REFLECTIONS ON BLOGGING

By Samuel Byamugisha Kamanzi

REFLECTIONS ON BLOGGING.

Introduction

This paper focuses on my personal experience as a communicator through the Blogsphere. Although I have been a practicing Journalist for a long time, my experience with Blogging is as recent as April 2008. I have since then not only found it interesting but I have equally found it a very useful channel of communication to large virtual audiences in the cyberspace. This experience has also enabled me to meet one of the desires for enrolling in the M.A in Media and Communication, which was updating my Journalistic skills to the level of communicating to large audiences through the latest applications of Web technology.

Bartlett-Bragg has categorised Blogging for beginners into four stages. He names the first stage of Blogging as “Establishment”. (Bartlett-Bragg (2004). At this level, students of blogging make their first entries to blogs with the help of a teacher. As they make their first posts, their perceptions of their audiences is limited to the teacher. As I pointed out during my response to this article, in opening my Blog and making my first post, I was mainly relying on the tutor of the Internet Cultures Module, at the Institute of Education University of London (IOE) for guidance.

I also felt I was actually writing for the attention of the tutor, but as I gained more experience, my audience expanded to include virtual communities in the cyberspace. This experience I gained sums up Bartlett- Bragg’s second, and third, stages of Blog development, which he names as Introspection, and Reflective Monologue, where students of blogging start writing to anonymous readers, and their writing starts reflecting their learning experiences, thus enhancing reflective learning, as opposed to surface learning. (Bartlett-Bragg (2004).
At the time of writing these reflections, I feel that my Blog (NEW MEDIA DEBATE WEBBLOG) http://sbkamanzi.wordpress.com ,has passed through all the stages of Blog development, as discussed by Bartlett-Bragg, including the last one, which he names as Reflective Dialogue, whereby students adopt personal knowledge publishing. What ever opinion I post on my Blog is my considered personal opinion inviting comments and reactions from readers.

The paper is structured into four parts. In Part One, I present my Motivation for Blogging. In Part Two, I present the Structure of the “New Media Debate Blog”. Part Three discusses the Advantages and Challenges of Blogging, while Part Four is the Conclusion.

Motivation for Blogging.
Bartlett-Bragg has defined a Blog as “a Website with dated entries presented in a reverse chronological order, and published on the Internet by Bloggers and Contributors” (Bartlett Bragg 2004: 2). This means a Weblog is some sort of a Personal Website which, instead of concentrating on personal information such as personal profiles and family life, it is dedicated to bigger issues for the consumption and reaction of the public.
Perhaps the most precise definition of a Blog is given by Winer, who says “it is an unedited voice of a Blogger…”(Winer in Tremayne 2007:188). This is an important distinction as it shows that a Blog is a public sphere where Bloggers are at liberty to discuss any subject without fear of any authority.
As already mentioned, my first contact with Blogging was during the Internet Cultures Module, at the Institute of Education University of London (IOE) early this year. It was important for me to get introduced, and to start using Blogs for communication, as I am a seasoned Print Journalist of the old form, and yet communication through Web technology, has not only gained momentum through out the world, but it is actually threatening the very existence of the old Media.
Equally important for me, is the fact that I am a seasoned Activist and Researcher on issues of Human Rights and Peace. By getting familiar with the Blogsphere and using it, my work would be greatly enhanced as I would be able to freely publish my findings to wider audiences without any hindrance. Bartlett-Bragg has argued that one of the most important functions of Blogging to researchers is the opportunity it provides them to test their findings by first posting their draft findings on their blogs to attract the reactions of other researchers in related fields. (Bartlett-Bragg (2004).

I found this argument convincing because my areas of research are not popular with many governments therefore publishing my draft findings before the final publication is out would show me areas that need modification to avoid dangerous reactions from such powerful forces.

My third reason for venturing into Blogging is the fact that I am a student of the “New Media”. This is an expanding and influential internet based form of communication that has emerged in the last two decades which needs to be understood and adopted by all serious communicators. I also intend to expand my research interests into this area. That is why my first Blog is titled “New Media Debate Blog”. As the title suggests, this Blog is devoted to promotion of debate on issued related to “Old Media vs New Media”, and the functioning of the various elements of the “New Media” especially Social Networking Sites.

