One of four new podcasts recently launched by Hypertext, Always Online is back this week for episode two where we tackle the divisive topic of social media in South Africa, and whether what we see on the likes of X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more can actually be trusted.

Here we look at recent incidents in which social media was used to drive coordinated misinformation campaigns by people both inside and outside of South Africa, as well as how social media in South Africa is a fairly accurate representation of the class divide in the country.

We also highlight instances when South Africans banded together to call out others online who took a negative view of the country, sometimes to humorous and not-so-funny effect.

With the pervasiveness of social media in South Africa showing no signs of dying down, the question of whether you can trust what you see online is more pertinent than ever.

With that in mind, scroll down further and hit play on this latest episode of Always Online, and be sure to share your thoughts with us on X or Facebook.

You can also listen to the first episode of Always Online as we looked internet tribalism, using the now-off Zuck versus Musk cage match as a jumping-off point.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Simone Umba getting dragged by South Africans on TikTok
• uLerato Pillay’s xenophobic social media campaign (Daily Maverick)
• Who runs the Man’s Not Barry Roux X account?
• South Africans trust government when it comes to COVID-19 information (Ispos)
• Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla’s allegedly pro-Russia ties (Tech Central)
• Elon Musk’s outcry over “Kill The Boer” chant (Forbes)

[Image – Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash]