WATCH: Covid-19 impact on the way we communicate
While access to the internet has been considered a basic human right for over four years, only 63% of South African’s have access to internet services, according to StatsSA. The national statistical service had projected an 80% online penetration in the country, a projection that the recent global pandemic might have hampered.
Social media migration
Social media platforms in South Africa offered low data usage, and naturally became the go-to option for communication. The global pandemic saw an increase in fake news as people started looking for the latest information regarding the pandemic, with smart phones and social media allowing for an ease of access and dissemination. Smart phone penetration in SA was measured at over 70% last year, and social media usage was measured at 34.6%, according to StatsSA in 2018.
The need to be seen and heard
The idea of remote working had been gaining traction in 2019 and early 2020, and in March this year many companies found themselves having to make the digital migration. This allowed companies whose operations centred around non-essential services and communication channels to continue to work, though from their homes. This gave rise to the need for free video conferencing platforms that could accommodate large numbers, and we soon saw Zoom, CISCO Webex and Google Hangouts rise in popularity and compete against the established service provider Skype.
In April 2020, Facebook announced additional functionalities on their platforms to facilitate the new communication needs across the world, including an expansion of WhatsApp video calls that allows for calls, group calls in Messenger, as well as making it possible for artists and businesses to charge for access to their live video streams.
South African government goes social
One of the most notable changes in how communication has changed during the pandemic is how the South African government has chosen their channels. Previously, information from the government was disseminated through alerts and statements on their websites and broadcast through traditional media channels such TV and radio, while social media catered to the need for transparency and immediacy created by the lockdown.
South African’s are now able to watch live streams of press briefings and announcements by government officials on the South African Government Facebook page, where journalists are also allowed to submit questions by WhatsApp messages and other means, that are read and answered live on air.
Additionally, South Africans have been privy to meetings the President has been chairing and participating in, as well as various statements through succinct tweets on his official Twitter page. All these steps have contributed towards easing of information dissemination, as well as transparency during the lockdown period.
The Department of Communication gazetted a number of disaster management communication regulations in March, which stipulate measures that need to be met in the handling of fake news, access to the internet, and a relaxing of ICASA spectrum regulations in terms of licencing, as well as a restriction on price increases during this national disaster.
The need for physical interactions has been drastically changed, with the call for remote working set to continue amongst employees who have the ability to, in an effort to reduce the gathering and sharing of spaces in workplace environments.