Organisation of “The New Media Debate Blog”
Laura Hendrickson has argued that Blogs should be understood from the structure of their Websites, their functions, or their components (Hendrickson in Tremayne 2007:188). In other words, it is the way a Blog is organised, and the functions to which it is put, that define its character. Since many people agree that Blogs are forms of Websites, to me, Andrew Burn’s model for analysing Websites can help in the interpretation of Blogs as well.
He has convincingly argued that Websites are best understood by examining how they are introduced to the public, the way they are organised, their orientation, and how they represent the core idea or message. (Burn and Parker 2003). Going by this model, the “New Media Debate Blog” is introduced to the public as a forum for discussing issues related to the development and spread of the New Media, especially Social Networking Sites. In terms of Organisation, it mainly relies on the existing features of Worldpress.com Blogs. It depends on text based narratives that are hyperlinked to other deeper texts which not only exhaust the issues under discussion but help to inform readers of more issues they normally don’t expect.
But to be precise, “The New Media Debate Blog” falls under the category of K-logs or Knowledge Repository Blogs. According to Lois Scheidit, these are Blogs dedicated to the promotion and advancement of knowledge. Scheidit (2006) This Blog is specifically devoted to the understanding of the differences between the Old and New Media, the advancement of the New Media, and the understanding of other interactive Media, especially Social Networking Sites. That is why it suits Schiedit’s K-Log Blogs. Since it also offers a forum for a critical reflection of all issues related to the New Media, especially Social Networking Sites, its readers or participants fall under the categorisation Scheidit named as “Critics”

The Blog has many specialised features. However, I have not been able to exploit many of them. These features cover almost everything a Blog needs to have. One of the features which I found very useful and which I have exploited almost in every post I have made on the Blog is the “Tag suiter Feature”, which helps Bloggers to automatically locate Blogs of related topics on the Net. In most cases when ever I make a post, other links of related topics show up on the Blog and remain there to the benefit of the readers. This feature has not only informed the Blog but it has also enriched my own understanding of many issues related to the New Media.

Another useful feature of this Blog which I have used over and over again whenever writing, editing, and making posts is the “Manage feature”. It is provided for managing all posts, all comments, and all drafts. It is this feature that I normally click on before accessing other features such as the Edit feature which I have repeatedly used to make the New Media Debate Blog an interesting one. It is the same feature I exploited in reorganising this Blog after gaining some experience in Blogging. Other useful features of this Blog which are worth mentioning, but which I haven’t so far used are the Export and Import features, provided on the Blog. They help Bloggers to import or export materials from other blogs instantly.

In terms of Representation, the main representation is clearly visible in the Blog Title. The title represents the theme of the Blog. Looking at all the posts on the Blog, one gets the impression that all the sub-titles on each post, are related to the theme and the main title of the Blog. This makes the Blog beautiful and interesting to look at. This is in line with the recommendations by Bartlett-Bragg who argues that managers of Blogs should always make sure that their Blogs are clean, pleasing to look at, and should always have some kind of Universal appeal (Bartlett-Bragg (2004). I believe the New Media Debate Blog meets these standards, especially one of having a universal appeal, as its theme is a topical one in the World communication industry.

Advantages of Blogging.
Barbara Kaye argues that “Blogs seem to foster a sense of community, especially for those who think of themselves as online intellectuals who seek in-depth analysis than what is available through traditional media, and their online counterparts (Kaye in Tremayne 2007:130). Since the “New Media Debate Blog” is dedicated to the promotion of debate on issues regarding the development and spread of the digital media, this is a specialised topic that aims at attracting participation of scholars and other practitioners in this field.
I hope this Blog will eventually become popular with this specialised group of people, thus becoming our common forum, just as it has automatically made me belong to bloggers of similar minds through hyperlinked texts.
Kaye has also pointed out another important feature of blogging as the ability to “mobilise citizens behind a cause to bring about social and political change. She argues that blog users rally around bloggers as self styled watchdogs of Government and the Media. (Kaye in Tremayne (2007:128). As already said, in future I intend to exploit this important characteristic to push for the improvement of Human Rights conditions and the advancement of Peace in the World. The New Media Debate Blog is just my first Blog. In future I intend to open other Blogs for the above mentioned causes.

