China colonizing Africa narrative on social media: An issue activation and response perspective

Abstract

The issue of ‘China colonizing Africa’ received significant attention in both traditional and social media in the periods before, during and after the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2018 meeting. This study traces these discourses on YouTube, which is one of the social media platforms widely used to raise awareness and also influence public opinion on various issues. Thematic and content analysis are used to identify the dominant themes discussed in the selected videos and also to identify the sentiments expressed by viewers in the comments posted. The issue activation and response model is used to create meaning from the data. The study finds that the themes and the sentiments reflect the dominance of pessimistic and optimistic perspectives on the Africa–China relationship. Furthermore, the study shows that the themes discussed have not offered new perspectives but instead the discussions have repackaged old narratives as part of agenda building efforts by the protagonists. The study, therefore argues that social media have become important platforms for activation of issues on the Africa–China relationship, hence the persistence of these old narratives is attributed to lack of effective responses to issues on social media by both African countries and Chinese officials.