Answer to Question #297302 in Marketing for Dineko

Question

Give an extensive discussion on why the internet is not considered a mass medium in the Africa. Substantiate your answer with examples

Answer 1

The Internet is a multifaceted mass medium, that is, it contains many different configurations of communication. Its varied forms show the connection between interpersonal and mass communication that has been an object of study since the two-step flow associated the two (Lazarsfeld, Berelson, & Gaudet, 1944). The Internet is not only a mass medium but is also a global medium with the potential to reach everyone on the globe. It is also a unique channel for mass communication which has challenged if not altered some of the fundamental and traditional concepts of a mass medium.

Africa has the lowest number of Internet connections only 22 per cent of the continent has access. It also has the largest potential for progress. The African Union, with support from the World Bank Group, has set the goal of connecting every individual, business, and government on the continent by 2030. The top barrier to mobile internet use in low- and middle-income countries as well as a key issue in developed countries. The remaining unconnected population is disproportionately illiterate or has low levels of literacy.