Arithmetic of the sound of silence

The web 2.0 has revolutionised the way in which we communicate with the effect that marginalised groups, including women, can represent themselves – instead of being represented from another’s perspective. However, this article argues that the blur of mainstream media and web 2.0 allows men to assu...

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Main Author: Robert Madoi Nasaba
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Johannesburg 2022-10-01
Series:Communicare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1537
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author Robert Madoi Nasaba
author_facet Robert Madoi Nasaba
author_sort Robert Madoi Nasaba
collection DOAJ
description The web 2.0 has revolutionised the way in which we communicate with the effect that marginalised groups, including women, can represent themselves – instead of being represented from another’s perspective. However, this article argues that the blur of mainstream media and web 2.0 allows men to assume a superior status to women – especially in the global South. The thesis of this article proffers a fresh insight that goes beyond the descriptions of how the web creates contraflows of information for Southern women. At the heart of the debate is the impact garnered – or rather lack of it – when user-generated content from the web 2.0 is used to counterbalance issues from a mainstream point of reference. Using two independent Ugandan media houses as case studies, the article explains data collected through participant observation and unstructured interviews. The article finds that while Southern women have managed to use online spaces (periphery) to acknowledge their sisterhood, an awareness of intersectionality in the mainstream (centre) is conspicuously absent. It draws on the feminist communication theory as informed by feminism and finds that men continue to be privileged when online (periphery) and offline (centre) communities are blurred. To address this, women will have to robustly participate in the news construction process at the “centre.”
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spelling doaj-art-6ea18e25c08443eeaae2f561d92d2a7a2025-01-20T08:56:29ZengUniversity of JohannesburgCommunicare0259-00692957-79502022-10-0138210.36615/jcsa.v38i2.1537Arithmetic of the sound of silenceRobert Madoi Nasaba0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3657-1935Makerere University The web 2.0 has revolutionised the way in which we communicate with the effect that marginalised groups, including women, can represent themselves – instead of being represented from another’s perspective. However, this article argues that the blur of mainstream media and web 2.0 allows men to assume a superior status to women – especially in the global South. The thesis of this article proffers a fresh insight that goes beyond the descriptions of how the web creates contraflows of information for Southern women. At the heart of the debate is the impact garnered – or rather lack of it – when user-generated content from the web 2.0 is used to counterbalance issues from a mainstream point of reference. Using two independent Ugandan media houses as case studies, the article explains data collected through participant observation and unstructured interviews. The article finds that while Southern women have managed to use online spaces (periphery) to acknowledge their sisterhood, an awareness of intersectionality in the mainstream (centre) is conspicuously absent. It draws on the feminist communication theory as informed by feminism and finds that men continue to be privileged when online (periphery) and offline (centre) communities are blurred. To address this, women will have to robustly participate in the news construction process at the “centre.” https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1537web 2.0Southern womenfeminist communication theorywomen’s voices in media spaces
spellingShingle Robert Madoi Nasaba
Arithmetic of the sound of silence
Communicare
web 2.0
Southern women
feminist communication theory
women’s voices in media spaces
title Arithmetic of the sound of silence
title_full Arithmetic of the sound of silence
title_fullStr Arithmetic of the sound of silence
title_full_unstemmed Arithmetic of the sound of silence
title_short Arithmetic of the sound of silence
title_sort arithmetic of the sound of silence
topic web 2.0
Southern women
feminist communication theory
women’s voices in media spaces
url https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1537
work_keys_str_mv AT robertmadoinasaba arithmeticofthesoundofsilence