Social media has entered our public sphere like a hurricane, changing the way we communicate. These are the words of social media specialist and PhD candidate at the North-West University (NWU), Moremogolo Moremogolo.

She is educating organisations, communities and schools across South Africa, Botswana and Namibia on the responsible use of social media platforms.

Moremogolo says since the invention of the internet, the way we are communicating has changed drastically.

“The reach of social media has been meteoric over the last few years,” says Moremogolo. “Available statistics shows that the number of monthly social media users has risen worldwide, and in the fourth quarter of 2018, there were 2,32 billion monthly active users.

“In South Africa, more people have access to mobile phones than to clean drinking water. This means that this medium has great potential to reach people inside and outside the classroom,” continues Moremogolo.

She believes educational institutions such as the NWU should take the lead in using social media for teaching and learning. “However, it is also important that appropriate policies are in place to govern proper use of these platforms,” she adds.

She says that not only does the global citizen spend many hours on social networks and messaging services, but nations across the world have embraced this new technology as the newest mode of communication.

“Nowadays important information, news and other diverse communication are sitting right there - in the palms of our hands. There is an inescapable interconnectedness of this new technology to our everyday lives; our social networking groups now exist for work and leisure.

More about Moremogolo

Moremogolo is working towards her PhD on the internet and social media, focussing on freedom of expression on social media.

She holds qualifications from various institutions, including the Communications University of China, the Beijing Film Academy in China, the University of Tromsø in Norway, as well as the universities of Cape Town and Botswana.

She is a university lecturer by profession and also acts as an academic writing consultant.

Moremogolo has given talks and presented seminars at schools across South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. She also presented to provincial legislature, the South African Human Rights Commission, the departments of Basic Education and Social Development, and various other entities.

She is a regular guest on Motsweding FM, and speaks Setswana, English, Chinese (Putonghua), Norwegian and basic Elementary French.

You can follow Moremogolo on:

Facebook: Moremogolo Moremogolo

LinkedIn: Amilia Moremogolo Malebane

 Moremogolo Moremogolo (right) with Matlhodi Angelina Makwetla, the commissioner of the South African Human Rights Commission.