FACULTY OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND MEDIA STUDIES

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE YOUTH: A CASE OF BUHERA

By

MARENGA DAVISON LESLEY

M110602

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BARCHELOR OF ARTS (SPECIAL HONOURS) IN ENGLISH AND MEDIA STUDIES AT GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY.

OCTOBER 2014

SUPERVISOR: MR I.F CHIYADZWA

DECLARATION

I, Marenga Davison Lesley, I declare that this research is

of my own work and affirm that it has never been submitted

at any other university in support of a Bachelor of Arts

Honours Degree.

Signed..................................................Date............................................

Supervisor’ssig....................................................Date.............................................

DEDICATION

The research is dedicated to my closest ally, Yvonne P

Mavhenge who gave me the strength to peruse this study when

all seemed to be nothing but darkness. Not forgetting my

brothers and sisters, Victor, Regis, Jane and Belinda.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It would have been impossible to realise this work without

the profound expertise of many who contributed material and

moral support .Special mention goes to my supervisor, Mr I.

F Chiyadzwa, for his patience and encouragement. I would

also like to thank my loving mother Mrs Caroline Chikove for

her unlimited support.

Much gratitude is also put to the youths in Marenga Village

for their participation and contributions in making this

research a success.

ABSRACT

It is with no doubt that in Zimbabwe most if not all

marginalised areas getting access to news from traditional

news sources has been a daunting task since the government

has some problems in upgrading infrastructure that makes

news available to everyone. The research is sought to

establish the use of social media in marginalised areas –

Buhera by youths. A critical analysis of how youths use

social media platforms –special emphasis on Facebook and

WhatsApp. The researcher used the case study research design

and random sampling in selecting participants to be put

under study. Questionnaires were distributed to participants

and one on one interviews were also carried out so as to get

concrete data for the research. Data gathered was subjected

to descriptive analysis. The researcher found out that the

advent of social media helped very much those people who

were affected by the commodification of news by most –if not

all news houses. Social media also brought to the surface a

new phenomenon where citizens now actively participate in

news dissemination. Citizens have transformed to journalists

–the once docile citizens are now active. The study managed

to establish that marginalised communities –Buhera, use

social media as their news sources; youths being the most

active users.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration………………………………………………………………………………i

Dedication……………………………………………………………………………….ii

Acknowledgements.....…………………………..………………………………………iii

Abstract ...……………………………………………………………………………….iv

CHAPTER ONE-INTRODUCTION

1:0 Introduction.................................................................................................................1

1:1 Background of the study..............................................................................................1

1:2Statement of the problem..............................................................................................4

1:3 Justification..................................................................................................................5

1:4 Research Aims and Objectives....................................................................................6

1:5 Main Research question..............................................................................................6

1:6 Sub Question...............................................…………................................................6

1:7 Scope of the study..........................………………………….………………………6

1:8 Significance of the study…........……………………………….................................7

1:9 Limitations...................................................................................................................8

1.10 Delimitations..................................................................................................…........8

1.11 Conclusion..................................................................................................................9

CHAPTER TWO-THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW

2:0 Introduction ................................................................................................................10

2.1 Theoretical Framework...............................................................................................10

2:1.1 The Exchange Model of Communication................................................................10

2:1.2 Agenda Setting Theory.............................................................................................11

2:1.3 Uses and Gratification theory...................................................................................12

2:2 Literature Review........................................................................................................13

2.2.1Social Media in Zimbabwe........................................................................................13

2:2.2 Role of Youths in a Democracy and Development..................................................14

2.2.3Social Media as a public sphere...……………………...…………………………...15

2.2.4 Social Media as a threat to Traditional Media.………..…………………………...17

2.2.5 Patterns of social media use in marginalise communities.........................................18

2.3 Conclusion....................................................................................................................19

CHAPTER THREE-RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3:0 Introduction................................................................................................................ 21

3:1.1Research Design.........................................................................................................21

3:1.2 Qualitative Research....................................................………………………….....21

3:1.3 Quantitative Research................................................................................................22

3:1.4 Population...............................................................................................…...............23

3:2 Sample..........................................................................................................................23

3:2.1 Sampling Techniques................................................................................................23

3:2.2 Random Sampling.....................................................................................................23

3:2.3 Focus Group..............................................................................................................24

3:2.4 Snowballing Sampling...…………………………...................................................24

3:2.5 Document Analysis.........................................................................…......................25

3:3 Methodology...…………………………………………………………………….....25

3:3.1 Interviews..............................................................................................................…25

3:3.2 Questionnaire............................................................................................................26

3:3.3 Participatory Observation.........................................................................................28

3:4 Data Presentation Methods..........................................................................................28

3.4.1Column Graphs..........................................................................................................28

3:4.2 Pie Charts..................................................................................................................29

3:5 Conclusion....................................................................................................................29

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.0Introduction...................................................................................................................30

4.1 DataPresentation...........................................................................................................30

4:2 SexualOrientation.........................................................................................................32

4:3 Education andEmployment...........................................................................................33

4:4Conclusion......................................................................................................................38

CHAPTER 5 RECOMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

5:0Introduction....................................................................................................................39

5:1 MajorFindings...............................................................................................................39

5:2 Academic Value of thestudy.........................................................................................42

5:3Recommendation............................................................................................................43

5:4Conclusion......................................................................................................................43

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces the research on how the youths in

Buhera use social media. The chapter also explore the

background of the study, statement of the problem,

justification of the study, research questions, research

objectives, the scope of the study, the delimitations and

the limitations of the study and the conclusion.

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Without doubt the Zimbabwean situation in news dissemination

has improved from what it has been during the colonial era.

A number of newspapers came into sight and also some radio

stations were opened. Of late we have seen the advent of

commercial radio stations and television, for example ZIFM

Stereo and Star FM. However these improvement were done but

some locations seem to have been neglected by service

delivery as far as accessing news from the trusted

traditional news sources is a daunting task as there are

challenges with either transmission signals or the view that

most newspapers are now after making profits hence ignoring

the rural areas as their potential market place. The

prevailing situation has forced most youth in the country to

resort to the social media as their reliable news source.

About 60% of Zimbabwe’s population live in the rural areas

and youths in Buhera are not left out as they have engaged

into various activities on the internet so as to get or

disseminate news using the emerging platforms such as

Facebook and WhatsApp.

The print media-newspapers used to be the primary source of

news worldwide before the coming of the internet. Without

question the past decade has been unkind to the traditional

media. There is a general feeling that among communicators,

that the course of print media was relatively placid until

the post-World war 2 years when the electronic revolution

caused a tidal wave that menaced the entire print media.

With the coming of the internet, that situation is changing.

New Media Technologies (NMTs) are now competing sources of

news. Alternative news sources on the Internet, like

websites featuring blogs and social networking sites are

also gaining momentum. Like mainstream media, these sites

offer a wide variety of news. Banda (2010) argues that

citizens are now active and contribute much in the content

that is now found on the internet. In this regard, the

youths in Buhera not otherwise employed as journalists find

themselves with access to tools for recording and sharing

text, photos, video, audio, and other content more quickly

and easily than ever before on these mentioned sites.

Buherian youths are not legging behind as far as becoming

members of the global village as they are actively

participating on sites which connect them with other people

regardless of their geographical boundaries. This has been

made possible by the efforts of internet service providers

and mobile communications service providers. Ndhlovu

(2012:8) says, “The growth in social media has also been

boosted by the introduction of 3G network which enables

mobile users to browse the internet, by the country`s mobile

telecommunications companies.”Such companies include Econet,

Netone and Telecel. Telone has also started offering

internet service to its clients. This has made it possible

for people to access the internet using mobile phones and

laptops.

Young people in Buhera have found good use of the social

media since they feel that they are neglected by the

mainstream media in the country. In this regard social media

has allowed these youths to educate, entertain, inform, and

act as watchdogs to their beloved community. They have

created groups on Facebook and WhatsApp were they interact.

This shows that the youths no longer need the traditional

media to provide them with fundamentals of daily doses of

news as they are now actively participating in news

dissemination and entertainment. The scenario have given

birth to a fast growing phenomenon of public contribution on

certain events posted on the internet, thus leading to the

neglecting of the newspaper as the primary news source to

many parts of rural Zimbabwe as people now have the

privilege of having internet access. Dauze et al (2007)

added that, if technological advancements has nourished

political, social and economic development with hyper-

abundance information and communication in multiple forms,

the rigid nature of print media which give information and

communication a scarcity edge has no place in the digital

age.

