RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS: LOOK AT DATE MY FAMILY THROUGH AN AFRICAN CONCEPTUAL LENS

Mthobeli Ngcongo,Linda Fekisi

doi:10.18820/24150525/comm.v24.6

Abstract

RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS: LOOK AT DATE MY FAMILY THROUGH AN AFRICAN CONCEPTUAL LENS

Highlights

With most members of society are digital citizens, despite some lingering controversies, many commercial organisations have embraced digitisation, moving away gradually from analogue technology (Walker et al 2010: 174)
The traditionally private act of courtship in an African context is reimagined in the manner in which Date My Family (DMF) audiences have brought the scrutiny of the private act into the public realm
The content analysis conducted on the tweets from the sampled episode of DMF indicated a thematic pattern based on the following themes: performativity, surveillance and communality

Summary

Introduction

With most members of society are digital citizens, despite some lingering controversies (see Grazian 2005; Ginsburg 2008: 130), many commercial organisations have embraced digitisation, moving away gradually from analogue technology (Walker et al 2010: 174). The implication is that a user culture is created, which in turn promulgates a new urban culture and new ways of life (Mäenpää 2001: 108). New media, such as social media, can be used to extend the user experience of traditional forms of media, such as reality television. The traditionally private act of courtship in an African context is reimagined in the manner in which DMF audiences have brought the scrutiny of the private act into the public realm This scrutiny has been evidenced by various episodes in which the impressions that those seeking love on the show have attempted to make on the family and unwittingly on the audience

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion