Crisis Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications Information Resources Management Association USA Volume III (original) (raw)

Social Media, New ICTs and the Challenges Facing the Zimbabwe Democratic Process

Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications

Social media in its various forms drew international attention to Zimbabwe during the most intense period of the Zimbabwe crisis up to 2008. It is arguable that social media activism was contributory to the current dispensation of Government of National Unity between ZANU PF and the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Social media induced revolution and mass rejection of the status quo of the magnitude seen in the Arab Spring might be difficult to replicate in Zimbabwe. A similar revolution with different magnitude but critical results unfolds in Zimbabwe, especially since the disputed 2008 presidential elections and the mayhem that followed. The use of new communication technologies helped publicize extra-legal activities and human rights abuses often blamed on ZANU PF affiliated militia groups and the security forces. International attention has led to diplomatic intervention.

Social Media and Political Mobilisation: An Analysis of the July 2016 Zimbabwe Shut Down

American Journal of Trade and Policy

This study sought to carry out an analysis of the effects of the social media in political mobilization. These were analyzed using the following indicators (i) the social media as a communication tool and (ii) the role of social media in political mobilization. The study was using a one-day demonstration that occurred in Zimbabwe code named #ZimShutDown2016 as a case study. In the study, a qualitative case study research design was used. Secondary data from online newspaper reports and Social Media Networks was used to analyze the effects of the social media movement in bringing real socio-economic and political change in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews with five key informants from local universities helped in the analysis and they were identified using purposive sampling technique. Findings from the study revealed that social media is an effective tool of communication among citizens. Information is exchanged minute by minute among citizens, and this en...

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE DEMOCRATISATION OF THE ZIMBABWEAN POLITICAL ARENA

ABSTRACT Social media and networks have turned into a fundamental space of open and semi-public discourse. They have demonstrated their democratising potential by expanding access to information and significantly bringing down the barriers of participation in public discussions. In general, social media offers new ways for individuals to connect with the news, government and one another. Not only can individuals share data and political assessments with their online networks, but politicians now have a more direct approach to reach the general population, bypassing conventional media. Social media is greatly utilized by civil society and political groups activists to express varying perspectives on the condition and shape of human rights or political issues in Zimbabwe. It is likewise used to broaden the scope of the intended audience of their activities, who are in the nation and also those in the Diaspora. All this is done by means of the medium of social networking. Not many civil society activists presently undertake any movement or activity without a smart phone with access to the internet. In Zimbabwe, only a couple of years back, it was almost inconceivable for ordinary Zimbabweans to engage with state foundations in a manner that may result in both successful policy change and no risk to individual wellbeing. However, by mid 2016, social media was being utilized to receive and spread political information, and to take part in discussions, changing the tone and availability of legislative issues at the level of everyday lived experiences. Social media additionally ended up becoming an alternative space for activism. However, although social media platforms are injecting new energy into the nation's pro-democracy movement, do they possess the capability to change our political landscape or it is just a mere figment of the imagination?

Crisis! What Crisis? The multiple dimensions of the Zimbabwean crisis (Chapter 2 by Tatenda Mukwedeya)

risis! What Crisis! The Multiple Dimensions of the Zimbabwean Crisis argues that the Zimbabwean crisis is in fact a series of crises. From infrastructural problems and disease to a depreciating currency and an increasing muscular militarism, the citizens of Zimbabwe have faced an ongoing struggle to survive. The book explores the resilience of a people as they navigate the multiple challenges they face in the country of their birth. In an inter-disciplinary approach, the authors of Crisis! What Crisis! engage with issues as diverse as resource politics and livelihoods, migration and disembedment, language, and humour to demonstrate the ingenious ways in which citizens mediate the crisis. Topically, the book explores how social media offers a subversive space that flies in the face of increasing restrictions placed on conventional media within Zimbabwe and the government’s aggressive efforts to suppress freedom of speech and spread their nationalist agenda. The book concludes with a sobering reflection on the past and what the future might hold.

The Effects of Social Media on Public Emergency Response Mechanisms in Sierra Leone

Asian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research

The use of social media in a public emergency is dated back to the terrorist attacks (2001) in the United States. Since then, it is has been used to effectively manage critical happenings in public emergency or disaster events and also for managing future public emergencies. Unfortunately, the underdeveloped countries are far behind in the race to enhance infrastructures that would mitigate or avert critical events from happening. The effects of social media are keyed to public emergencies as it allows the instant flow of communication to a broader population, helps government or organizations locate those affected by the disaster, and to help further those organizations to manage the available resources allocated to that public emergencies effectively. It can be exploiting the appropriate social media tools focusing on the use of ICT before, during, or after the emergency crisis. Furthermore, the exponential increase in fake news of modern times is a concern for government and orga...