Kaye further argues that Blogs are inexpensive to produce, and yet they have the potential of reaching lots of people. She adds that this has made ordinary bloggers to venture into the once exclusive field of News gathering, which was for decades a reserve of large News organisations. (Kaye in Tremayne (2007:188). In my short experience with “The New Media Debate Blog”, I found this statement true. For example when I first opened the blog, I didn’t spend even a penny on it. All I needed was to follow clearly spelt out instructions to make my first posting.

In Managing and Editing the Blog, all I need is to click on the “Managing posts/Comments” feature, and then I write or edit my posts before submitting them for publication. When I want to check or reorganise my previous posts, all I need is to click on the “Achieves” feature which helps in retrieving all the previous posts arranged according to Months of the Calendar. I find this feature very advantageous because it allows the preservation of my previous posts, and the comments from other contributors, for reference purposes. However, I would like to restate that the blogging feature I find very useful and which I have exploited to the full to inform and enrich my Blog is the feature that allows the automatic retrieval of material from like minded bloggers. My blog and I have greatly benefited from this feature.

Challenges of Blogging.
One of the challenges facing Bloggers is the accusation that they publish material which is accessible worldwide without sufficient safeguards against errors and mistakes. According to Laura Hendrickson, this accusation is as old as Blogging. It was first raised by seasoned Journalists of the Old Media. They exploited this weakness to discredit Blogging. (Hendrickson in Tremayne 2007:188).

In my short experience with Blogging, before making a posting, I try as much as possible to be accurate, and in cases where I need to make references, I always show my sources of information. This practice is mainly drawn from my experience as a senior Journalist.
Another common accusation against Bloggers is that they normally take one side of issues under discussion. It is alleged that many Bloggers are biased. I personally think this is expected, because Bloggers are expected to present their personal views of issues. S/he is responsible for the views expressed through the Blogs they manage and edit. Howerve, in my own experience, I normally take a neutral position whenever writing and making posts on “The New Media Debate Blog”. But this doesn’t mean that this Blog doesn’t feature biased information, as many of the postings are hyperlinked to text narratives from other Bloggers.

Conclusion.
I would like to end these reflections by quoting Rob Shields, who argues that”in the graphical virsion of internet, the World Wide Web, few know how to make a “Web Home Page”. Not only access, but technical knowledge determines the metaphysics of presence. The consequence is that only certain technical voices are present to be noted. Thus while the promise of the internet is its ability to spread knowledge, its paradox consists in the fact that the speed of change sometimes precludes the possibility of full participation” (Shields Rob 1996:127).
In venturing into the Blogsphere, I was looking for ways of having my voice heard through the latest Web technology. The “New Media Debate Blog” has enabled me to meet this objective by making it possible for me to communicate to large audiences from a private environment. I have used a combination of my previous Journalistic skills, from the old school of Media in which I was trained, and the advantages the worldpress.com Blogs offer, to facilitate discussion of ideas related to the development of New Media, especially Social Networking Sites, which is the main theme represented in The New Media Debate Blog”.

Finally, I think the following reasons enumerated by one regular Blogger also apply to my own Blogging experience. He says that Blogging helps him to communicate and disseminate his ideas, it tests his ideas, it preserves his ideas, it provides value to his readers, it promotes interactivity, and it is a learning experience. (networking.com/top-reasons-why-i-blog). As discussed in the main body of this essay, my short Blogging experience is just like the experience of this blogger. I have not only been able to freely communicate my ideas to wider audiences, but I have also been able to promote online interactivity through this forum for promoting the advancement of the New Media. I have also enormously advanced personal knowledge through Blogging.
Bibliography.
1. Bartlett-Bragg Anne (2004) Blogging to Learn: Flexible Learning 2004 Edition, University of Technology Sydney, Australia (http://knowledgetree.flexible learning.net.au/edition04pdf/Blogging to learn. PDF
2. Burn A and Parker D (2003) Ch 3 Chocolate Politics: Analysing Websites in Analysing Media Texts, London, and Continuum
3. http://sbkamanzi.wordpress.com
4. networking.com/top-reasons-why-i-blog
5. Scheidit Ann Lois (2006) Adolescent Diary Web logs And the Unseen Audience (http://Loisscheidit.com/linked/2006/Adolescent-Diary-weblogs-and the unseen-audiences. PDF

6. Shields Rob (1996), Cultures of Internet, SAGE publications, London

7. Tremayne Mark (2007), Blogging, Citizenship, and the Future of Media, Routledge New York

THE MEDIATIZATION OF POLITICS

By Samuel Byamugisha Kamanzi.

