Dialogue of the Deaf: Listening on Twitter and Democratic Responsiveness during the 2015 South African State of the Nation Address

Sorenson, L; Ford, H; Al-Saqaf, W; Bosch, T

Dialogue of the Deaf: Listening on Twitter and Democratic Responsiveness during the 2015 South African State of the Nation Address

Sorenson, L Ford, H

Al-Saqaf, W Bosch, T

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Publisher:: Springer International Publishing
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change, 2019, pp. 229-254
Issue Date:: 2019

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Sorenson, L
dc.contributor.author	Ford, H https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3500-9772
dc.contributor.author	Al-Saqaf, W
dc.contributor.author	Bosch, T
dc.date.accessioned	2023-01-04T22:03:28Z
dc.date.available	2023-01-04T22:03:28Z
dc.date.issued	2019
dc.identifier.citation	Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change, 2019, pp. 229-254
dc.identifier.isbn	9783030167479
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/164695
dc.description.abstract	This chapter investigates the use of social media as a channel of communication between citizens and government. It draws on the concept of ‘listening’ in democratic communication (Couldry, N., Why Voice Matters: Culture and Politics After Neoliberalism. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2010; Dobson, A., Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014). In the run-up to the 2015 State of the Nation Address, the South African presidency conducted a listening exercise on Twitter, which failed on all counts. Combining quantitative and qualitative analyses of Twitter conversations, the chapter evaluates the quality of listening and identifies the reasons for the collapse of the conversation. The findings suggest that while poorly performed listening campaigns can result in spiralling frustration among citizens, social media platforms like Twitter can also provide opportunities for governments to listen in a manner that serves a more positive relationship with citizens.
dc.format.extent	12
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Springer International Publishing
dc.relation.ispartof	Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/978-3-030-16748-6_10
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.title	Dialogue of the Deaf: Listening on Twitter and Democratic Responsiveness during the 2015 South African State of the Nation Address
dc.type	Chapter
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Digital and Social Media
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2023-01-04T22:03:21Z
pubs.place-of-publication	The Netherlands
pubs.publication-status	Published
dc.location	The Netherlands

Abstract:

This chapter investigates the use of social media as a channel of communication between citizens and government. It draws on the concept of ‘listening’ in democratic communication (Couldry, N., Why Voice Matters: Culture and Politics After Neoliberalism. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2010; Dobson, A., Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014). In the run-up to the 2015 State of the Nation Address, the South African presidency conducted a listening exercise on Twitter, which failed on all counts. Combining quantitative and qualitative analyses of Twitter conversations, the chapter evaluates the quality of listening and identifies the reasons for the collapse of the conversation. The findings suggest that while poorly performed listening campaigns can result in spiralling frustration among citizens, social media platforms like Twitter can also provide opportunities for governments to listen in a manner that serves a more positive relationship with citizens.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/164695