Information Disorders and Civil Unrest
Various scholars in the global north have explored information disorders and have been able to present findings on them and their implications on various sectors; unfortunately, this has not always been the case for the global South. This desktop study explores information disorders in South Africa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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UJ Press
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Digital Policy Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/dps/article/view/2538 |
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| _version_ | 1849710468667539456 |
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| author | Vhonani Petla |
| author_facet | Vhonani Petla |
| author_sort | Vhonani Petla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Various scholars in the global north have explored information disorders and have been able to present findings on them and their implications on various sectors; unfortunately, this has not always been the case for the global South. This desktop study explores information disorders in South Africa during the July 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal between the 7-19 July. This paper demonstrates that information disorders on social media have been used as a catalyst for unrest; they are used to mobilize both those online and offline. This work shows how politicians and influential individuals used these disorders to facilitate and instigate civil unrest during July 2021. This work argues that people in political office and influential individuals should be aware of the responsibility of being influential and the consequences of their social media posts. The work further argues that despite various ways to counter these information disorders, the digital divide and literacy rate in South Africa make this challenging.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7cc98522d0d94ce981f5ad8fb776f9dc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2791-3597 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | UJ Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Policy Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-7cc98522d0d94ce981f5ad8fb776f9dc2025-08-20T03:14:53ZengUJ PressDigital Policy Studies2791-35972023-11-012110.36615/dps.v2i1.2538Information Disorders and Civil UnrestVhonani Petla0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0320-6154University of Johannesburg Various scholars in the global north have explored information disorders and have been able to present findings on them and their implications on various sectors; unfortunately, this has not always been the case for the global South. This desktop study explores information disorders in South Africa during the July 2021 unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal between the 7-19 July. This paper demonstrates that information disorders on social media have been used as a catalyst for unrest; they are used to mobilize both those online and offline. This work shows how politicians and influential individuals used these disorders to facilitate and instigate civil unrest during July 2021. This work argues that people in political office and influential individuals should be aware of the responsibility of being influential and the consequences of their social media posts. The work further argues that despite various ways to counter these information disorders, the digital divide and literacy rate in South Africa make this challenging. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/dps/article/view/2538DisinformationMisinformationMalinformationSocial mediaGlobal SouthCivil Unrest |
| spellingShingle | Vhonani Petla Information Disorders and Civil Unrest Digital Policy Studies Disinformation Misinformation Malinformation Social media Global South Civil Unrest |
| title | Information Disorders and Civil Unrest |
| title_full | Information Disorders and Civil Unrest |
| title_fullStr | Information Disorders and Civil Unrest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Information Disorders and Civil Unrest |
| title_short | Information Disorders and Civil Unrest |
| title_sort | information disorders and civil unrest |
| topic | Disinformation Misinformation Malinformation Social media Global South Civil Unrest |
| url | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/dps/article/view/2538 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vhonanipetla informationdisordersandcivilunrest |