THE MEDIATIZATION OF POLITICS.

In the Article “ The four phases of Mediatisation: An Analysis of the Mediatisation of Politics”,Jesper Stomback examines the concept of Mediatization from a theoretical perspective, while Kim Christian Schroder,and Louise Phillips, in “The Everyday Construction of Mediated Citizenship”, present significant findings of a field study ,about Mediatization of Politics in Denmark, conducted between 1999 and 2004. These findings are in sharp contrast with what happens in Developing countries, such as my country Uganda.

Stromback defines “Mediation of politics” as a situation that obtains when the Media in any society becomes the main source of information for the rulers and the ruled. In other words, it acts as a mirror, through which Governments and their Citizens learn about each other.

Much of the article is about “Mediatization of politics”, which he defines as “changes associated with communication Media and their development”. He then presents the four perspectives of Mediatisation of Politics as: (1). “The extent to which the Media constitutes the dominant form of information on politics and society”. (2). “The extent to which the Media is free from political interference and the politics of Media ownership”. (3). “The extent to which the Media is governed by political logic”. (4). “The extent to which political actors are governed by political logic or media logic”.

One aspect of his argument that “in advanced countries, the Media is the most important source of information” agrees with the findings of Kim Schroder and Louise Phillips, in their recent study in Denmark, where they concluded that both the lowerly, and highly educated citizens, rely on the Media, including the Internet, for information.

I entirely agree with him when he says that “Mediatisation of Politics” in any society depends on the political environment in that particular society. In my country Uganda, between 1986 and the Mid 1990s, the then progressive Government of President Museveni, adopted affirmative action in favour of Media growth, through deregulation policies and passing other legislations aimed at promoting Media independence. The results were indeed impressive, as the country moved from one State Controlled Radio Station to 150[1], one State controlled TV Station to 13, and one State controlled daily News Paper, to a number of privately owned newspapers, most of which are published in English. These include The Daily Monitor, which now circulates at 25,000 copies daily.[2]

To effectively compare the “Mediatization of politics” in Uganda, with the “Mediatisation of Politics” in Denmark, as presented by Kim Schroder and Louise Phillips, it is important to have an idea about the conditions of the common man in Uganda. According to official figures, the population of Uganda now stands at 28 million, 89 % of whom live in rural areas, most of which are not easily reached because of poor infrastructure. 35 % of these people live in absolute poverty, while 31 % are illiterate. Less than 10% of the total population have access to electricity.

This kind of backwardness leaves the Ugandan ordinary citizen outside the “Globalised Media” and their benefits. TV and News Papers are outside their reach, because of the expenses involved, and other preconditions for access, such as electricity supply, and ability to read English. Obviously, the internet and Mobile phone communication Technology are out of question as less than one percent of the total population of Uganda has access to internet. This leaves Radio as the most appropriate source of information for rural Ugandans. In fact current studies suggest that about 52 of Ugandans use Radio as a source of information.[3]

So how do the majority of Ugandans get information to help them shape their destiny, especially in terms of developmental advice, and critical political decisions, such as national elections? The statistics above reveal that unlike in Denmark, the majority of Ugandans are trapped in underdevelopment. They are ill informed, and largely dependendent on self seeking politicians for direction. Even the majority of private Radio Stations that operate up country, are owned by powerful politicians. Thus, it is common for selected individuals, such as opposition leader Dr Kiza Besigye, to be denied forum on these Radio Stations.

Other forms of Media control include the dictatorial turn around of the very Government that had initially encouraged Media independence. In the last ten years, the Museveni Government has matured into a traditional African dictatorship, completely intolerant of opposing opinions. It is now masking itself in a “Democratic costume”, if democracy only means holding of regular elections irrespective of their conduct.

It exercises control over the Media through intimidation, arrests of Journalists, withdrawing operational licences, and passing draconian legislations such as the 2002 Anti – terrorism Law, which imposes a death penalty on any Journalist deemed to have published reports the Government considers as “promoting terrorism”. Thus, in October 2002, the independent Daily Monitor was closed down for 10 days for allegedly publishing a story that was considered to favour “terrorists”.

