The role of the media on the development of Black Consciousness, identity and social change: a study of the 1976 and 2015-2016 student uprisings in South Africa

Abstract

This study explores the role of media on the development of consciousness in student activists of the 1976 and 2015-2016 student movements in South Africa. It explores how media exposure influenced their consciousness, identity development, and social awareness. This study reveals that both, the 1976 student uprising and 2015-2016 Rhodes and Fees Must Fall movements, embraced the principles of Black Consciousness. It examines the influence of the Black Consciousness ideology on increasing awareness among students regarding the resistance against power structures and the questioning of South Africa's educational system. It employed two data collection techniques namely, content analysis of media texts and semi-structured interviews with student activists to understand their experiences. The study found that media is a dynamic and inclusive concept, incorporating various forms of communication such as spoken language, visual arts, literary works and musical lyrics. It was the impact of Black Consciousness and the commitment to its ideals that motivated both student groups to actively question and resist the methods and approaches used in their respective education systems. According to this study's findings, the media plays a significant role in protest movements by fostering political consciousness and shaping the concept of identity in media users. This study recommends further research on Black theology in South Africa, music as a protest medium, and the outcomes of the Fallism movement, particularly in relation to tertiary institutions and the role of the media in communicating these outcomes and holding the state accountable as a fourth estate of the realm.