Context, Prospects and Contradictions: Histories of Internet-Based Digital Journalism Research in Africa

Mabweazara, Hayes ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0460-7814 (2017) Context, Prospects and Contradictions: Histories of Internet-Based Digital Journalism Research in Africa. In: Routledge Companion to Global Internet Histories. Routledge, New York. ISBN 9781138812161

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Abstract / Summary

This chapter focuses on the evolution of research into the adoption and appropriation of the Internet by journalists in Africa. In doing so, it highlights trends in the adoption and use of the Internet for information gathering as well as connecting with news sources. From search engines to social media, email and instant messaging platforms, the chapter shows that journalists have naturalized the convenience of these tools in ways that generally mirror wider social uses of the Internet in Africa. As well as pointing to diverse and sometimes-contradictory research perspectives on the impact of the Internet on journalism, the chapter also draws attention to scholarly discourses that emphasise the importance of considering localised structural and functional conditions that shape and constrain the appropriation of the Internet by journalists in Africa.

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