The political use of ‘new’ media in the 2014 South African national election
Date
2015-04
Authors
Malherbe, Daniel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nuwe media het ’n duidelike impak op die manier waarop moderne politieke partye
en partyleiers hulle verkiesingsveldtogte bestuur.
Hierdie studie fokus daarom op die vraag: Hoe is nuwe media tydens die 2014 Suid-
Afrikaanse nasionale verkiesing gebruik? Dit word gedoen deur konteks te gee aan
wat nuwe media behels, hoe dit in die moderne politiek gebruik word, en wat die
impak is wat nuwe media op verkiesings en verkiesingsveldtogte het. Drie
gevallestudies, die Obama-veldtog, asook die 2014 verkiesings in Indië en Brasilië,
word gebruik om spesifieke elemente oor die impak wat nuwe media op verkiesings
het, uit te wys.
Die ontleding word dan gebruik om ’n kriteria-raamwerk te skep waarteen spesifieke
Suid-Afrikaanse politieke partye se gebruik van sosiale media in die 2014 verkiesing
gemeet word, om hulle sukses al dan nie daarmee te bepaal. Die sukseskriteria maak
dit moontlik om politieke partye in ’n rangorde te plaas en punte aan hulle toe te ken.
Die punte-telling, uit ’n totaal van 50, word dan gebruik om te bepaal waarom die
partye sukses behaal het, of nie.
Nog 50 punte word toegeken op die basis van ’n subjektiewe oordeel oor
taalgebruiken aanslag asook geteikende kieserskommunikasie op nuwe media
platforms, meer spesifiek Twitter. Dit word gedoen deur insigte uit ’n studie van
relevante literatuur oor die verkiesingveldtog, Suid-Afrika se demografiese en
geografiese verskille asook om te oordeel of die partye wat in die studie bestudeer
word kommunikasie strategieë benut het om die verskillende groeperings van kiesers
te teiken.
Die studie bevind dat die spesifieke partye, gemeet teen die raamwerk vir kriteria vir
sukses, sowel as die subjektiewe opinie oor taalgebruik en aanslag in kommunikasie,
hulle sleg van hul taak gekwyt het in die 2014 nasionale verkiesing in Suid-Afrika.
Hulle het in meeste gevalle, met die DA as ’n uitsondering, nie geslaag om die nodige
digitale-platforms te vestig en om suksesvol deur die nuwe media platforms te
kommunikeer nie. Hulle het ook nie geslaag om die apatie van die Suid-Afrikaanse
jeug aan te spreek nie en daar was ’n gebrek aan geteikende en relevante
kommunikasie met spesifieke sosiale groepe. Die partye het ook nie daarin geslaag
om die kiesers wat partyloos is, of van party wil verander, ’n beter opsie te bied nie.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: New media is seen as having a big impact on the way modern political parties run their campaigns during election periods. This paper focuses on answering the question: How was new media used in the 2014 South African national election? It does this by creating a context regarding the understanding of what new media is, how it is used in politics, and what impact it has on electioneering and political campaign strategies. Three case studies, the Obama campaign and the 2014 Indian and Brazilian elections, are used to highlight how new media has impacted on elections. This analysis is then framed into a set of criteria for success that is used to measure the chosen South African political parties against, to determine whether or not they used new media well in the 2014 South African national election. A set of criteria for success thus makes it possible to rank and assign points to each party and from those points determine whether that party used new media well or poorly. Each party is given a score out of 50. The other 50 points were awarded based on a subjective view regarding the actual use of language and focused voter communication on new media platforms, specifically Twitter. This was done by looking at the insights garnered from the literature regarding electoral campaigning, South Africa’s demographic and geographic differences and seeing if the parties analysed in this study employed communication strategies to target these voter differences. This study found that the parties identified, when measured against the set of criteria for success that was created and the subjective views of the way in which the parties communicated, did not use new media well in the 2014 South African national election. They failed in most cases, with the DA being the exception, to build the necessary online platforms or to communicate effectively through new media platforms. There was also too little focus on addressing voter apathy in the youth and there was a lack of targeted communication to specific social groups. Parties also failed to present themselves as a viable alternative to voters who did not already identify with a party or those who were looking for an alternative party.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: New media is seen as having a big impact on the way modern political parties run their campaigns during election periods. This paper focuses on answering the question: How was new media used in the 2014 South African national election? It does this by creating a context regarding the understanding of what new media is, how it is used in politics, and what impact it has on electioneering and political campaign strategies. Three case studies, the Obama campaign and the 2014 Indian and Brazilian elections, are used to highlight how new media has impacted on elections. This analysis is then framed into a set of criteria for success that is used to measure the chosen South African political parties against, to determine whether or not they used new media well in the 2014 South African national election. A set of criteria for success thus makes it possible to rank and assign points to each party and from those points determine whether that party used new media well or poorly. Each party is given a score out of 50. The other 50 points were awarded based on a subjective view regarding the actual use of language and focused voter communication on new media platforms, specifically Twitter. This was done by looking at the insights garnered from the literature regarding electoral campaigning, South Africa’s demographic and geographic differences and seeing if the parties analysed in this study employed communication strategies to target these voter differences. This study found that the parties identified, when measured against the set of criteria for success that was created and the subjective views of the way in which the parties communicated, did not use new media well in the 2014 South African national election. They failed in most cases, with the DA being the exception, to build the necessary online platforms or to communicate effectively through new media platforms. There was also too little focus on addressing voter apathy in the youth and there was a lack of targeted communication to specific social groups. Parties also failed to present themselves as a viable alternative to voters who did not already identify with a party or those who were looking for an alternative party.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.
Keywords
Political campaigns -- South Africa, Elections -- South Africa, Mass media -- Political aspects -- South Africa, Internet in political campaigns, Elections -- Computer network resources, UCTD