Social Media Archives - Voice of the Cape

Social media and job-hunting- The good and the bad

By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert Social media was created to keep in touch with friends and family online, however, with several technological changes and adjustments, it has also become a way for organizations, businesses, and government entities to reach consumers through enticing content and paid advertisements. With an unemployment rate of above 30% in South Africa, VOC News asked unemployed young people if social media can be used as a platform […]

26 June 2024

Opinions

Conflating issues and sacrificial lambs: Reflecting on a week of social media gyrations

Our community is beset with a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart of our communal will. This crisis is evident in the erosion of what could be termed as eradication of the social fabric of our society specifically, and the loss of a unity of purpose of our community, generally. This erosion threatens the collective future of our community, and could inadvertently derail […]

23 August 2020

International News

Turkey passes controversial bill tightening grip on social media

Turkey's parliament passed a controversial bill that gives the government greater control of social media, sparking concerns about freedom of expression in the country. Under the new law approved on Wednesday, social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter have to ensure they have local representatives in Turkey and to comply with court orders over the removal of certain content. Companies could face fines, the blocking of advertisements or have […]

30 July 2020

Local

Social media platforms need stricter policies to curb fake news – SA Regulator

Information Regulator Pansy Tlakula says social media platforms need stricter policies which are more in line with national laws, as the country grapples with the effect of fake news and disinformation during elections. Speaking at a Cape Town gathering of delegates from 34 election management bodies from across Africa, Tlakula said: "We cannot have a situation where the policy of a social media company violates the laws of a country." […]

4 March 2020

Local

African electoral bodies to discuss the risks and benefits of social media

African electoral bodies are meeting in South Africa this week to explore the risks and rewards social media poses to elections. The four-day conference in Cape Town, organised by the Electoral Commission of South Africa in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, brings together from around Africa and beyond, to share experiences in how to maximise the benefits and mitigate the risks of social media to ensure electoral integrity […]

2 March 2020

Local

BDS and Shashi Naidoo to hold press conference over celeb’s Gaza comments

Human rights and Palestinian solidarity organisation BDS South Africa will be holding a press conference with South African TV personality Shashi Naidoo on Wednesday following her recent pro-Israeli social media post. The 37-year-old's lengthy Instagram post referred to Gaza as a "shithole country" and defended Israeli actions. Her views generated a massive public outcry. News24's sister publication Channel24 reported that Naidoo had made numerous apologies for her comments. Naidoo said: […]

20 June 2018

Opinions

No place in Islam for triumphalism

OPINION by Shafiq Morton Social media for us journalists is like the street. On a daily basis, we have to stroll through it. It’s a gossip shop, but we have to deal with it, sifting out the fake news and other stuff in the coffee shops of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter. The other day I noticed (on a certain WhatsApp group) that people were still having these interminable “interfaith” […]

30 April 2018

News

Spiritual Traveler: Using YouTube to Empower the World

The Cape Storm, which led to the deaths of eight people, highlighted the disastrous figure of four thousand people who are homeless in and around the Cape Town CBD. According to Haven Nights Shelter spokesperson Hassan Khan, only one thousand two-hundred and fifty of them received a place to stay at local shelters. The dire need for welfare assistance for the poor in South Africa represents a global rise in […]

5 July 2017

International News

Facebook details removal of Islamic State and other ‘terrorism’ content

Facebook on Thursday offered additional insight into its efforts to rem a response to political pressure in Europe against militant groups using the social network for propaganda and recruiting. Facebook has ramped up its use of artificial intelligence such as image-matching and language-understanding to identify and remove content quickly, Monika Bickert, Facebook's director of global policy management, and Brian Fishman, counter-terrorism policy manager, said in a blog post. As the […]

16 June 2017

Social Media

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