Social Media and Gender in Africa: Discourses on Power and Politics of Everyday Life

The images of men, women, and individuals across the gender spectrum on African social media platforms are socially, culturally, and politically embedded with ideologies that continue to shape our understandings of gender. Social Media and Gender in Africa: Discourses on Power and Politics of Everyday Life explores gender debates expressed through social media and the political, social, and cultural discourses surrounding them. The book addresses issues of gender-based violence, gender in political and economic spaces, gender activism, challenges faced in the LGBTQIA+ community, and gender harassment. It looks at how gender issues such as misogyny, gender-based violence, and sexism on African social media are products of African political, social, and cultural conundrums. It is through these platforms that sexual and gender identities are being freely expressed, political expressions are made without fear or favor, and political participation is achieved. Organized into four thematic parts, Shepherd Mpofu, Kealeboga Aiseng, and the contributors use case studies from countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe to engage in further discussions on gender on African social media.

Shepherd Mpofu is professor of media and communication at the University of South Africa.

Kealeboga Aiseng is senior lecturer of journalism and media studies at Rhodes University, Makhanda.