Apart from this, in this fast growing global village, young

people are now seeing reading hard copies of news articles

as old fashioned and are opting for digital news. This has

caused major changes in the traditional news mediums. It has

enhanced a new era in the newspaper fraternity, leading to

the process were newspapers are digitalised. The

digitization of the print newspaper has been an ongoing

process now for well over a decade. Yet, for the Zimbabwe

newspaper industry in recent years, this extension of news

production from print to online has taken on fresh urgency

amid accelerating losses in readership and revenue in the

core print product. As publishers and editors increasingly

shift their operational focus to the Web, the transition is

shaking up newspapers’ paper- first paradigm, not only

altering the life cycle of news production, but also

presenting new and vexing challenges to journalistic norms

and values. Harmanci (2008) states that, perhaps chief among

these is that in the online environment there is a greater

expectation for end-user engagement with and control over

content, thus blurring traditional boundaries and roles of

news producers and news consumers and threatening to

undermine the gatekeeping function so central to the

professional purpose of the press. Thus, in redeploying

resources from print to online, newspapers not only have

altered longstanding patterns of news production, but they

also have opened the platform for people to be active in

news production. In this sense news dissemination is no

longer one way as it was during the advent of the

traditional news sources as the mediums of news.

Of late Zimbabwe has experienced media polarisation due to

the aligning of both the public and private media to

different political parties. This situation did not do any

justice to youths in Buhera as they found themselves

subjected to these biased reporting and in a way stimulated

them to be active in as far as news consuming and

dissemination is concerned. This biased reporting has given

the New Media Technologies (NMTs) an upper hand as audiences

witnessing incidents can post eyewitness accounts on

Facebook or WhatsApp as soon as they happen or send reports

and photos to the media, thus providing an up-to date

report. The coming of the NMTs also pave way for citizen

journalist who are defined by Rosen (2006) as,

‘the people formerly known as the audience’, are

those who were on the receiving end of a media

system that ran one way, in a broadcasting

pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms

competing to speak very loudly while the rest of

the population listened in isolation from one

another— and who today are not in a situation like

that at all. The writing readers. The viewers who

picked up a camera. The formerly atomized

listeners who with modest effort can connect with

each other and gain the means to speak— to the

world, as it were”. Citizen journalism is also a

growing voice comprised of blogs and social media

that analyse and debate issues and stories

appearing in mainstream media.

In this regard many people are opting for the internet as

they are given equal opportunities to participate on

different issues posted unlike the newspaper where the

audiences are given limited space to participate freely

without following any ethics and media laws. Such commentary

and debate generally keeps stories alive much longer than

the original publishers. On the other hand internet

(Facebook and WhatsApp) provide a cheap source of news which

is one of its main benefits as compared to the traditional

print media in Zimbabwe were the media houses sometimes

struggle to give updated reporting to some events. This

notion is supported by Bowman and Willis (2003) saying, the

venerable profession of journalism finds itself at a rare

moment in history where, for the first time, its hegemony as

gatekeeper of the news is threatened by not just new

technology and competitors but, potentially, by the audience

it serves. Armed with Web publishing tools, always-on

connections and increasingly powerful mobile devices, the

online audience has the means to become an active

participant in the creation and dissemination of news and

information.

However, Facebook and WhatsApp do really provide the youths

with constructive news parse as some under-aged youths are

now using it to have access to erotic pictures and

pornographic material. On the other hand, Facebook allows

anyone to post anything hidden behind anonymity and post a

false story so as to advance a hidden agenda.

1.3 STAMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The commodification of news has led a number of media houses

to forget rural people as they focused their concern on the

urban areas where they make some profits. Most newspapers

see the remote areas as ‘dark places’ and usually do not

want to be associated fully with those areas as they fear to

make losses. The coming into play of the internet as a

competing news source came as a revelation to both the old

and the young in Buhera and has caused a number of problems

to the traditional news sources (radio, television,

newspaper) worldwide as audiences are increasingly creating

content and publishing it themselves or contributing it to

the media rather than just consuming it, as has almost

always been the case. The situation has not done any justice

to Zimbabwe as well as the traditional news sources and

professional journalists who are also suffering at the hands

of social media.

A number of newspapers (The Mirror, Newsday, The Herald, The

Daily News) are commonly found in the urban areas of the

country since news is a perishable commodity they are not in

a position of reaching all part of the country before their

content is still fresh. Due to this, people have opted for

the internet for information, entertainment, education and

other functions which were formally provided by the

traditional media in Zimbabwe.

Since 70% of the youths live in the rural areas and

unemployed it is not clear if most of them are able to

access the internet because of financial problems. On the

other hand if they are able to access internet services,

what use do they make of it. It is the aim of this research

to unveil some of the uses of the internet by the youths in

Buhera.

1.4 JUSTIFICATION

A number of scholars have carried out studies on the impact

of social media and the future of the print media and the

general livelihood of the people before but this research

project is set to cover the gaps which were left by the

previous researches narrowing down to the Buherian

situation. In light of this, it is hoped that this study

will provide the information that will help in understanding

how the impact of the availability of internet access to the

general person can cause a threat to social lives of people

and other media forms -not only the print media.

Since people use internet for different reasons this study

seeks to provide a way forward for further studies on uses

of the internet by people in different areas in the society.

For this to have the desired effects there is even greater

need to base these understanding to the aspect of Citizen

Journalism in rural Zimbabwe –Buhera in particular. In light

of this, it is hoped that this study will provide the

information that will assist in unmasking the future of

print media in the face of the citizen journalist in the

country.

Many studies on social media have been carried out in

Zimbabwe and other parts of the world, however the studies

were based on how people mostly in urban areas used the

internet living those in other parts –rural areas- and hence

tend to misrepresent how social media use in the country.

This study addresses these gaps as it will make use of

information that is obtained from one on one conversation

with youths (social media users) in Buhera

The study also provides a basis for further academic

research since little has been done or studied concerning

the impact of the significance of social media to the

marginalised communities in Zimbabwe. The study also

provides the researcher with skills and understanding on the

field of media studies. Through data collection from the

field, a lot of skills are leant by the researcher.

1.5 OBJECTIVES

To investigate the extent to which citizen journalism

affects the functioning of the traditional Media.

To identify the major characteristics of citizen

journalism.

To investigate how audiences use the internet for their

various needs.

To investigate how social media has improved access to

information to the people in rural Zimbabwe.

1.6.1 MAIN RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the main usage of the social media by youths in

Buhera?

1.6.2 SUB-RESEARCH QUESTIONS

How do the young people in Buhera use social media?

Which platforms of social media are the young people

using?

Why are they using such platforms?

Has social media improved access to news by the youth?

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study looks at how youths in Buhera use social media in

this world which is now being dominated by the growing of a

global village. Instead of using the targeted population of

youths in all of Buhera, the study made use of a selected

population in ward 6 –Marenga Business Centre. The

population was selected biased to the proximity of the area

of research of the researcher.

1.8 Significance of the study

The study will benefit the following stakeholders:

1.8.1 The Student

The study is carried out to partially fulfill the

requirements of the Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in

English and Media Studies and it help those doing

research in this area of study in their future

understanding of social media use.

The research will allow the student to get experience

on how research is carried out and the processes

involved.

The student will give the student a deeper

understanding of how social media can be used in

performing the traditional roles of the media.

1.8.2 The Academics and Researchers

The study will contribute to the literature which other

academics and researchers can use to carry out their

researches.

1.8.3 The Media

The study will help in the media fraternity with help

on how they will integrate with the social media so

that they can cater for all citizens by placing public

forums on Facebook or even having WhatsApp platforms.

1.8.4 The Government

The study will help government through the Ministry of

Information and Technology improve the accessibility of

information by rural people as it will provide

information which will give act as the guidelines to

information dissemination to the people.

1.8.5 The Civic Societies

The study will also help the civic societies in finding

ways of improving ways in which people get information.

For example Mobile Zimbabwe, an organisation which is

giving free training to youths so that they can

disseminate news in and out of Zimbabwe.

1.9 LIMITATIONS

Time was the major limiting factor during this research

project as the researcher was also engaged to other

commitments. The researcher conducted his research mostly

during his free periods so as to counter time problems.

Also money was another factor which hindered the progress of

the research as money was needed to travel to various places

to conduct and collect data for the research.

Lastly, the researcher faced the problem of cooperation

among people who refused to tell how they use the internet.

They viewed the researcher as a spy of some sort, especially

during this time where there is cyber war between the

government and internet users.

1.10 DELIMITATIONS

The study was carried out in Buhera –Marenga village in Ward

6 where the researcher selected a few youths who constitute

much of the rural population and how they use the internet.

In order to represent the actual results a small number of

people were used to represent the whole district of Buhera.

The study included both males and females as they all use

the internet for various reasons on social platforms

1.11 CONCLUSION

This chapter has defined the research problem and it laid

the foundation of the study which premised on the assumption

that due to the lack of information from the traditional

media, the social media has become an alternative news

source to the youths in Buhera. The study also explores

various uses of the social media the world over. It also

looked at how the marginalised population in Zimbabwe –

Buhera make use of the social media.

