COM3704
ASSIGNMENT 1
DUE DATE: 15 AUGUST 2025
, COM3704 ASSIGNMENT 1 2025
SEMESTER 2 2025
DUE 15 AUGUST 2025
1.1 Critically discuss the extent to which new media contribute to supporting
national development programmes such as poverty alleviation, population
control, political development, economic
The Role of New Media in National Development and the Promotion of Indigenous
African Epistemologies
The fast growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and new media
platforms in the late 1900s and early 2000s has greatly changed the way societies and
politics work around the world. In the Global South, especially in Africa, new media are
seen as important tools to help national goals like reducing poverty, growing the
economy, improving reading and writing skills, and creating jobs (Mbatha & Lesame,
2025:163). They are also valued for keeping and promoting African ways of knowing, by
helping share culture, record oral stories, and support knowledge created from an
African point of view. But, how well these benefits are achieved depends on challenges
like inequality, government policies, weak infrastructure, and the way the global digital
economy works.
National development programmes in the global South are often multi-faceted,
encompassing economic, political, educational, and socio-cultural objectives. New
media contribute to these objectives through their capacity to connect communities,
enhance information dissemination, and provide platforms for economic and social
participation. According to Thioune (2003, cited in Mbatha & Lesame, 2025:163), ICT
ASSIGNMENT 1
DUE DATE: 15 AUGUST 2025
, COM3704 ASSIGNMENT 1 2025
SEMESTER 2 2025
DUE 15 AUGUST 2025
1.1 Critically discuss the extent to which new media contribute to supporting
national development programmes such as poverty alleviation, population
control, political development, economic
The Role of New Media in National Development and the Promotion of Indigenous
African Epistemologies
The fast growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and new media
platforms in the late 1900s and early 2000s has greatly changed the way societies and
politics work around the world. In the Global South, especially in Africa, new media are
seen as important tools to help national goals like reducing poverty, growing the
economy, improving reading and writing skills, and creating jobs (Mbatha & Lesame,
2025:163). They are also valued for keeping and promoting African ways of knowing, by
helping share culture, record oral stories, and support knowledge created from an
African point of view. But, how well these benefits are achieved depends on challenges
like inequality, government policies, weak infrastructure, and the way the global digital
economy works.
National development programmes in the global South are often multi-faceted,
encompassing economic, political, educational, and socio-cultural objectives. New
media contribute to these objectives through their capacity to connect communities,
enhance information dissemination, and provide platforms for economic and social
participation. According to Thioune (2003, cited in Mbatha & Lesame, 2025:163), ICT
