Laugh Quote Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back. Knock! Knock! Knock, knock. Who’s there? I am. I am who? You mean you don’t know who you are? Wise Guys Answer To Stupid Question Question: Did I do something wrong, officer? Wise Guy (police officer): No, I just got tired of lugging around these heavy summonses so I decided to give some of them away. Business Joke Management by envelopes A new manager spends a week at his new office with the manager he is replacing. On the last day, the departing manager tells him, “I…
Author: Pride Team
Fuyuki Kurasawa, York University, Canada In the minutes and hours that followed of the recent mass shooting in Toronto, an all-too-familiar pattern kicked into high gear on social media platforms. As the events were still unfolding on the streets of the city’s Danforth neighbourhood, the initial sparse facts about the attack were immediately drowned out by a torrent of unverified rumours, unsubstantiated claims and wild speculation about both the identity and the motive of the attacker. The response on social media abruptly confirmed two tendencies of the digital age: Speed eclipses accuracy and social media abhors an informational vacuum. These…
Ylva Rodny-Gumede, University of Johannesburg The year 2016 will go down in history as the year in which fake news really took centre stage. It played a decisive role in major events such as the outcome of the US elections and the British Brexit vote. In South Africa, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, newspaper editors and journalists have become among the most prominent targets for fake news peddlers. The common denominator of fake news – fictional pieces of information or narratives – has been that lies are used to discredit individuals, as well as their viewpoints and agendas. Fake news, misinformation,…
George Ogola, University of Central Lancashire The news media is usually one of first casualties of bungled or contested elections. From the recent US elections, the UK’s Brexit vote to Zambia’s controversial 2016 presidential elections, the mainstream news media bore the brunt of much of the criticism that followed. In Africa, biased media coverage, most often in favour of incumbent presidents, is one of the reasons voters have little faith in the legitimacy of election outcomes. In South Africa for example, the public broadcaster routinely comes under intense criticism at election time for being a propaganda outlet for the ruling…
George Ogola, University of Central Lancashire As the internet continues to gain considerable power and agency around the world, many governments have moved to regulate it. And where regulation fails, some states resort to internet shutdowns or deliberate disruptions. The statistics are staggering. In India alone, there were 154 internet shutdowns between January 2016 and May 2018. This is the most of any country in the world. But similar shutdowns are becoming common on the African continent. Already in 2019 there have been shutdowns in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Chad, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Last year…
For years, the average Nigerian woman has had to contend with a patriarchal society that has sought to subjugate her innate leadership abilities and silence her voice in matters of governance and politics. It may seem that the 21st-century woman, armed with a voice and numbers, would break this jinx. However, to forge ahead, we must first delve into the past. The Aba women’s riot holds a valuable lesson to be learnt. According to research, the riot was a revolt that broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District, Umuahia and women from the other eastern places…
Susan Dodsworth, University of Birmingham Women are gaining ground in politics around the world. Last year, the so-called “pink wave” saw a record number of women elected to Congress in the US’s mid-term elections. There are signs of progress in Africa, too. Last October, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was praised for his “transformative leadership” after appointing a new set of ministers – half of whom were women. Earlier in February, Egyptian lawmakers proposed amending the constitution to guarantee women 25% of the seats in the national parliament. If it’s approved, this change would significantly increase the political representation of…
Neil McArthur, University of Manitoba and Markie Twist, University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Extension Sex as we know it is about to change. We are already living through a new sexual revolution, thanks to technologies that have transformed the way we relate to each other in our intimate relationships. But we believe that a second wave of sexual technologies is now starting to appear, and that these are transforming how some people view their very sexual identity. People we refer to as “digisexuals” are turning to advanced technologies, such as robots, virtual reality (VR) environments and feedback…
With our digital speaks edition fast approaching, we continue to shine the spotlight on digital amazons redefining the Africa’s tech landscape, especially in the area of digital marketing. Today we consider the effervescent Temitope Ooye. Temitope Ooye (@ThatMediaBabe) is a Communication and Marketing Professional who is passionate about building, managing and connecting brands with the right audiences and delivering on identified KPIs. She holds a Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Prestigious Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), Dublin, Ireland and another Diploma in Online Reputation Management (ORM) from Shaw Academy. Temitope is a graduate of Chemistry (B.Sc.) from Olabisi Onabanjo University…
My Dear Daughter, When you are faced with difficulties in life, struggling, or fearful, it is easy to compound your anxiety by assuming that things can only go from bad to worse or that tomorrow will be exactly like today without any solution in sight. Are you right in these suppositions? Life has taught each and every one of us that nothing stays the same besides change. This implies that nothing lasts forever whether good or bad times. So, we should never paralyze ourselves with fear or create self-prophesies that spell doom. When we are faced with difficulties, it is…