CHAPTER TWO

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This is the second chapter of the research project and as

such it is going to give a broad overview of theoretical and

conceptual framework of the study. Related literature on

this study is going to be reviewed. The review of similar

literature will be used to the agenda around the research

problem. Opinions and facts from other scholars underpinning

this study will also be revealed exploring the extent to

which the research problem has been investigated before. It

is hoped that this discussion will help explain how the

social media has transformed the lives of the youths in the

present world.

2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1.1 THE EXCHANGE MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

The project is going to use the Newcomb’s Exchange model of

communication as social media create a platform were various

users communicate with each other sharing instant messages

and news. This model is significant because it assesses the

role of communication in the society or social

relationships. The model will be compared with Shannon and

Weaver’s model which is mostly used by the mass media

platform (traditional media) which views audience as in-

active and rely on the media for information without their

input.

The exchange model asserts that the audience is both the

communicator and the receiver and meet with other people on

a common place-in this case on the social network were they

pass to each other various messages. The model asserts that

Communication is two way. The social media work as the

meeting place here were people from various places meet on

the basis of getting information, entertainment and being

educated. Baran (2010) asserts that, New Media maintain a

state of equilibrium in society were information is produced

without bias-enhanced by debates that are found on social

networks since everyone is given equal chances to comment on

the subject being discussed. The model is triangular in

shape and its basic assumption is that communication takes

place in social relationships and therefore when people

communicate their messages are affected by their attitude

towards the subject. The model however, seem to assume that

the communicator, receiver and the social environment have

equal power in the communication process. This model is

going to be helpful in this study as it critically look at

how the youths in Buhera use the social media.

On the other hand the researcher will make use of Shannon

and Weaver’s model which asserts that communication is one

way. This model is usually used by the mass media-

newspapers- were information is disseminated to the people

and no or little feedback is send back to the news source.

The message is usually distorted by the presence of noise-

in this case falling to understand the information on the

newspaper or misinterpretations of the information. The

model sees the audience as in-active in the passing of news.

The major disadvantage of this model is that it sees

communication as a mechanical fixed process were the

audience only rely on the media for information thus

granting much power to the news source.

2.1.2 AGENDA SETTING THEORY

The researcher is also going to use the Agenda Setting

Theory during the research as he will be assessing how the

social media set agendas of discussions amongst the youths

in Buhera. The theory was first coined by McCombs and Shaw,

describing the power of the media during campaigning periods

towards election. McCombs asserts that the media play a big

role in setting the agendas under discussion in a society

(Littlejohn and Foss 2009:31). The theory focuses on how

news media coverage prioritizes issues or set the agenda for

the public to follow. In this case, the media is

conceptualized as a powerful force for the audience as they

follow the media message. The theory assumes that the

traditional media has the gatekeeping powers as it is has

the power to dictate what the society must discuss. Basing

on this assumption the researcher is going to analyse if the

social media has the gatekeeping powers in determining the

topic under discussion in their day to day living (youths in

Buhera).

The theory asserts that the media consciously or

unconsciously create a particular image of reality to the

society (Fourie 2001). Lipman in McQuail (2000) argued that,

the media are the main core relation between events that

core in the world and the image of those events in our

minds. Baran and Davies (2010) argue that, the agenda

setting theory states that issues that receive prominent

attention on the national news become the topics that the

viewing public considers to be most important. The

information that the public gets from the media is the only

contact that many have with politics. This cements the power

of the media as consumers of media products are given issues

to think and talk about by the media. This shows the role of

the media in shaping public opinion.

Other scholars argue that the media is not that successful

in telling people what to say but rather gives them the

ideas of their discussions. The theory implies a one

directional flow of influence, which is from the media to

audience meaning audiences are passive. Baran and Davis

(2010) argued, “Audiences members don`t simply passively

take in and store bits of information in mental filing

cabinets; they actively process this information, reshape

it, store only what serves culturally defined needs. The

social media sets agendas as it triggers events, for example

in events like accidents or natural disasters, for example

the recent Bubi accident which claimed many lives went viral

on social media. This evoked some topics of discussion among

social media users. However the theory sees audience as

passive and neglect what people think. It assumes that

audience follow the bandwagon of what is set before them.

Despite the fact that the theory is concerned with the role

of the media in setting the agenda for the people, it can be

useful in this research as it shows the importance of the

media in sending messages to the people (the theory sets

topics for discussion to the people). Information is a vital

resource to needed by the people.

The research is to use this theory in assessing the power of

the media in setting up topics of discussions to its

audience. The million dollar question on this theory is

that, with social media are audience still passive? It is

hoped that the passivity myth of audience in media will be

demystified.

2.1.3 USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY

Another theory that underpins this study is the uses and

gratification/needs and gratification approach (McQuail

2005). The core question of this theory is: Why do people

use the media and for what reasons. The Uses and

Gratification Theory looks at how people use the media to

gratify a range of needs –including the need for

information, personal identity, integration, social

interaction and entertainment. Baran and Davies (2010)

posits that, people examining new technologies have found

uses and gratification research to be quite helpful in

studying a wide range of new media. Audiences are active and

can have power over the media. Littlejohn and Foss (2009:65)

noted that, the key idea of uses-and-gratifications theory

is that the uses that audiences make of the media and the

gratifications produced by those uses can be traced back to

a constellation of individual psychological and social

needs. This means that people use the media to satisfy

particular needs. In this regard people use the social media

in the same manner they used the traditional media in

getting their desired roles, thus active participation and

on the other hand being educated and entertained. Because

people use the internet for various reasons social media

have gained popularity more than the traditional news

sources as people are subjected to a variety of information

instantaneously. This has dealt a heavy blow to the print

media as it does not view audiences as active.

When applied to this study, this approach takes the youths

as active participants who do not only consume all the

information that is on the social media. It assumes that

they have the power to select specific information to suit

their backgrounds and gratifies their individual needs

(McQuail 2005). The theory presumes that the youths in

Buhera have a uniform use of the social media as they have

different needs and interests on social media. However

critics of the theory say that the uses and gratification

approach are vague in key concepts as it over assumes the

power of the audience over media content.

Some Uses and Gratification theorists examine what people do

with the media and maintain that the best way to find out is

by asking audiences. The researcher will ask various

questions using interview and questionnaires-to the users of

the internet to find out how they use it in various

situations to gratify themselves.

2.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

A number of scholars have done researches on the field of

the impact of social media in Zimbabwe. The researcher is

going to acknowledge previous scholars as he traces the

history of social media in Zimbabwe and the rest of the

world, the social media as a public sphere and the social

media versus the traditional media.

2.4.1 SOCIAL MEDIA IN ZIMBABWE

Media in Zimbabwe has gone under stages face by other

countries because of the advent of the new media

technologies which has sent some tides of change in the

media fraternity worldwide. Due to this fact the traditional

media faced some problems in the face of the social media.

This view is supported by Dauze et al (2007) who postulate

that with the coming of the internet, that situation is

changing. New Media Technologies (NMTs) are now competing

sources of news. Alternative news sources on the Internet,

like websites featuring blogs and social networking sites

are also gaining momentum. Like mainstream media, these

sites offer a wide variety of news. Internet usage in has

grown rapidly in recent years. This assertion is supported

by Macchesney-Martin (2012) saying that, internet usage in

Zimbabwe has grown so rapidly in the past three years with

over 1.4 million internet users. In this regard the internet

has not only improved the lifestyles of businesses but also

improved some business relations.

Social media has become the most influential thing in the

lives of most Zimbabweans as most are no longer imagining

life after it. Mzaca (2011), asserts that Facebook has

become one of the most influential factors in grass-roots

socio-political mobilisation worldwide. Due to the fact that

the Zimbabwean media was polarised people opted for social

media as their reliable source of news, because of this

situation it has been flooded by political news and debates.

Politics dominate the Zimbabwean social media. Thus

Zhangazha (2013), posits that Zimbabwean social media has

been an ambiguous role in political event in the last 12

months and particularly with the yet to end July 31

harmonised election period. From the above assertion it is

clear that social media has the power of bringing together

individuals who share common goals and ideas. For example

the Baba Jukwa facebook page brought together people who felt

that there must be regime change in Zimbabwe in the

elections that were due to be held on July 31 2013. However,

Matshazi, in Mzaca (2011) argues that politicians are now

using Facebbok and naturally turned the platform into a

political constituency were they edge over their rivals to

each other

Social media in Zimbabwe is also seen as platforms were

people are free to express their viewpoints without fear of

intimidation or confrontation. Mzaca (2011) has the view

that Facebook is popular and essential as water, people

speak out their minds out without physical intimidation or

confrontation as people are given the platform for

uncensored views on socio-political issues. On the other

hand Masuku (2013) supports the view of freedom of

expression of citizens saying that social media offers an

alternative platform for expressions to citizens in

situations where their free expressions are suppressed.

On the other hand social media is now being used to fulfil

the functions of the media as a whole, that is, educating,

informing, watchdog role and entertain the people. According

to Zhangazha (2013) social media has become a platform were

information, entertainment, rumour-mongering and

sensationalism that has transcended levels never seen before

in Zimbabwe’s media. This is seen in how the youths in

Buhera use the medium to attain the basic functions of the

media.

