ABSTRACT
South Africa combines one of the highest internet penetration rates on the African continent with a vibrant civil society borne of its struggle against apartheid. Contrary to digital media’s promise to give a “voice to the voiceless”, recent literature suggests that the online space may reproduce offline inequalities. At the same time, opinions and viewpoints which would normally be chastised by traditional media (e.g. racism) can and do find expression online. In this chapter, the nature of radical discourses within the digital public sphere is explored in relation to contentious issues rooted in historical processes, such as gender-based violence, capital punishment, white genocide and land expropriation. The research takes the form of a thematic analysis of content in online publications and forums as well as various social networks. The approach is a decolonial one, concerned with bringing to light and interrogating the relations of power and cultural domination at play in constructing radical externality. The study contributes a critical analysis of popular culture forms such as social media in relation to epistemic disobedience, delinking and reconstruction within a developing democracy as well as their relationship with other forms of political action and communication.