Similary, in August 2005, a popular Radio Station owned by Monitor Publications called KFM was temporarily closed down and one of its editors, Andrew Mwenda, was arrested for “sedition”. He has since resigned his job, citing direct persecution by the Government and indirectly, through the majority share holder in the Monitor publications Ltd, the Agah Khan. The Agah Khan had a few months earlier, ordered his suspension for writing a critical article on one of President Museveni´s loyal Cadres, who died mysteriously in 2007.

In conclusion, the Mediatisation of politics in Uganda is characterised by State control, and the politics of Media ownership. Radio, as a source of information, covers the whole country, but even then it is not free from control by the owners. It is only the urban based elites (10 %) of the population, who use the media as their main source of information. This is in sharp contrast with the findings of Kim Shchroder and Louise Pillips, who concluded that in “Denmark all citizens are able to fulfil their perceived needs for information required in everyday life and for democratic purposes”.

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[1] Source: http://english.peoplesdaily.com.cn/200701/04/eng2007104/338255.html
[2] Source: http://www.stanhopecentre.org/training/EA/Uganda
[3] . Ibid.

WHAT IS MEDIA SOCIALISATION?

By Samuel Byamugisha Kamanzi

Topic: Application of the Concept of Media Socialisation to a Recent Media Phenomenon.

There are many ways in which the Media influence the process of socialisation in society. Different Media, influence socialisation differently, depending on the nature of the audience, since it is subject to differentiation, according to gender, age, interests and other social categories.

From the Readings of this Session, we have learnt from Ben Bachmair, that the Media can influence the moulding of personalities of their audiences. According to him, from the 1960s until recently, Television was the only cultural object for socialisation[1]. This means that consistent audience exposure to Television, creates a tendency for some people to acquire new habits, values, tastes and interests copied from the images they see on Television

Some Media scholars have even argued, that wide spread flows of American cultural products, such as Television programs, to other parts of the world, has over the years popularised American values, tastes, and interests, in some countries, to the extent that they are now considered “second culture” in those countries.

I will elaborate the significance of media socialisation in everyday life, by making reference to a recent incident, involving the wife of the President of Kenya, Mrs Lucy Kibaki, and Television reporters, which was widely reported by the media in Kenya, and how this publicity is likely to affect the audience.

The Media in Kenya, recently reported that Mrs Lucy Kibaki, wife of President Kibaki of Kenya, publicly slapped a public official, at a State House Christmas ceremony, for allegedly calling her the name of a woman widely believed to be a mistress to her husband[2]. This was not the first time Mrs Kibaki was accused of behaving in this manner. In 2005, she was accused of slapping a Television Journalist, for allegedly covering her case with her neighbour in a biased manner.

These two incidents attracted a lot of Media attention in Kenya, because they involved the wife of the President. All over the world, it is a standard practice for high profile politicians, like Mrs Kibaki, to attract that kind of coverage. The Media gives them so much attention, that they attain the status of celebrities. This means that among the audiences who are constantly exposed to the life styles of these politicians, groups of their fans emerge. Some of these groups start copying and applying the life styles of these politicians to themselves.

My argument is that with time, Media exposure makes some people among members of the audience, to actually start behaving like those politicians. In my view, since the Media has given a lot of attention to Mrs Kibaki´s physical confrontation with Journalists in public, her violent behaviour, is likely to be passed on to some of her fans, who will take it that since it is being practiced by those who are supposed to protect the Constitution, it is the right thing to do when ever they are faced similar challenges. If this happens, it will be a direct result of the effects of Media socialisation.

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BIBILIOGRAPHY.

[1] . Bachmair Ben (2006),Media Socialisation and the Culturally Dominant Mode of Representation-on the way from the Coherent Media to Semiotic Spaces, The example of Pope stars. In Media Podagogik-medienpaed.com/

ISSN 1424-3636.http://www.medienpaed.com/06/bachmair2.pdf

[2] . Karen Allen,BBC News (Last Updated 13/12/2007,17:59 GMT)

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS, AND CORPUS LINGISTICS

By Samuel Byamugisha Kamanzi.

TOPIC: CNN LARRY KING LIVE: INTERVIEW WITH BILL CLINTON BY LARRY KING (SEP 9, 2007 – 21.00 ET).

Anne Okeeffe defines Media Discourse as the “representation of reality in Broadcast and Print Media, which may include Political Interviews, Chat shows, Radio Phone Ins, etc”[1]. She adds that the most appropriate way to investigate Media Discourse is to employ Discourse analysis, Conversation analysis, and Corpus linguistics. She defines Discourse analysis as an examination of how the interaction between the presenter/interviewer and the interviewee/guest, is managed, how pseudo-relationships are established and maintained, and how others are created through out the interaction.