2.4.2 ROLE OF YOUTH IN A DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT

Youths in Zimbabwe have played vital roles in democracy and

developmental issues. Facing a world in a vertiginous

transformation, the social and personal construction

Zimbabwe is indispensable. The uplifting of democracy in

Zimbabwe, depends mostly on the participation of the

Zimbabwean people itself, especially the youths, to rebuild

the country from the total devastation. Participation on

various social media is the noblest action of exercising

democracy. This notion is supported by Tamang (2006) who

asserts that, democracy is a system of government which is

of the people, for the people and by the people. The

underlying factor here is active participation which means

that the youth should be actively participative but at the

same time, properly guided and organized. In trying to

democratise themselves youths in Zimbabwe are using social

media as a reliable platform.

A number of youths in Buhera have joined Facebook groups and

on WhatsApp so that they can improve the democracy in the

country which seemed to have been compromised by the

prevailing political situation in the country. However for

democracy to be fully functional people must learn to

tolerate diverging ideas from others. Tamang (2006) posits

that, the youth must believe in the importance of key

democratic values, such as tolerance for divergent

viewpoints, support for the rule of law and principles of

justice and equality and learn to analyze and absorb them.

They must be willing and able to participate in local and

national politics, and must believe that their participation

is not only a right but a responsibility in the democratic

framework. Of late some youths have been using social media

to pass soothing attacks to those who have diverging ideas

from theirs, for example in the wage of factional fights in

MDC-T and ZANU PF.

In any country, and especially more so in a nascent re-

emerging democracy like Zimbabwe, it is essential to have

strong willed and well intentioned adults to carry on

democratic practices and exercises in order to sustain and

strengthen it. They are a necessity, but added to these, we

also need an informed, aware, proactive and participatory

youth group in order to achieve a level of democratic

excellence. And with the direct participation of the youth

who are informed, aware and well guided and directed, a

sustainable democracy, with all its facets such as Rule of

Law, equality, equal representation, is not all that

impossible.

Youth also play a vital role in the development of the

country as they are the work horses of a country’s economy.

Participation of the youth is detrimental to the upkeep of a

nation be it on social media or physically. Basing on the

old dictum, ‘the youth are the future’, it is up to the

youths in Buhera to encourage development by using the

possible way available –social media in this case. Young

(2014) posits that, the youths also have a major place in

our national economy, what with providing us with ridiculous

amounts of hard earned cash for college, health care. This

shows that they need to be positive so as to enhance the

development of the country in all aspects; which include

economically and socially.

Realistically, all youth are both contributors and drains on

society, but to different affects and magnitude. Influencing

youth determines where power will be in the future. Youth

play a large part in the masses.

2.4.3 SOCIAL MEDIA AS A PUBLIC SPHERE

Social media has come up with a face which is not new in the

media fraternity but however improved some aspects that made

it unique from what the traditional media used to do. On

social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, WhatsApp) people

are given equal chances to participate on whatever topic

under discussion. The concept of the public sphere is not

new in media as its history is traced back to the 18th

century. According to Boeder (2005), Public sphere is a

concept created in the 18th century and further developed by

Jurgen Habermas, who stated that the public sphere was

characterized by it’s critical nature in contraposition to

the representative nature of the feudal system. This

research discusses the role of the concept of the public

sphere for understanding social media critically. According

to Hauser (1988), it is a discursive place where people can

interchange their opinions to create a common judgment. This

critical nature is endangered by the power of the mass media

that transforms most of the society in a passive public, the

objectives of a consumer's culture.  

The social media gives people the liberty to fully

participate –by commenting, analysing and critiquing various

subjects posted. The notion is supported by Atton (2001) who

says, participatory media production can be thought of as

providing the constituents of an alternative public sphere,

where agendas are set and discussion is developed through

the journalism of social movements and communities. On the

other hand Dowing (1988) emphasizes how social movement

media encourage activity, movement and exchange ... an

autonomous sphere in which experiences, critiques and

alternatives could be freely developed. This is evident as

the researcher saw that number of youths under study are

actively participating on various Facebook pages were heated

debated are the order of the day. For example, facebook

groups such as BBC and Democracy Advocacy Initiative. The platforms

allow participants the chance to comment without fear as

they can post while using pseudo names for personal security

reasons. People are in a position of posting anything

without fearing censorship.

However, in as much as social platforms work as a public

sphere, sometimes gatekeeping processes work behind the

scenes. There some groups like Tete MaNcube, Nyaya Dzebonde no

under 18 were the administrator of the group plays the part

of filtering the content that comes his way thus setting

agendas for discussion. Also some interested parties are now

taking control of the social media so as to advance their

own agendas. Recently most political parties have engaged

the social media as their reliable medium of reaching the

youths as they are the wide users of the medium. Further,

Barton (2005) acknowledges the danger of corporate

interests, which, as discussed above, continues to be an

important cautionary note when attempting to actualize a

truly democratic space: the Internet is losing its

democraticizing features and is becoming everyday more like

our newspapers and television, controlled from above by

powerful multinational corporations, who demand passivity

from an audience of total consumers.

In considering whether social media can constitute a public

sphere, Papacharissi (2002) makes the important qualifying

point that ‘a new public space is not synonymous with a new

public sphere’, since: As public space, the Internet

provides yet another forum for political deliberation. As a

public sphere, the Internet could facilitate discussion that

promotes a democratic exchange of ideas and opinions. A

virtual public space enhances discussion; a virtual sphere

enhances democracy. With this qualification in mind,

Papacharissi concludes that social media could not yet be

considered a virtual public sphere due to inequalities of

access, difficulties in bringing together conflicting points

of view, and some of the limiting imperatives of reliance

upon commercial funding models from large-scale

distribution, but that it certainly advances the possibility

for such a public sphere to emerge.

2.4.4 SOCIAL MEDIA AS THREAT TO TRADITIONAL MEDIA

The traditional media [electronic media (radio and

television) and print media (newspapers magazine, posters)]

used to be the primary source of news worldwide before the

coming of the internet. Without question the past years

decade has not been kind to the traditional media. There is

a general feeling that among communicators that the course

of traditional media was relatively placid until the post-

World war 2 when both the electronic and print media used to

be the propaganda tools used by the fighting forces. With

the coming of the internet, that situation is changing. New

Media Technologies (NMTs) are now competing sources of news.

Alternative news sources on the Internet, like websites

featuring blogs and social networking sites are also gaining

momentum. Like mainstream media, these sites offer a wide

variety of news.

Traditional media tend to be rigid as it does not allow some

functions which are being offered by the social media.

Audience are allowed much space to post their information

without any gatekeeping processes involved. This is a major

advantage of the social media over traditional media. This

is supported by Harmanci (2008) who postulate that, perhaps

chief among these is that in the online environment there is

a greater expectation for end-user engagement with and

control over content, thus blurring traditional boundaries

and roles of news producers and news consumers and

threatening to undermine the gatekeeping function so central

to the professional purpose of the press. On social networks

audience are active participants.

Social media can sometimes act as a regulating agent in a

polarised media field as biased thoughts are spiked by

rampant debates on different platforms. Most youths had

debates during on Facebook during the pre- and pro-election

era on pages like Baba Jukwa, Honourable Tendai Biti, and Democracy

Advocacy Initiative. Also such debates where carried out on some

WhatsApp groups. Of late Zimbabwe has experienced media

polarisation due to the aligning of both the public and

private media to different political parties. This biased

reporting has given social media an upper hand as audiences

witnessing incidents can post eyewitness accounts on the

Internet as soon as they happen or send reports and photos

to the media, thus providing an up-to date report.

On the other hand, social media reports despite being less

biased they are up to date and right on time unlike the

traditional media which waits to give updates on the next

bulleting or publication. This up to date trait of the

internet gives it and upper hand over the traditional media.

Rosen (2006) supports this saying, the instantaneous nature

of the internet is a direct threat to the print media which

wait to gather evidence and then publish it for the

following day’s edition. In this regard social media is able

to capture the live event and not delayed events as in

traditional media.

However, traditional media has its advantages over the

social media. Due to gatekeeping processes in the

traditional media the content which is found there is

digestible with all people without fear as warning are given

as a pre-requisite before disturbing programmes are

broadcasted. On the social media content is just splashed

and the user is given a choice to choose. This might subject

social network users to pornographic material and other

material which is not user friendly. Jenkins (2006) argues

that social media can be abused as people might hide behind

anonymity to address their selfish motifs. Also most of the

content that is posted on the social media mostly it is

taken from the mainstream media. Singer (2006) states that

Also in some cases depend on the alternative news sources

for news as most of the content posted on the internet is

taken mainly from the traditional news sources.

