Appropriation of social media into news production processes in selected community radio stations in Gqeberha

Radebe, Mfundo Telson

Appropriation of social media into news production processes in selected community radio stations in Gqeberha

Author(s)

Radebe, Mfundo Telson

Date Issued

2026

Type

master thesis

Publisher

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Abstract

The advent of the internet and the swift proliferation of media technologies have substantially altered the everyday functioning of companies and their interactions with society. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok have ushered in a new era of communication, prompting government departments, private companies, non-profit organisations, and media outlets to rethink their approach to communication. In the media sector, social media tools are reshaping the news production process, including news gathering, verification, editing, and distribution. It has also ushered in possibilities to reconfigure the relationship between journalists and their audiences. Despite this huge potential, there is a paucity of studies that have examined how social media is being appropriated in the news production process in the community radio sector in South Africa. In light of this background, this study examined the appropriation of social media into the news production process in selected community radio stations (Nkqubela FM and MADIBAZ Radio) in Gqeberha. A qualitative methodology consisting of semi-structured interviews with journalists and virtual ethnography was used to understand how social media is being appropriated into the community media space and reconfiguring the relationship between journalists and audiences. The study findings show that the two radio stations have appropriated a wide range of social media tools into their news production process. Social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp are being used for news gathering, processing, and dissemination in the community radio space. While these findings cohere with those of previous studies, this study provides new insights into how social media technologies like TikTok and WhatsApp have become key tools for news production that are reconfiguring the relationship between journalists and their audiences in under-resourced communities in the Global South.

Additional information

Thesis (Master of Public Relations and Communication Management)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2026

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222155604_Radebe, Mfundo.pdf

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