Organizations serving rural communities in Kenya have found use for media as a tool of replacement for personal interface in the daily communication with the beneficiaries of their programmes in deprived areas. The in...Organizations serving rural communities in Kenya have found use for media as a tool of replacement for personal interface in the daily communication with the beneficiaries of their programmes in deprived areas. The interactions between two non-governmental organizations （NGOs） and rural beneficiaries in Isinya, Kajiado County, provide case studies of how NGOs modernize their outreach via new media and how beneficiaries respond to the change. The research was not only concerned with the presence of information technology （IT） and online facilities in remote and deprived locations. It also evaluated responses to the replacement of person-to-person contact with technologies, such as social media, the Internet, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory （CD-ROMs）, and Digital Versatile Disc （DVDs）. Conducted in four focus groups, the research evaluated the uptake of new media technologies by beneficiaries following the transition, asked whether beneficiaries engaged with the materials being communicated, and assessed whether this confluence of technology and culture had eased the flow of communication, or unsettled it. Evidence of discomfort among the older （over 50-year-old） beneficiaries stemmed from fear of failure to master the technologies and a desire for a continuation of regular interpersonal interaction with the NGO field officers （whose field trips were scaled back in preference of computer-mediated communication）. However, younger （under 40-year-old） beneficiaries were less insistent on regular interpersonal visits and were appreciative of the use of technology, and of the building of Maarifa Centres to give the beneficiaries free access to internet, DVDs, and hard drive-based information materials. Another demographic, beneficiaries aged between 40 and 50 years old, said they were not comfortable with the change and wanted the interpersonal interaction to continue, but were open to a longer-term transition once the beneficiaries were all conversant with the uses of the new technologies. The study recommends a better managed transition that accommodated the beneficiaries’ fears, misgivings, and cultural preference for verbal, face-to-face consultation.展开更多
The media role in the political space cannot be exaggerated. The impact of media on politics and political space are awesome; and the media often define agenda for public debates. The growth trajectory from traditiona...The media role in the political space cannot be exaggerated. The impact of media on politics and political space are awesome; and the media often define agenda for public debates. The growth trajectory from traditional to social media signposts increased relevance and influence of the media in the political space. This work examines the role of media in the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria. The media are assessed against the backdrops of the reportage on party financing, political violence, election handling by the electoral umpire and political campaign. This article is predicated on specific media theories to explain and interpret the strength, significance and reach of the media. There has been a shift in media role of informing the public to influence political behavior and determine the critical issues for public conversations and debates. The paper found that the social media has assumed considerable penetration in Nigeria; and constitute important platforms for intriguing political exchanges including hate campaigns between the major parties. The social media space enables the electorate to directly engage the Presidential candidates on major national issues. The rote of social media would likely grow deeper at the 2019 General Elections to deepen political culture, quality of campaign and extent of electoral competition. A fraction of the traditional media, however, assumed partisanship in the coverage of political parties and their interpretations of political news.展开更多
文摘Organizations serving rural communities in Kenya have found use for media as a tool of replacement for personal interface in the daily communication with the beneficiaries of their programmes in deprived areas. The interactions between two non-governmental organizations （NGOs） and rural beneficiaries in Isinya, Kajiado County, provide case studies of how NGOs modernize their outreach via new media and how beneficiaries respond to the change. The research was not only concerned with the presence of information technology （IT） and online facilities in remote and deprived locations. It also evaluated responses to the replacement of person-to-person contact with technologies, such as social media, the Internet, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory （CD-ROMs）, and Digital Versatile Disc （DVDs）. Conducted in four focus groups, the research evaluated the uptake of new media technologies by beneficiaries following the transition, asked whether beneficiaries engaged with the materials being communicated, and assessed whether this confluence of technology and culture had eased the flow of communication, or unsettled it. Evidence of discomfort among the older （over 50-year-old） beneficiaries stemmed from fear of failure to master the technologies and a desire for a continuation of regular interpersonal interaction with the NGO field officers （whose field trips were scaled back in preference of computer-mediated communication）. However, younger （under 40-year-old） beneficiaries were less insistent on regular interpersonal visits and were appreciative of the use of technology, and of the building of Maarifa Centres to give the beneficiaries free access to internet, DVDs, and hard drive-based information materials. Another demographic, beneficiaries aged between 40 and 50 years old, said they were not comfortable with the change and wanted the interpersonal interaction to continue, but were open to a longer-term transition once the beneficiaries were all conversant with the uses of the new technologies. The study recommends a better managed transition that accommodated the beneficiaries’ fears, misgivings, and cultural preference for verbal, face-to-face consultation.
文摘The media role in the political space cannot be exaggerated. The impact of media on politics and political space are awesome; and the media often define agenda for public debates. The growth trajectory from traditional to social media signposts increased relevance and influence of the media in the political space. This work examines the role of media in the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria. The media are assessed against the backdrops of the reportage on party financing, political violence, election handling by the electoral umpire and political campaign. This article is predicated on specific media theories to explain and interpret the strength, significance and reach of the media. There has been a shift in media role of informing the public to influence political behavior and determine the critical issues for public conversations and debates. The paper found that the social media has assumed considerable penetration in Nigeria; and constitute important platforms for intriguing political exchanges including hate campaigns between the major parties. The social media space enables the electorate to directly engage the Presidential candidates on major national issues. The rote of social media would likely grow deeper at the 2019 General Elections to deepen political culture, quality of campaign and extent of electoral competition. A fraction of the traditional media, however, assumed partisanship in the coverage of political parties and their interpretations of political news.