2.4.5 PATTERNS OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN MARGINALISED

COMMUNITIES

It is also undisputed that news in most parts of Africa was

urban-centric and the rural folks were mainly forgotten,

marginalized and often ignored. Due to various factors such

as poverty, hostile political situation and lack of

infrastructure in Zimbabwe social media use has increased as

youths go to the internet to express themselves in many

different ways be it socially or politically. Youth

participation on social platforms was made possible by the

availability of cheap internet accessing devices like mobile

phones. Thus Chiyadzwa (2014) posits that, mobile telephony

service providers have since 2009 managed to widen the reach

of internet services in the country as one only needs to be

in possession of a requisite handset and sim card. As a

result more rural people now have access to social network

sites especially, Facebook.

Rural Zimbabwe is seen by most media houses as a ‘dark

market’ and no one is eager to conduct business there and

thus subjecting rural people to information drought.

According to the Freedom House (2012), most rural

communities are geographically isolated and economically

disadvantaged and have consequently failed to attract the

interest of commercial service providers.

Social media has been used by a number of political parties

so that they can win votes in most marginalized parts of the

country. Politicians and citizens have been using social

media to interact and get their respective parties liked.

Chiyadzwa (2014), states that, in Zimbabwe politicians are

using social media as an opinion polling platform, as a

voter mobilisation platform, as a platform to market their

ideologies.

Most people now use social media as an entertainment forum

in their secluded domains where entertaining this come once

in a while in their areas. Social media has proved to be a

sound entertainment platform since it is awash with jokes of

various forms and other entertaining news –like sports news.

There is an array of communities who post entertainment

information and this has quite a considerable number of

followers thereby making entertainment one of the best uses

of social media in Zimbabwe.

Most rural people are now using social media to disseminate

news from their areas to other areas. Everyone is an active

participant in posting daily running of events in their

areas, a phenomenon which Chiyadzwa (2014), coined as

‘guerrilla journalism’. People produce up to date post on

social media of events that are happening in their areas.

Youth in Buhera also use social media to accesses

educational information as most schools are now encouraging

students to rely on the internet for information in their

areas of study.

2.3 CONCLUSION

The theoretical framework and literature reviewed in this

chapter will help me have a clear understanding of

background information to use during the research. The next

chapter is going to focus on the research methods and

methodologies used to collect data from various youths who

contributed the success of this research by providing

information.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter focuses on the research design, and methods

that were used to collect present and analyse data. To come

up with concrete evidence of the study the researcher

employed a number of techniques to gather the required

information. This chapter seeks to discuss the methods used

by the researcher in getting the data needed. The researcher

will allude to some of the important aspects which are

looked at while doing a research, these include, population,

research design and data collecting procedures.

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

The study is a fusion of qualitative and qualitative

techniques. It study employs the case study design and seeks

to make an in depth investigation into characteristics that

led to the increased use of the social media by the youths

in Buhera in particular. Lamnek (2005), describes a case

study as a research approach situated between concrete data

taking and methodological paradigms. A case study according

to Murima (2005), provides many sources of evidence, the

most common ones being interviews, documentation,

observation and physical artefacts. The researcher ensured

that there will be minimum limitation to the case study by

ensuring that respondents were aware of the issue under

discussion. Help from experienced personnel who assisted in

data gathering process was also used to ensure that

limitations were minimised.

3.1.1 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

In order to capture true reflections of how the youths in

Buhera use the social media the study employs the

qualitative research method but however it will also use the

quantitative methods to have concrete answers to the main

research question. The researcher used the qualitative

method because wanted to get an in-depth understanding of

how the youths use the social media –Facebook and WhatsApp.

According to Puchta (2004), qualitative research is ideal

for the exploration of topic and ideas with target audience,

in the process insight are gained into what and how people

think and feel about certain aspects. Denzin et al (2005)

posits that the method is employed in many different

researches and aims to gather in-depth understanding of

human behaviour and reasons that govern their behaviour.

Qualitative research method therefore allows the researcher

to interpret data judging from how people behave and what

they say. A qualitative research investigates the why and

how of decision making. In this regard the researcher is to

use the method so that he gets to understand why and how the

youths the social media the way they do.

Data for a qualitative research is gathered from different

sources. According to Coolican (1994) data for a qualitative

research can be obtained from participants` notes and

diaries, participant observer`s field notes, informal or

part-structured interviews, open –ended questions (interview

or questionnaire) and in-depth case study (mixture of

interviews, observations, records). The researcher made the

study mostly qualitative in nature as questionnaires,

interviews and participant observation were the data

collection methods the will use.

To come up with perfect statistical representations the

researcher will also use the quantitative research method.

3.1.2 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

The researcher also made use of the quantitative research

method. Qualitative research method attempts to maximise

objectivity and reliability of a research project. Kothari

(2004) notes, quantitative researches are based on the

measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to

phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity.

Quantitative methods are commonly described as deductive in

nature in the sense that inferences from tests of

statistical hypotheses lead to general inferences about

characteristics of a population.

3.1.3 POPULATION

Best and Kahn(2007) defined a population as any group of

individuals who have one or more characteristics in common

that are of interest to the researcher. The population may

be all the individuals of a particular type or a more

restricted part of that group. In this case the researcher

chose a small population in Buhera Ward 6 (an area around

Marenga Business area were some youths meet and converse at

the shops). Due to financial and time challenges the

researcher focused on a population which is within his

reach. The research findings will be generated from this

population sample.

3.2 SAMPLE

Sampling is an important aspect of any research. It enables

the researcher to concentrate on a small representation of

the whole population. Thus Blaikie (2009:172) says that, a

sample is a selection of elements (members or units) from a

population and may be used to make statements about the

whole population. The study focuses on 30 youths to

represent all the youths in Buhera and look at how they make

use of the social media. In trying to come up with concrete

answers the researcher decided to do his study concentrating

on 30 youths both male and female and try to see how they

use the social media as individuals. There was no systematic

selection of participants as they belonged to different age

groups and professions.

3.2.1 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

3.2.2 RANDOM SAMPLING

The researcher used random sampling to collect data,

according to Kumar (2011) random sampling is all about

choosing the minority to represent the greater population

under study. This method was selected by the researcher

because Buhera is one of the marginalised areas in Zimbabwe

where youths are struggling to have access to news from

traditional sources and are now relying on social media.

Since Buhera is one of the biggest districts in the country

the researcher had to randomly select participants. Daniel

et al (2008), defined random sampling as a situation each

individual is given an equal chance of being selected to

represent a group during a research or study. One is chosen

by chance. In thus the researcher chose the participants by

chance as the ground was level for everyone.

3.2.3 FOCUS GROUP

The researcher created and focused on groups to help gather

data for this research. According to Greenbaum (2000)

a focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a

group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions,

beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept,

advertisement, idea, or packaging. The researcher asked

questions and moderated the groups most of the key questions

were open ended questions so as to keep the questions open

for an unlimited number of responses.

These discussions were never conducted in a formal manner,

this was made to so in an effort by the researcher to give

all the group members sufficient space and time to give

their responses.

3.2.4 SNOWBALL SAMPLING

Another sampling technique which was used to gather

information was snowball sampling. According to Morgan

(2008) snowball sampling is a recruitment technique in which

research participants are asked to assist researchers in

identifying other potential subjects. The researcher

consulted a few people who letter referred some of their

colleagues to be part of the study as well. Turn out of

participant was as anticipated as research topic was not

sensitive or personal. Some of the subjects who were samples

felt safe to leave behind contact details of people whom

they thought might also be interested or willing to

participate.

The researcher made it clear to participants that the study

was for academic purposes and in that manner no compensation

was guaranteed to them.

3.2.5 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

The researcher also uses data the document collection

methods where some stories from both Facebook and WhatsApp

were looked at critically. Deacon (1999) asserts that

document collection has a lot of advantages as the documents

that are collected can be used as first hand exhibit and

little to no opposition can be placed on such document as

everything will be presented in a manner that can be

understood by anyone. (Gillham 2000) believes that documents

can help stabilize reality by comparing it to the formal and

structured one. The diction, the structure and the facts of

a story can all be compared and contrasted making it easy

for one to draw a conclusion or conclusions.

The researcher looked at some stories which were posted on

Facebook and WhatsApp to find out if youths use social media

uniformly.

3.3 METHODOLOGY

3.3.1 INTERVIEWS

The researcher used interviews as one of the major

instrument in gathering data. This method was used to probe

various respondents in order to obtain important information

during the data gathering process. According to Weiss

(1994), an interview is a conversation between two or more

people where questions are asked by the interviewer to

elicit facts or statements from the interviewee. Boyce and

Neale (2006) also noted that, interviewing is a qualitative

research technique that involves conducting intensive

individual interviews with a small number of respondents to

explore their perspectives on a particular idea, program or

situation. Basing on the above definitions the researcher

engaged into one on one discussion with various

representatives of the youths in Buhera selected by him.

