Social media and human development in Zimbabwe: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

AbstractThis article employs the concepts of human development and social media as an open space/public sphere to frame the nexus between media and development. It seeks to answer questions, particularly on how human development can be facilitated and enhanced by social media through increasing citizen participation in the governance process and enhancing media expression in a media-constrained and politically restrictive environment. Tracing social media’s coverage of some key political and social events in Zimbabwe, this article provides insights into how social media has contributed to the governance process by offering the public with significant opportunities to ‘interact’ with the authorities and other developmental stakeholders, and bettering media expression. The paper concludes that social media has enhanced how and when people articulate issues, thereby proactively contributing to the governance process and media expression. Considering the ways the digital era has transformed the governance process, it needs to be earnestly harnessed. Albeit its weaknesses, social media presents the citizens with visible and enhanced opportunities to participate in issues critical to the socio-economic and political development of the citizens.

Keywords

• Social media
• human development
• media expression
• citizen participation
• governance
• Zimbabwe