Public engagement in holding government officials accountable on the X Microblogging site in South Africa

Abstract

The title of this dissertation is Public Engagement in Holding Government Officials Accountable on the X micro-blogging site in South Africa. This study focuses on the effectiveness and efficiency of the social media platform X (formerly branded as Twitter) on how it can be used to engage with government officials operating at a national level and its capacity in holding them accountable for any wrongdoing committed. Social media has taken part in our everyday lives, in what’s happening around the world. Through these platforms, one can gain access to news, information and communicate with anyone they desire, irrespective of geographical distance and time. Journalists and news organisations find social platforms like X convenient for reaching a wider audience, while citizens are free to act as citizen journalists by sharing newsworthy posts with their followers. This includes, as it relates to this study, civilians exercising their constitutional right in South Africa to freely express their opinions on the country's current state and governance. Additionally, the public can serve as a watchdog with the purpose of exposing any misconduct by elected officials and using their voice to demand accountability. The main objective of this study is to explore the extent to which the X micro-blogging site contributes to holding national-level government officials accountable. For this research, the qualitative research methodology was applied because this application assisted in providing a thorough investigation of participants' ideas, feelings, experiences, and interpretations of their behaviour, including their opinions about public figures in regard to their performance. A focus group interview was used to extract data from individuals active on the X microblogging site, following government officials' accounts and engaging with their posts on matters that involve their actions as elected officials. This study also made use of the netnography methodology, an online observation technique, to discover how X users act towards government officials, and how, in turn, they make use of the platform to reach out to the people of South Africa. The findings from the focus group interviews indicated that participants voiced out their concerns on the X social site to government officials, but rarely got a response in return. It was also discovered that participants made use of the platform for other features, such as to see what’s trending and to seek news that has been posted on the site. The findings on the netnography methodology showed the opportunities regarding government officials’ use of the platform by updating the public on their daily work and spreading awareness on any matter of concern; furthermore, the challenges from the use of X were also noticed, discouraging the means of a productive discourse.