Going by these definitions, I think the most appropriate methodological tools for analysing the Larry King/Bill Clinton interaction on CNN, are Discourse Analysis, and Corpus Linguistics. According to Okeeffe, in Discourse Analysis, attention is paid to the use of Exchange Structures, Pragmatic Markers, Discourse Markers, Hedging, Response Tokens, Vague Language, and the Social Roles of the people involved in the interaction.

Okeeffe again informs us that Corpus Linguistics may involve political interviews between well known Media personalities, and important politicians, or Celebrities. I think this is the case, in this CNN interaction between Larry King, and Bill Clinton. Larry King, the presenter of Larry King Live Program on CNN, is a global household name. This was confirmed by the worldwide attention he attracted when he celebrated 50 years of broadcasting, around the time he hosted Bill Clinton for this interview. His guest, Bill Clinton, is a former President of the United States.

In the first Reading, Okeeffe introduces us to the concept of “Participatory Frame Work model”, in which the audience is seen as playing a big role in Media interactions. Therefore this model involves the interviewer, the interviewee, and the audience. In the case of this interaction between Larry King and Bill Clinton, there is a global audience, as a third participant. In fact I remember watching this particular interaction when I was in Central America.

An examination of the text of this interaction reveals the institutionalised power of CNN, as bestowed on Larry King, the host of the program. This is evident in the way he initiates, directs, and controls the interaction. For example, he is quoted as saying “….we will be back with Clinton. Don’t go away”.

The interaction also reveals a lot of exchange structures such as “Speaker Turns”. It is mostly “Two- part (Initiation – Response). An example is where Larry King opens the program by saying “It is always a great pleasure to welcome….”, and then Bill Clinton replies, “Well first of all….”

Sometimes the interaction assumes a “Three-part” (Initiation- Response-feedback). An example of this exchange structure is when Larry King says “Do you like politicking again…” Clinton replies “I do….”, and, then Larry king adds a feedback by questioning “Yes?” Also when Larry King asks (“Did you get a sense of satisfaction since he was such a critic of yours…..” and Clinton replies, “No” Larry king, adds a feedback by questioning, “No?”

This interview is also characterised by use of pragmatic markers, especially discourse markers, and interjections. Okeeffe describes Discourse markers as “the words or phrases that normally mark boundaries in a conversation”[2]. This is evident especially when Larry King says “George Bush, your friend, has said it pains him more when his son is criticised……”, and Clinton replies, “Oh, that is absolutely right”.

Sometimes the interview is also characterised by the use of “Vague Language to lessen the directness of one’s message”[3] . An example is when Larry King is quoted saying, “And one other thing in that area…..” Response tokens, defined as “Interjections that an addressee makes in response to a speaker’s utterances”[4], are noted when Clinton says “That is absolutely right…” From the Readings, we learn that in Participation Frame work Model, the presenters/interviewers, usually align with the audiences, as opposed to the interviewees/guests, at the beginning, and at the end of the interview[5]. This is evident in this interaction, for example, when Larry King says, (“…..the 42nd President of the USA…. He is with us tonight”. This statement clearly involves the audience in this interaction.

For Corpus linguistics, I will refer to the application of Ducrot´s Theory of Argumentation in this interaction. It says that “every instance of putting forward an argument towards a conclusion is based solely on facts conveyed by an utterance-argument”[6]

In this particular case, Bill Clinton talks about how he feels vindicated by Hiarry Clinton’s doing well in politics, especially the US Senate. He recalls telling her long before they got married that she was a very gifted person, and that she would one day end up in politics. His conclusions are clearly backed by the fact that Hilary Clinton is now a leading Democratic candidate, in the US 2008 Presidential race.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

[1]. Okeeffe Anna (2006),Investigating Media Discourse,Routledge,New York,Pg 1

[2] .Ibid. Pg 8

[3] . Ibid. Pg 7

[4] . Ibid. Pg 9

[5] . Ibid. Pg 30

[6] Ljubljana Zagar Z Igov,”From Reported Speech to Polyphony, From Bakhtin to Docrot (Bakhtin and the Humanities: Proceedings of an International Conference in Ljubljana October 19-21 1995,published by CICERO Begunfe d.o.o

WHAT IS POPULAR CULTURE?