Interviewing is the best way in gathering information in

journalism and thus the researcher chose these methods as

key to data gathering of this research. Another reason why

the researcher has chosen this data collecting method is

that it accords the researcher the controlling position of

topics under discussion thus giving him the room to get

adequate answers from participants. This is enabled because

there is room for probing further if you feel that your

initial question was not answered quite well. This notion

is supported by Hansen (1998) who posits that interviewing

allows the researcher to pursue key issues and line of

investigation, at times, allowing respondents to explain

further on any crucial issues raised in focus group

discussions. Authenticity of the data gathered is also a

major tenet of an interview as the interviewer is in a

position on judging the truthfulness of the answers provided

by the interviewee by observing some non-verbal cues which

might be telling a different story from what is being said

by word of mouth. Time as a limiting factor also led the

researcher to use interviews as a chief source of data since

answers are obtained instantly than when using other methods

like questionnaires.

3.3.2 QUESTIONNAIRE

Furthermore, the research also employed a questionnaire as

another method of data collection. Gillham (2008), a

questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a

series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of

gathering information from respondents. Tellis (1997) argues

that a questionnaire is a viable tool for soliciting

information. Questionnaires were distributed to the selected

population of social media users-mainly Facebook and

WhatsApp so that they could respond to the given questions.

The researcher chose questionnaires as a method of data

collection because they are not labour intensive in a way as

the questions are distributed to the selected people at

random. Chances are that the answers got from the

respondents may be universal and it makes data compilation

an easy task. This is supported by Mellenberg (2008) who

says, questionnaire have advantages over some other types of

surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much

effort from the questioner as verbal or telephone surveys ,

and often have standardised answers that make it simple to

compile data.

A total of 30 questionnaires were distributed to the

selected population of the youths. Since the research is

based on a literate population the researcher was able to

evade illiteracy as a barrier to answering the questions as

they were structured in a simple form which can be easily

understood even by an average learned person.

However, according to Wimmer and Dominick (2003) cited in

Jona (2009) there are five main problems with

questionnaires. These are:

1. Respondents need to corporate when completing a

questionnaire. Sometimes they do not have time and when

they rush through the questionnaire, they might not

give a serious thought to the questions and give

inaccurate responses.

2. Respondents must respond by giving facts. However, some

respondents may decide to be unduly helpful by

attempting to anticipate what researchers want to hear

or find out.

3. Questionnaires may require respondents to give

information on topics that re unfamiliar to them.

4. Some respondents may withhold the information because

they do not wish to give it for some reason.

5. Questionnaires do not probe the respondents if they

either give an inadequate answer or an interesting one.

3.3.3 PARTICIPATORY OBSERVATION

The researcher despite the limited time which was available

managed to join and form some groups on the social media so

as to get first-hand information from the participants by

just mare observation of their main subjects of discussions

on these groups. Participatory Observation was another

method which was used by the researcher in gathering

information about how the youths in Buhera –Marenga area use

the social media. The researcher used this method also to

see the prevailing culture on the social media.

Data obtained though participatory observation serves as a

check against participants subjective reporting of what they

believe and do. According to Emerson (2001), participatory

observation is one type of data collection method typically

done in the qualitative research paradigm. It is widely used

when wanting to study the cultural traits of a group of

people. The method was chosen because it gives the

researcher the opportunity of gaining closer insights of the

happenings of the group. To get the desired results,

according to Marshal and Rossman (1998), the researcher must

become the member of the group, culture, or setting and

adopt roles to conform to that setting. It is argued that a

researcher gets insufficient information if not

participating during the research, thus the researcher

assumed an active role so as to get authentic answers to the

research questions.

However, participatory observation has some disadvantages

which may hinder the results. One of it is that it is time

consuming. It requires the researcher to take enough time

monitoring the happenings of the meta-group. This is not

practical for most researches which have limited time. This

weakness was however partially mitigated in this research by

the fact that the researcher is a youth from the area under

study.

Having clash of interests between group members during the

research also hindered progress as social media was used as

a war zone tend to forget the aims of the groups. Since the

researcher was part of some groups on the social media

platforms, it was hard sometimes when he was subjected to

pornographic pictures and videos.

3.4 DATA PRESENTATION

Data collected was tabulated in preparation for analysis.

Qualitative responses were counted and tallied and

qualitative data was recorded on summary sheets. Tables and

graphs were constructed to show the findings and to

calculate the percentages for comparison. Statistical

procedures were applied to the compiled data.

3.4.1 COLUMN GRAPHS

These are charts with rectangular bars with lengths

proportional to the values they represent. Column graphs can

help in comparing two or more values and can be presented

vertically or horizontally. Column graphs help in sharing

comparisons of subject under study over a period of time.

3.4.2 PIE CHARTS

The researcher used pie charts to depict proportions of the

subjects under study. Pie charts are simple diagrams for

displaying categorical or grouped data. A pie chart consists

of a circle divided into segments, one segment for each

category. Pie charts communicate simple ideas. Pie charts

are easy to understand and to construct.

3.5 CONCLUSION

This chapter discussed the research design informing this

study. A discussion of encountered benefits and setbacks of

each method used was uncovered –basing from various

scholarly reviews carried out. Data gathering tools such as

content analysis, in-depth interviews and questionnaires

were discussed and critiqued. The analysis of the

methodology indicated the effort put by the researcher to

obtain the necessary information for the project. The

chapter was concluded with an outline of methods adopted for

the analysis of data. The next chapter looks at analysis and

presentation of the data obtained in this chapter in order

to find out how the youth in Buhera use the social media.

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter focuses on the presentation and analysis of

the gathered data. The researcher designed some

questionnaires thus in a way guided the acquisition of data

gathered. Both the qualitative and quantitative approach

where used to analyse the gathered data. The study was

largely based in the qualitative format although some

aspects of quantitative techniques were used to supplement

and further clarify the data found. The findings are based

on what the researcher obtained on the analysis of the use

of the social media by the youths in Buhera.

4.1 DATA PRESENTATION

The results presented in this chapter were obtained mainly

from the responses to the questionnaire issued by the

researcher, interviews and participatory observations. A

total of 30 questionnaires were distributed to the youths in

Buhera and there was a 76.6% response as 23 of the

questionnaires were returned. There are also some results

from in-depth interviews with the selected youths in Buhera.

The researcher also put into consideration the personal

profile of respondents these being age, and sex of the

participants. The data was presented according to the

themes. In this regard tables and graphs were used to

describe the demographic characteristics. Below each table

or graph is a short narrative description of these

variables.

All age groups had about 33.3% representation during the

research. They were grouped in the following age groups; 18-

25, 26-30 and 31-35 respectively. All the selected age

ranges are of utmost importance in this study as they were

part of the population that was sampled and observed by the

researcher with the assumption that they all have access to

the internet and are part of the global village- facebook

and whatsapp.

The table below shows how the participants responded to the

questionnaires.

Categories of age Number Percentage

18-25 7 23.3

26-30 10 33.3

31-35 6 20

Total 76.6

Fig 4.2

The above table illustrates how the participants responded

to the distributed questionnaires. The majority of

responses came from the middle class youths; 26-30 which

had 33.3% followed by junior youths 18-25; which had 23.3%

and lastly the senior youths 31-35 had the lowest responses

with 20%.

23.3

33.320

23.4

questionnaire responses according to age groups

18-2526-3031-35unreturned

Fig 4.3

4.1.2 Sexual Orientation

During the research, the researcher discovered that there

are more males than females who participated in this study.

The males were 14 males and that constitutes 61% of the

total participants who responded to the questionnaires,

whereas the females were 9 that is 39% of the total

respondents. There was a small gap between both sexes in the

way they responded to the questions. The biological setup of

a person is responsible for the choices that person make in

life in a way sex is that which determines what a person

chooses. These sentiments are supported by Haralambos (1984)

who posits that, the biological make up of an individual is

intimately related to his or her behavior and the impact of

our environment depends on our genetic makeup. Basing from

the findings it is clear that the social media use is

determined by the sexual orientation of the person using it.

This conclusion came to being basing from the responses

gotten during face to face interviews and questionnaires

issued out.

The graph below shows how respondents participated basing on

their sex.

Fig4.4

male female02468101214

Respondents accordining to their sex

Respondants accordining to their sex

4.1.3 Education and Employment

To come up with fairly reliable and authentic research, the

researcher selected fairly educated participants the least

having passed through ordinary level and the highest being

university graduates. The researcher chose this group

because one’s level of education and occupation determines

the use of social media amongst the youths. The general

society then relies of the internet to gather news and

information as they want it to suite their various needs.

The table below shows the level of education of participants

and their occupation.

