New media and the interrogation of the South African justice and equality project: a case study of Facebook and twitter use during and after the Oscar pistorius trial

Abstract

The loud bangs emitted by Oscar Pistorius’ gun in his apartment on the night of 13 February 2014, set ablaze a social media adoption by numerous South Africans. This unfortunate incident in which Reeva Steenkamp was murdered set a research in motion. Thousands of South Africans and those beyond flocked on Facebook and Twitter to monitor the progress of the hand of justice, as well as to discuss their thoughts on what they thought would be a just outcome. It was a repetition of the 1995 OJ Simpson case, with more aid from social media. Oscar Pistorius’ Trial was for some the trial of the century. The study grounded in cultural studies theoretical approach, employs the qualitative research methodology to explore the discourse. Virtual ethnography is deployed to examine the use of social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter by South African publics during the Oscar Pistorius Trial. In the study, the idea of social media as public spheres is also problematised by examinations of their political economies as well as their inaccessibility to some segments of the population. Findings suggest that…