By Samuel Byamugisha Kamanzi

According to Williams, Popular Culture is “culture which is well favoured or liked by many people”. To me, Culture are those elements of people’s way of life, as expressed in their unique languages and practices. In the Eastern Province of Uganda, there is a community of people called the Bagisu. Their total population is about 800,000 people, and they are the dominant community in Sironko, Manjya, Manafwa, and Mbale, Districts of Eastern Uganda.

Every year, this community practices what is called “Gisu traditional Circumcision Ritual”, which is by all standards an extremely popular aspect of their culture. The Ceremony takes place every August of each year, in all Gisu occupied areas ofUganda. It is so popular, that Local Governments of the four Districts have it on their District Budgets. They even take time to invite local and foreign dignitaries to attend it.

The ceremony is important to the Gisu people, because it serves as a unifying force, as it is common to all of them. It reinforces their pride and identity as a people. That is why they regard themselves as “Basani or Men”, and the rest of Ugandans who are not circumcised, as (Basinde or Boys).

The ritual involves the circumcision of all young men between the age of 18 and 25, in all the areas of Bugisu. It is normally a three day event. Teams if circumcisers move from village to village, starting with the clan which is thought to have began the practice, until all the villages are covered.

This ritual is important to the young boys, as it is their official initiation into manhood. As part of their preparation to face the knives, individual candidates for the initiation, spend many hours of sleepless nights, dancing and singing, in the company of hundreds of their village mates.

On the circumcision day, they are so tired that they don’t feel the pain, as their fore skins are cut off. Making them dance for long hours is designed to make them so tired, that during the operation, they don’t show any signs of fear. To show fear is termed “cursing one’s skin”, and it is considered permanent shame to the boy, the family, and their clan.

I think this traditional circumcision ritual, in the Bagisu Districts of Uganda, perfectly suits William’s definition of Popular Culture, because of it popularity with all the clans of Bagisu, and its importance in reinforcing their common identity as a people. Infact, it is so popular that all young men in Bugisu, have either to get circumcised, run away from Bugisu, or face forced circumcision.

Williams talks about popular festivals such as Christmas as some of the forms of popular culture. As a Christian, I pay attention to Christmas festivities. I fully participate in many activities on the annual Christmas calendar. I actually enjoy the festive season, participating in exchanging gifts with friends, and attending parties. This is how, as an individual, I relate to these definitions.

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES FOR JUSTICE

By Sam Byamugisha Kamanzi
Media reports indicate that a notorious fraud fugitive has been netted by Mexican police after being traced through a social networking site. Please follow the link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8306032.stm

ONLINE ADVERTISING OVERTAKES TV

By Sam Byamugisha Kamanzi.

Latest studies indicate that online advertising has for the first time overtaked television advertising in the UK. This is regarded as a milestone in the advancement of the New Media which hasn’t been well recieved by the association ot TV Broadcacters in Britain. The change of fortunes has been largely attributed to the widespread econonic recession afflicting World economies. It should be noted that TV advertising is relatively expensive compared to other media. Companies known to have recently been reducing their work force couldn’t have done otherwise. Please follow the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8280557.stm

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTES HEALTH CARE REFORM IN THE USA

By Sam Byamugisha Kamanzi

Newsweek Magazine has reported that a popular slogan to promote the health care reform debate in the USA has rapidly spread through facebook raising questions whether the powers that be really take notice of the impact of this type of social mobilisation for a noble cause. In this particular case, it is significant that President Obama who came to power riding on the power of social media, has also posted encouraging messages in respect of the debate on his own Facebook page. Please follow the link: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/09/04/facebook-s-healthcare-revolt-the-real-town-halls-are-social-networks.aspx

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES LEAD POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

By Sam Byamugisha Kamanzi.

Social networking sites are seen as  increasingly influencing political events in many countries. Here is an example of how a political campaign, coodinated through Facebook and Twitter,against left wing Venzueran strong man Hugo Chavez, has spread in many Central and North American cities. Please follow the link http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090904/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_anti_chavez_protests

THE DOES AND DON’TS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

By Sam Byamugisha Kamanzi

There are no fixed rules for the use of social networking sites. Here are some suggestons on how to avoid offending millions of viewers who may access your profile. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/may/16/news.newmedia1)