT in Politics
• Promote good governance
• Gives the people an arena for the other voice