COM2614 Assignment 1 Semester 1 2026 (Answer Guide) – Due 26
March 2026
DECOLONISING COMMUNICATION STUDIES
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2026
Contents
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 2
QUESTION 1: SCENARIO 1 – AFRICAN TIKTOK CREATORS AND DIGITAL
COLONIALITY ....................................................................................................................................... 2
a) Challenging Dominant Global Media Narratives About Africa ........................................ 2
b) Platform Power, Algorithms, and Unequal Communication Structures ....................... 4
c) Strengthening African Digital Storytelling and Knowledge Production ....................... 4
d) The Role of Audiences in Shaping Communication on TikTok ...................................... 5
QUESTION 2: SCENARIO 2 – RENAMING AND REPRESENTATION: A DECOLONIAL
MEDIA PERSPECTIVE......................................................................................................................... 6
a) Media Framing and the Coloniality of Power ....................................................................... 6
b) Coloniality of Knowledge and the Privileging of Language and Viewpoints .............. 7
c) Coloniality of Being and Responses to African Names .................................................... 8
d) The Role of Media in Shaping Public Understanding of Decolonisation ..................... 8
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 9
References ........................................................................................................................................... 10
1
, INTRODUCTION
Decolonising communication studies seeks to interrogate how historical systems of
colonial domination continue to shape contemporary media, knowledge production, and
representation, particularly within the Global South. Rooted in the works of scholars
such as Quijano, Mignolo, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, decolonial theory highlights how
power, knowledge, and identity remain structured by colonial legacies, even within
modern digital environments (Quijano, 2007; Mignolo, 2011). In the context of Africa,
communication platforms are not neutral spaces but are embedded within global power
relations that often privilege Western epistemologies and marginalise local voices.
This assignment analyses two contemporary scenarios through a decolonial lens.
Scenario 1 focuses on African TikTok creators and examines whether digital platforms
enable authentic self-representation or reproduce forms of digital coloniality. It engages
key concepts such as coloniality of power, algorithmic bias, and digital knowledge
production. Scenario 2 explores media discourses surrounding the renaming of South
African places, highlighting tensions between colonial legacies and efforts to restore
African identity. It draws on the concepts of coloniality of power, knowledge, and being
to understand how language, identity, and representation are contested in media
narratives.
Overall, the assignment demonstrates how decolonial approaches provide critical tools
for analysing contemporary communication systems, revealing the persistence of
inequality while also identifying opportunities for resistance and transformation within
African contexts.
QUESTION 1: SCENARIO 1 – AFRICAN TIKTOK CREATORS AND DIGITAL
COLONIALITY
a) Challenging Dominant Global Media Narratives About Africa
African TikTok creators play a significant role in disrupting dominant global media
narratives that have historically portrayed Africa through lenses of poverty, conflict, and
2
March 2026
DECOLONISING COMMUNICATION STUDIES
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2026
Contents
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 2
QUESTION 1: SCENARIO 1 – AFRICAN TIKTOK CREATORS AND DIGITAL
COLONIALITY ....................................................................................................................................... 2
a) Challenging Dominant Global Media Narratives About Africa ........................................ 2
b) Platform Power, Algorithms, and Unequal Communication Structures ....................... 4
c) Strengthening African Digital Storytelling and Knowledge Production ....................... 4
d) The Role of Audiences in Shaping Communication on TikTok ...................................... 5
QUESTION 2: SCENARIO 2 – RENAMING AND REPRESENTATION: A DECOLONIAL
MEDIA PERSPECTIVE......................................................................................................................... 6
a) Media Framing and the Coloniality of Power ....................................................................... 6
b) Coloniality of Knowledge and the Privileging of Language and Viewpoints .............. 7
c) Coloniality of Being and Responses to African Names .................................................... 8
d) The Role of Media in Shaping Public Understanding of Decolonisation ..................... 8
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 9
References ........................................................................................................................................... 10
1
, INTRODUCTION
Decolonising communication studies seeks to interrogate how historical systems of
colonial domination continue to shape contemporary media, knowledge production, and
representation, particularly within the Global South. Rooted in the works of scholars
such as Quijano, Mignolo, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, decolonial theory highlights how
power, knowledge, and identity remain structured by colonial legacies, even within
modern digital environments (Quijano, 2007; Mignolo, 2011). In the context of Africa,
communication platforms are not neutral spaces but are embedded within global power
relations that often privilege Western epistemologies and marginalise local voices.
This assignment analyses two contemporary scenarios through a decolonial lens.
Scenario 1 focuses on African TikTok creators and examines whether digital platforms
enable authentic self-representation or reproduce forms of digital coloniality. It engages
key concepts such as coloniality of power, algorithmic bias, and digital knowledge
production. Scenario 2 explores media discourses surrounding the renaming of South
African places, highlighting tensions between colonial legacies and efforts to restore
African identity. It draws on the concepts of coloniality of power, knowledge, and being
to understand how language, identity, and representation are contested in media
narratives.
Overall, the assignment demonstrates how decolonial approaches provide critical tools
for analysing contemporary communication systems, revealing the persistence of
inequality while also identifying opportunities for resistance and transformation within
African contexts.
QUESTION 1: SCENARIO 1 – AFRICAN TIKTOK CREATORS AND DIGITAL
COLONIALITY
a) Challenging Dominant Global Media Narratives About Africa
African TikTok creators play a significant role in disrupting dominant global media
narratives that have historically portrayed Africa through lenses of poverty, conflict, and
2
