IN THE EYES OF THE MEDIA: DISCOURSE OF AN ICT4D PROJECT IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

Media discourse is one way in which social reality is shaped. The media has the power to influence public perceptions on ideologies and innovations and hence their adoption and success. It is, therefore, of academic interest to understand media discourse on Information Technological innovations, especially those which are affected and affect the public. This paper analyses the media discourse on ICT for Development ICT4D projects in developing countries. The study uses as a case the media discourse of the Khanya Project - a flagship ICT for education project in South Africa. Using the Habermasian Theory of Communicative Action as a theoretical lens, the study notes that the media discourse on the project is fraught with distortions. The findings substantiate previous research on media discourse that found that media discourse pushes propaganda to the effect that technological uptake and adoption is crucial and inevitable. The paper further explores the potential causes of the distortions. The findings of this study could form part of the recommendations for agencies responsible for implementing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects for education.