Maroela Media as openbare sfeer vir Afrikaanssprekendes: Die geval van grondonteiening sonder vergoeding
Date
2019-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Opsomming
Vanweë die toenemende verengelsing van openbare ruimtes soos die staatsdiens, opvoedkundige instellings en howe, het dit vir Afrikaanssprekende Suid-Afrikaners nodig geword om hulle na digitale platforms te wend om deel te neem aan openbare gesprekke oor politieke kwessies wat vir hulle van belang is. Maroela Media, as die grootste Afrikaanse nuuswebtuiste, is ideaal geposisioneer om aan lede van hierdie taalgroep toegang te bied tot ’n Afrikaanse openbare sfeer, waartoe alle lede van dié gemeenskap geredelik toegang het en waar hulle vrylik aan openbare debatte kan deelneem. Die navorsing het onderneem om te bepaal tot watter mate Maroela Media aan hierdie ideaal voldoen. Ten einde Maroela Media se rol en effektiwiteit met betrekking tot die skep van ’n Afrikaanse openbare sfeer te ondersoek, het die navorser ’n kombinasie van die beginsels van die Ubuntu-benadering tot etiek en die netwerk-aangedrewe openbare sfeer as teoretiese raamwerk gebruik. Data is ingesamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met redaksielede van Maroela Media te voer en leserskommentare wat op die webtuiste gepubliseer is in te win. Die politieke kwessie van grondonteiening sonder vergoeding is as fokus vir die studie gebruik. Data is deur middel van kwalitatiewe inhoudsontleding ontleed ten einde bepaalde bevindings te maak, wat die navorser in staat gestel het om die studie se navorsingsvrae te beantwoord. Hoewel die webtuiste vir talle Afrikaanssprekendes toegang tot die openbare sfeer bied en ’n verskeidenheid lesers se opinies verteenwoordig, het die navorser tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat Maroela Media nie aan die beginsels van ’n ideale netwerk-aangedrewe openbare sfeer binne die konteks van Ubuntu voldoen het tydens gesprekke oor grondonteiening sonder vergoeding nie. Deur die aard van leserskommentare op Maroela Media te ondersoek, kon die navorser lig werp op die rol van Afrikaanse nuuswebtuistes, en in die besonder Maroela Media, om aan Afrikaanssprekende Suid-Afrikaners toegang tot ’n openbare sfeer in hul moedertaal te bied.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Due to increasing Anglicisation of public spaces like the civil service, educational institutions and the courts, it has become necessary for Afrikaans-speaking South Africans to make use of digital platforms in order to take part in public discussions about political issues that concern them. Maroela Media, as the largest Afrikaans news website, is ideally positioned to provide members of this language group an Afrikaans public sphere that is easily accessible and where they can freely take part in public discussions in their mother tongue. The researcher undertook to determine to what extent Maroela Media lives up to this ideal. In order to investigate Maroela Media’s role and efficiency in creating an Afrikaans public sphere, this researcher used a combination of the principals of the Ubuntu approach to ethics and the networked public sphere as theoretical framework. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with members of Maroela Media’s editorial staff, and through gathering readers’ comments published on the website. The political issue of land expropriation without compensation was used as focus for this study. In order to make the necessary findings that enabled the researcher to answer the research questions, the data was analysed through qualitative content analysis. Although Maroela Media does provide access to the public sphere to a large part of the Afrikaans community and represents a variety of readers’ opinions on the website, this researcher came to the conclusion that Maroela Media did not comply with the principals of an ideal networked public sphere functioning within the context of Ubuntu during conversations about land expropriationg without compensation. By examining the nature of readers’ comments on Maroela Media, this researcher managed to provide insight into the role of Afrikaans news websites, and Maroela Media in particular, in providing Afrikaans-speaking South Africans access to a public sphere in their mother tongue.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Due to increasing Anglicisation of public spaces like the civil service, educational institutions and the courts, it has become necessary for Afrikaans-speaking South Africans to make use of digital platforms in order to take part in public discussions about political issues that concern them. Maroela Media, as the largest Afrikaans news website, is ideally positioned to provide members of this language group an Afrikaans public sphere that is easily accessible and where they can freely take part in public discussions in their mother tongue. The researcher undertook to determine to what extent Maroela Media lives up to this ideal. In order to investigate Maroela Media’s role and efficiency in creating an Afrikaans public sphere, this researcher used a combination of the principals of the Ubuntu approach to ethics and the networked public sphere as theoretical framework. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with members of Maroela Media’s editorial staff, and through gathering readers’ comments published on the website. The political issue of land expropriation without compensation was used as focus for this study. In order to make the necessary findings that enabled the researcher to answer the research questions, the data was analysed through qualitative content analysis. Although Maroela Media does provide access to the public sphere to a large part of the Afrikaans community and represents a variety of readers’ opinions on the website, this researcher came to the conclusion that Maroela Media did not comply with the principals of an ideal networked public sphere functioning within the context of Ubuntu during conversations about land expropriationg without compensation. By examining the nature of readers’ comments on Maroela Media, this researcher managed to provide insight into the role of Afrikaans news websites, and Maroela Media in particular, in providing Afrikaans-speaking South Africans access to a public sphere in their mother tongue.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
Keywords
Maroela Media, Ubuntu (Philosophy), Afrikaans-speaking South Africans -- Digital media -- Social aspects, Digital media -- South Africa, Journalism -- South Africa, Afrikaners -- Digital media -- Social aspects, Social media -- Political aspects -- South Africa, Mass media -- Political aspects -- South Africa, Mass media -- Social aspects -- South Africa, Social media -- Social aspects -- South Africa, Afrikaners -- Digital media -- Social networks, Afrikaans-speaking South Africans -- Digital media -- Social networks, UCTD