Zimbabweans’ Goats Memes Social Media Jokes As Representation of Zimbabwean Economic and Political Problems in 2017

Abstract

The student intends to clarify or rather look deeper into social media jokes and the usage of social media as a political battlefield in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole. The study contributes significantly to the literature on the use of social media jokes in the lobbying of “counter hegemonic public spheres” or “Subaltern public spheres” Fraser (1992) in a bid to contribute to the practice of democracy in Zimbabwe. Unlike the western literature, this study serves to contribute to the local and also African literature as it is based on Zimbabwe. The study also contributes significant to literature in the modules that have been undertaken by the researcher throughout her Media and Society Studies modules such as introduction to information technology, Global media structures, understanding the press in Zimbabwe, Political economy and the media and Journalism and contemporary issues in Zimbabwe. The research will provide a basis for future researchers on Zimbabweans making use of social media to try addressing the country‟s political and economic crisis. The researcher noted that as much as there is literature that has been written on Zimbabweans making use of social media platforms to challenge the government‟s decisions and new reforms, none has been written specifically on the use of social media jokes to challenge Dr Lazarus Dokora‟s introduced reforms in the education sector and what has been done so far to address the Zimbabwean citizens concern