Political discourses on race and social inequalities through social media and live parliamentary debates in South Africa

Abstract

This article, informed by framing theory, uses qualitative content analysis to analyse the EconomicFreedom Fighters’ (EFF) discourses on race and social inequalities through social media and liveparliamentary debates in South Africa. The article reveals that protest and provocative politicalstatements by EFF members attract audience and media attention, and reinforce their politicalagenda. Political personalities communicate their message effectively on social media and influenceaudiences’ perception through protestation. The well-known framing theory by the traditionalmass media has been exceeded by that of social media where politicians radically engage theiraudiences. This paper reveals that the populist political style has much impact on social media,where political actors interact directly with audiences.