Unveiling African narratives on Facebook: Media posts and audience engagement

Abstract

The issue of African narratives has attracted significant attention in traditional media studies. On social media in general, and on Facebook in particular, little is known about these narratives. This study addresses the public’s concerns about African narratives on social media by meeting the demand for empirical data on African narratives from an alternative media perspective in Africa. The study follows these debates on Facebook, which are frequently used to raise public awareness and sway public opinion on important issues. The study used thematic content analysis to determine the most prevalent themes covered in the selected posts as well as the sentiments expressed in the comments. To make sense of the data, the study applied critical alternative media theory. The study revealed that topical issues about politics and international affairs, domestic conflict and death, sports and health dominated the media, and sentiments in the comments viewed Africans as a solution to Africa’s problems. Furthermore, the study established that negative stories elicited negative responses, and Africans regarded other African countries as crucial to the continent’s growth. As a result, the study shows that Facebook has evolved into an essential platform for media to share alternative African narratives.