When queer Nigerians fear for safety and the ultimate loss of lives, social media, and Twitter especially, has been a reliable tool to draw attention to the very real issues they are faced with
Posted inNews/Politics
Covid-19: Contrasting preparation by the DA-led Western Cape and other provinces
When you make a choice, you also choose the consequence. The people of the Western Cape need to start thinking about the possibilities of Cape independence
Posted inMedia
10 things that happen to you when you quit Twitter
This is what happens to you after you quit Twitter
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Zille is gone, Twitter is empty
I do not have any reason to Twitter I joined just to follow Helen Zille I thought we’d have great adventures Propounding Liberalism’s virtues Then the haters and the hatred could Be defeated with rational looks At arguments and mindful logic applied To unwind, untangle and internalize The great social problems of the day The […]
Posted inEnvironment, Gender violence, General, News/Politics
It’s official, I’m a twit!
I swore off social media rubbishcapades more than a decade ago. I still have all my records from the early and mid 90s regarding my orders for a social media. I still listen to all my records from the mid and late 90s regarding my orders for a Web 2.0 and a social media. I […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle, Media
Why does celebrity online behaviour affect ordinary people?
In a recent article on the Yahoo website, Marie Claire Dorking claims that when so-called celebrities – the contemporary kitsch counterparts of ancient Greek Olympians – ‘behave badly’ online, their behaviour has a recognisable impact on the behaviour of ordinary people, including children. In other words, the bad example they set has consequences when it […]
Posted inGeneral, Media, Tech
The cyber-war(s) being fought right under our noses
Time magazine invariably has very clever, multi-faceted covers, the latest one being no exception. It shows the White House – the American president’s residence and workplace, all in one – being slowly but surely devoured by Saint Basil’s Cathedral, with its red brick walls and colourful onion domes, which stands on the Red Square and […]
Posted inGeneral, Health, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Perhaps we all just need to log off and have a good nap
I have news fatigue. That’s not a terribly bad place to be in, because it’s evidence of actually taking notice of the world around us, but it’s similarly distressing all at the same time. Glancing over the major news stories that have soaked up my eyeball attention in just the last month or two, I […]
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, Media, News/Politics
Anger, ‘outrage’ and the internet
Quite often, when I log on to Twitter, I’ll see comments like the following: “What are we angry about today? Did I miss today’s Twitter outrage? I don’t know what we’re supposed to be angry about this week, but I’m outraged just in case.” It happens especially after incidents like Bic’s sexist Women’s Day ad […]
Posted inGender violence
Department of Women should support, not criticise women
Today a tweet was sent by the Department of Women. The question it asked was: ‘What should be done with women who press charges then later withdraw them?’ This very short blog post will unpack why that language is problematic, and does not, as the department later suggested, promote debate. It also provides some answers […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Why Zuma’s resignation is true if we say so
How do you get more than 350 000 visits to your website in just a few days? Claim that the South African president has resigned. Siyathokoza Khumalo created an online media frenzy with a blog post on November 3 facetiously titled President Jacob Zuma has resigned. Social media went nuts and the hashtag #ZumasResigned is still […]
Posted inNews/Politics
EFF/DA/ANC/Agang: Same mess, different party
“Power belongs to the people until they vote, then they are represented.” This is the time of pledges and hope. A time when misogynists are promising to uphold women’s rights, homophobes championing LGBTI rights, racists speaking about the struggle and xenophobes talking Pan-Africanism. A time when you realise who really shares your views and who […]