Analyzing the Media Narratives in South Africa’s #FeesMustFall Movement

Abstract

Protests stemming from social media activism are becoming increasingly commonplace around the world, and each narrative has similar attributes, namely, (1) young adults, (2) the use of social media to organize protests, and (3) a desire to influence politics. Often, the dissatisfaction with the political leaders stems from economic disparities in income and opportunity, political corruption, authoritarian government rule, and a lack of educational opportunity. Notable examples include the Arab Spring that began in 2010 in Tunisia and spread throughout Arab countries and the Occupy Wall Street protest in 2011 in the United States that highlighted economic inequalities around the world. Can protests promulgated by social media and enacted by the young lead to democratic dialogue between political leaders and a country’s youth? The chapter considers this question in the context of the #FeesMustFall protest movement in South Africa. Specifically, the chapter describes the competing narratives offered in the news reporting about the social media-facilitated protests beginning in mid-October 2015 culminating at the end of October when President Jacob Zuma agreed not to raise college fees and including the subsequent protests in reaction to President Zuma’s announcement.