Level of education Number of people OccupationDegree 6

2

Students

TeacherDiploma

7

Teacher

Secondary

10

5

Unemployed

Self-employed

Fig 4.5

The various levels of education and employment meant that

the youths used the internet differently as well. Amongst

the participants some were civil servants, this group was

made up of people who were much into gathering up to date

news in the country which they will further disseminate to

the general populace. The Civil Servants- mostly teachers

are seen as opinion leaders and news sources at Marenga

Business Centre. Much of the information disseminated by

these active users of the internet is mainly political news,

for example the recent splitting of the MDC T and in-house

fights in ZANU PF. They get much of their answers on

Facebook where they access online newspapers and are members

of some pages like Democracy Advocacy Initiative and Baba Jukwa. Some

of the information is got from WhatsApp. The civil servants

constituted 30% of the participants. Of the working class

all the participants use the social uniformly as they use it

to access the fundamental aspects of the media, that is,

getting information, entertainment, educate and public

sphere –where they debate different issues on various

platforms.

Also amongst the participants were university and college

students. They constituted 20% of the population. Most of

the students use the social media to access information that

has to do with sexual activities. This was evident from the

groups they were in. these include, Tete MaNcube, Zvebonde no

under 18, Hapana asingade pakati and Vanoda zvinhu. Some of these

people even have their whatsapp groups where they post

pornographic pictures and videos, the groups include Mboko

imboko and Crazy Friends. It is worth noting that all the

students in this category are also part of the political

groups mentioned above. In a way they are accorded the same

position as the civil servants as they are viewed as

critical thinkers, thus being seen as opinion shapers. The

student also revealed that they use the social media to get

cheap news and to communicate with their friends and

relatives as most of the times are faced with financial

constraints and that they do not have time to listen to

either the radio or watch the television to get news due to

the nature of their schedules.

The researcher also dealt with those who were at the lower

ranks of education as he had structured his research. These

constituted much of the research population as they

constituted 50% of the population. This group is made up of

people who use the social media to make friends and

communicate with their relatives and friends. It was

surprising to note that a number of them were friends with

people they do not know –mainly on facebook. However, it is

interesting to note that about 40% of them are also part of

the political groups on facebooks mostly the Baba Jukwa page

which hit the waves towards the 2013 July harmonized

elections. The remainder mostly females showed no interests

in political news and are much into gospel pages like

Z.A.O.G.A FIF Zimbabwe and Adventist Youths on Facebook. About 73% of

this group was also part of facebook pages which had

something to do with sex like Tete maNcube, and Zvebonde no under

18.

The researcher found out that about 70% of the youths in

Buhera use the social media so that they acquire political

news. 86.6% of youths the uses the social media to access

information which has to do with sex pornographic material.

Since most of the participants are in the academic system in

Zimbabwe many use the social media to get educational

information. Only 3% of the total population indicated that

they do not use the social media for educational purposes.

More than 50% of the youths use the social platforms for

other purposes which have nothing to do with either politics

or sex. In this research, the researcher by ‘Others’ refers

to other uses of social media by youths in Buhera; these

include entertainment, to socialize and dating.

The table below shows how the youths in Buhera use the

social media

Use Number of users Percentage %Political 21 70Sexual news/

pornographic

material

26 86.6

Education 27 90Other(s) AllFig 4.6

A graph was contrasted to represent the data on the table

above

Fig 4.7

0306090

Social Media use by the youths in Buhera

Social Media use by the youths in Buhera

4.3.2 ADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Most of the youths said they prefer the social media to the

traditional news sources because the website delivers news

faster that the newspaper. For example the story of the

police officers beaten by a Madzibaba sect in April 2014

went viral on the social media (facebook and whatsapp)

before the traditional media reported about it. They also

postulated that social media usually seek the truth, deliver

the facts and offer relevant context and analysis where

possible. They also said that the internet through mobile

phones provide an opportunity to communicate fast and easy.

They said that when something happen a lot of information

especially pictures and videos come from people who are eye

witnesses.

Since most of the newspapers are found in the town reaching

rural people in time is a daunting task for most media

houses due to the poor roads that connect the rural areas

with urban areas. Most complained that $1 is too much for

them as most of the time they get the newspapers late. They

prefer the internet because it provides a number of other

things that just stagnant news offered by the traditional

media, for example they can access a number of newspapers

for a dollar when using the internet. Some also said that

they have also learnt to become citizen journalists using

only their phones or other internet compatible devices

because when they come across scenes, situations, and events

they think might make news they use post then on the

internet with a brief but key information along their media

content and it might find its way on the website.

4.3 CONCLUSION

This chapter presented the findings and discussed these

finding in relation to the theoretical and reviewed in

chapter two. The following chapter will give an overall

summary of the study. It also offers recommendations to the

various youths and stakeholders who are set to benefit from

this research.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMANTATIONS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

A Summary and the major findings of the study are the major

concerns of this chapter. It will reflect the key concerns

that were discussed in the first two chapters of this

project. The chapter also proposes an area for further

research on this topic. Recommendations to the government

and other stakeholders are made.

5.2 MAJOR FINDINGS

This study sought to find out the how the youths in Buhera

make use of the social media (mostly Facebook and WhatsApp)

in this era when the internet has made it possible for

everyone to have access to cheap news with just a click of a

button on their cell phones. 30 were used to represent

the whole of Buhera- which one of the biggest districts in

Zimbabwe. A descriptive survey method was used during the

research. Unstructured interviews, questionnaires and

observations were used to gather data. 80% of the issued

questionnaires were returned.

Despite the constant public concern about the incapacity of

the responsible authorities to provide news to all parts of

the country- by improving service delivery- very little was

done to improve the situation. Basing on this assumption it

is crystal clear why the youths in Buhera opted for the

social media instead. However during the a number of the

youths are now using the internet to access information

which is not suitable for our African culture- watching

sacred bedroom acts on public domain. Young people are

subject to pornography. This has created a phenomenon

referred to by Strasburger and Wilson (2002), as ‘media

panic’, where the society tends to fear a new media as it

develops.

During this research, it was discovered that most of the

youths in Buhera claimed to use the internet to access news

and information at one time or another. The researcher also

observed that Facebook and WhatsApp are the major visited

pages on the social platform. It also revealed that most of

the users preferred communicating with relatives and

political news compared with other issues. The presented

data revealed that people preferred more local content

compared to broad content as local content made people

relate more to the stories as they would have been written

in their own vicinity.

The researcher found out that most of the newspapers in the

country do not have constant supply of their newspapers to

the remote areas as they take news as a perishable commodity

which needs to be delivered in time to the consumers. Late

delivery means that their news would have lost its

relevance. The data presented reveals that most of the

youths I Buhera make use of the internet to access the

fundamental functions of the news sources, that is,

informing, educating and informing. This is because they are

not able to access hardcopies of newspapers available on the

market and also that some are not having access to the local

radios and television channels due to poor signals. With

the political situation that prevailed in the country in the

past years most youths resorted to the social media as a

reliable source of news as it tend to proved balanced news

than the Public and the Private media who tend to be biased

towards certain political parties. Basing on the findings,

the youths revealed that the social media is not subjected

to manipulation by political parties like what has been

happening to some newspapers and radio stations.

One of the important findings is that social media accords

the youths a platform to say out their feelings and opinions

without fears of intimidation as they can use pseudo names

on some pages. The internet however gives website

administrators a platform of anonymity as it allows these

administrators to use pseudonyms. As a result of this

newspapers have their media content limited in terms of

information and the internet gives unlimited space to post

anything they want using fake identities to avoid the law.

Most of the people who interacted with the researcher

revealed a lot of advantages for gaining access to news and

information as well as them posting news and information on

the internet. Most of the youths alluded to the social

media as a great platform for them as they can know view

themselves as journalists who are not bound by any

gatekeeping or editorial policy of any media house.

Media theories like gate keeping theory and the agenda

setting theory can have an indirect and negative impact on

people. These theories are a hegemonic approach to the

audience and the audience has proven to be active rather

that passive as they are shifting away from news and

information sources that are hegemonic in nature so those

that respect and treat them using the uses and gratification

theory.

Most –if not all- newspapers in the country have introduced

online news so that they can cater for every citizen without

many expenses accrued. This also allows news consumers to

have their favourite information anytime. Latest news to

some stories is got as stories are constantly updated if

there happens to be new developments. It also gives

consumers more control of the media content as they are

given the platform to communicate with the journalist who

writes stories to give their opinions.

Most youths in Buhera are grateful for social media

platforms for providing an instant solution in sending and

receiving information arguing that the traditional physical

mailing process was an inconvenience. The youths were happy

with facebook and whatsApp saying they can now access

newspapers online and could now read the news on time.

Social media use though still low is proving to be fruitful

for most as they can now timeously send, receive and

disseminate information. Social media has become a sphere

for sending notices of deaths, births, functions and events

that are transpiring within the Buhera community. The social

media has also been accredited with the maintenance of

family ties with relatives who are in urban and distant

places as space and boundaries have been rendered.

The study can benefit a number of stakeholders as it can

enhance some developments based from the findings gathered

from this research. The information will be handy to the

Ministry of Information of Technology as it will improve or

introduce some platforms where people will be posting and

discussing local pressing issues. The study will also help

newspaper media houses to produce unbiased news content as

they will be dealing with a live audience and not the docile

audience they used to address in the past.

