Metavoicing, trust-building mechanisms and partisan messaging: a study of social media usage by selected South African female politicians

ABSTRACT

This study investigates social media usage patterns, Twitter’ frequency use and message typologies of selected South African female politicians’. Using the digital public sphere theory as a lens, the study considers six hundred Twitter posts from six female politicians from the African National Congress, Democratic Alliance, and Economic Freedom Fighters political parties to examine the potential of social media for visibility and participation, particularly for female politicians who are underrepresented in mainstream media platforms. The study finds that these politicians leverage digital media to promote their public works, challenging media gatekeeping and asserting agency in shaping public discourse. The findings also reveal the strategic use of social media for self-promotion allowing female politicians to enhance visibility, influence public perception, and consolidate their positions.

KEYWORDS:

• Twitter
• digital public sphere
• South Africa
• female politicians
• political communication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Trust Matsilele

Trust Matsilele is a senior Journalism Lecturer at the Birmingham City University's School of Media and English. He has published two books, Social Media and Digital Dissidence in Zimbabwe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) and New Journalism Ecologies in East and Southern Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023).

Sisanda Nkoala

Sisanda Nkoala is a senior lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology's Media Department. She is a rhetoric and media scholar. She is currently editing two book volumes looking at the 100 years of radio in South Africa. The author order is agreed.