5.3 ACADEMIC VALUE OF THE CASE STUDY

This research project may be useful to a number of academics

as the information can be used to promote softcopy news for

internet consumption putting into consideration that most of

the youths have more access to the internet than any other

news source. Since the audience are no longer passive as

perceived before, the news companies will desist from

publishing biased information- in favour of their source of

revenues as the audiences is now much aware of these biases.

Furthermore the researcher makes it aware of the ignorance

of the dangers and disadvantages of relying with the social

media as a news source have to be brought to the people. The

study also showed that youths in Buhera are more interested

with issues that affect them –thus wanting local news than

any other. Youths in Buhera are more into politics as most

of them actively participate on political pages that are

found on Facebook and some discussions on WhatsApp.

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS

Basing from the information gathered some recommendations

were made.

Shift focus from hard copy to internet

Since news is a perishable commodity newspaper companies

should sell their news cheaply on the internet as most

youths are now more into internet use than having hardcopy

news. People are becoming technological vested and the

newspaper company must find ways to keep up with its

audience.

Provide balanced news

The Media houses must provide balanced news so that they

cannot lose their readers to the internet. They must remove

any form of biased reporting and writing; they should try to

accommodate as many divergent views as possible.

Use the social media constructively

The youths must use the social media for constructive

purposes and not to use it to advance their own personal

vendettas. Most people take advantages of hiding behind

pseudonyms to post deconstructive information on the

internet. People must put the interests of the nation

affront before their personal, for the betterment of our

country.

REFERENCE

Atton, C. (2001). Living in the past?: value discourses in progressive rock

fanzines. Popular

Music, 20(1), 29-46.

Baran, S.J., & Davis, D.K. (2010). Mass communication theory:

Foundations, ferment, and future. Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth/Thomson.

Best,J.W and Kahn,J.V.(2007).Research in Education. New

Dehli:Prentice Hall.

Bowman, S, Willis, C (2003) We Media: How audiences are shaping the

futuare of

news and information, The Media Center at the American

Press Institute.

Blaikie,N.(2009).Designing Social Research:The Logic of Anticipation.

Second Edition.Cambridge;Polity

Press.

Chiyadzwa,I.F (2014) Patterns of social media usage amongst the

marginalized rural Zimbabwean peasants: The case

of Bikita.

Coolican,H.(1994).Research Methods and Stistics in Psychology

Second.London: Edition.Hodder and Stoughton.

Couldry, N. and Curran J. (2003). The paradox of media power. In

N. Couldry and J. Curran (Eds.), Contesting

media power: Alternative media in a networked world (pp. 3-15).

Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield

Dauze, M. (2007) Preparing for an Age of Participatory News,In

Journalism Practice, Vol. 1, No 3, 2007

Denzin,N.K& Y. S. Lincoln ,Y.S.(Eds.), Handbook of qualitative

research.London: Sage.

Downing, J. (2003). Audiences and readers of alternative media: The

absent lure of the

virtually unknown. Media, Culture and Society, 25(5), 625-

645

Dominick, J.R and Wimmer, R.D (2005) Mass Media Research: An

Introduction 8th ed. Belmont,

CA: Thompson Wardsworth

Gillham, B. (2000) Developing a questionnaire (real world research).

London:

Continuum

Fourie,P.J.(2001).Media Studies:Institutions Theories and Issues.Cape

Town:Juta and Company Ltd.

Habermas, J. (1989 (1962)). The Structural Transformation of the Public

Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. Cambridge, MA:

The MIT Press

Harmanci, R (2008) Citizen Journalism carries unique pitfalls, San Francisco

Chronicle,

05/10/2008, pA7, 0p http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/

article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/05/MNIV13B9E4.DTL

Jenkins, H (2006) Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide,

New York: NYU

Press

Jensen, K. B. (1991). Introduction: The qualitative turn. In

K. B. Jensen and N. W. Jankowski

(Eds.), A handbook of qualitative methodologies for mass

communication research (pp. 1-11). London: Routledge.

Khotari,C.R.(2004).Research Methodology:Methods and Techniques

Second Revised Edition.New Delhi:New Age International.

Kumar, M. (2010) Ratio estimators in simple random sampling when study

variable is an attribute. World Applied Sciences Journal 11

(5) pp 586-589

Littlejohn,S.W and Foss,K.A.(2009).Encyclopedia of Communication

Theory Volume 1.NewYork:Sage.

MaChensey-Martin, C(2012) ‘users’ In social media Digital Marketing

Zimbabwe

Masuku, C (2013) UPTAKE OF CITIZEN JOURNALISM BY MAINSTREAM PRINT

MEDIA IN ZIMBABWE. THE CASE OF THE HERALD AND THE

SUNDAY MAIL. Sumbitted at the Final Conference

Programme for the 2nd Inter Conference of UCEA.

McCombs, M. (2003) The Agenda-Setting Roleof the Mass Media in the

Shaping of Public Opinion. Austin, University of

Texas Press.

McQuail,D.(2000).Mass Communication Theory 4th Edition.New

Delhi:Sage.

McQuail,D.(2005).Mass Communication Theory 5th Edition.New

Delhi:Sage.

McQuail,D.(2011).Mass Communication Theory 6th Edition.New

Delhi:Sage

Morgan, L. D. (2008). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research

Methods. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Mpofu,S. (2013). Social media and the politics of ethnicity in Zimbabwe,

Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 34:1, pp.115-122

Mzaca, V (2011). Social Networking and the future of political reporting in

Zimbabwe and beyond.

Ndhlovu,P.(2012).“Advantages of social media to today`s

marketer.”ZimMarketer Vol. 4, Harare: Marketers

Association of Zimbabwe

Rosen, J (2006) ‘‘The People Formerly Known as the Audience’’, PressThink,

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2006/06/27/ppl_frmr.ht

ml , accesed 23/08/14

Singer, J B. (2006) ‘‘The Socially Responsible Existentialist: a normative

emphasis for

journalists in a new media environment’’, Journalism Studies 7(1),

pp. 2!18.

Tamang, D (2006) Democracy in Nepal: Role of the Youth

Tellis,W.(1997).Application of a Case Study MethodologyIn The Qualitative

Report,Volume 3,No.3.

Young, Sally 2006, ‘Not Biting the Hand that Feeds? Media Reporting of

Government Advertising in Australia’, Journalism Studies

7(4): 554–74.

Papacharissi, Zizi 2002, ‘The Virtual Sphere: The Internet as a Public

Sphere’, New

Media and Society 4(1): 9–27.

Weiss, R. S. (1994). Learning from strangers, the art and method of

qualitative interview studies. New York, NY: Free

Pr.

Zhangazha, T. (2013) The Defining Year of Zimbabwe?: Going Forward

(Toward A New National Consciousness) http://takura-

zhangazha.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-defining-year-of-

zimbabwe-going.html accessed 12/08/14

www.newzimbabwe.com

www.wikipedia.org

APPENDIX

Participant Interview

Questions noted below were asked to a selected people

amongst the population under study by the researcher.

1. Do you have a phone which accesses internet?

2. Do you have a facebook account or whatsApp?

3. What are the advantages of using the social media?

4. How often do you use the internet and for what

purposes?

5. To what extent do you think that the social media is

doing more harm than good to the African society?

6. Comparing social media with the traditional media, do

you think there is much difference?

Participant Questionnaire

To the Participant

I am currently a student at Great Zimbabwe University

studying for a BA Honours in English and Media Studies.

I am conducting a research for my dissertation which is

mandatory for all students doing their final year at the

institution. My research is focusing on the use of the

social media by youths in Buhera.

Your assistance in answering the structured questions below

would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Marenga Davison Lesley

Please answer the following questions ticking the

appropriate box next to your answer. Where needed give

detailed explanations. AII responses will be treated

confidentially and anonymously (do not write your name or

address on the questionnaire.)

1. Are you an active user of the social media?

Yes No

2. Do you have a facebook/ whatsApp account?

Yes No

3. How often do you view the facebook pages per week?

Once Twice

Thrice and above

4. You use the social media for what reasons?

(a)Entertainment

(b)Getting information

(c) Spreading Information

5. What kind of information do you get from social media

pages like Facebook/ whatsApp?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. What are your thoughts about the coming of the social

media as a competing news source?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. Is social media a reliable platform of getting the

primary functions of the traditional news sources? Support

your answer judging from how you use the social platform.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1. How old are you?

18-23 yrs 23-28 yrs 28-33 yrs 33+

9. Gender

Male Female

10. Level of education

Primary Secondary

College/University

11. What is your overall evaluation of the social media?

Excellent Good Bad

13. Did the coming in of the social media change your

perceptions towards the traditional news sources?

Yes No

14. In what ways would you wish the social platforms would

change the welfare of the youths in Buhera?

(a) Facebook

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(b) WhatsApp

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………