South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry
South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry is a peer-reviewed journal that focuses on media studies and society from a communication perspective, specifically within the contexts of countries and regions in the Global South. This journal serves as a critical platform for scholars, researchers, and practitioners to discuss the dynamics of communication and media that influence society in unique and original social, political, and cultural contexts. South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry encourages contributions from a range of communication disciplines to promote an inclusive and representative global dialogue on the challenges and potentials faced by people in the Global South. South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry, with ISSN 3109-8460 (Online), is published by the Undergraduate Program of Communication Science, Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro. The editorial board is based in Semarang, Indonesia. We welcome all experts, practitioners, and academicians who are interested in South Sight to submit their manuscripts. The appropriate scientific reviewer in the field will review the submitted manuscript.
In order to be accepted and published by South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry, the author (s) who submit a manuscript should complete the review process. South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry articles are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Articles can be read, shared, and adapted even for commercial purposes under the following conditions: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. The copyright of received articles is assigned to the author (s). Author(s) have the right to articles that have been published. The Editorial Team of South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry and the Author(s) strive to ensure that no errors occur in published articles, including data errors and statements. Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. The journal allows the authors to hold the copyright and retain publishing rights without restrictions. Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their websites) before and during submission, as this can lead to productive exchanges and earlier, broader citation of published work.
Promoting Mental Health Literacy through Digital Media in Zimbabwe
Digital media has emerged as a promising tool for promoting mental health literacy, particularly among young people. With the widespread adoption of social media, online platforms, and digital broadcasting, digital media offers unparalleled reach and accessibility for mental health initiatives. However, its effectiveness in low-resource settings such as Zimbabwe remains understudied. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing evidence on the potential of digital media in enhancing mental health literacy among young people, with a view to assessing its applicability in the Zimbabwean context. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), a comprehensive search of multiple databases yielded 40 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using thematic synthesis, involving a three-stage analytical process, and interpreted through an interpretivist lens, recognizing knowledge as socially constructed and context-dependent. Digital media demonstrated potential in promoting mental health literacy, with social media and text messaging showing promise. Effective content creation and dissemination strategies, audience engagement, and addressing barriers were crucial for success. The study concludes that digital media can enhance mental health literacy among young people in Zimbabwe. However, addressing infrastructural, technological, and cultural challenges is essential for optimizing its potential. This review informs the development of evidence-based digital media interventions to support mental health promotion initiatives in Zimbabwe.
Copyright (c) 2026 Clemenciana Mukenge https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Understanding Audience Engagement: A Qualitative Study of User Responses to the #kaburajadulu Campaign on TikTok
This study examines o how audiences engage with and respond to the #kaburajadulu digital campaign on TikTok, an organic social media campaign among Indonesian youth expressing dissatisfaction with socio-economic conditions in Indonesia. This research employs a qualitative comment analysis approach, in which this research analyzed 500 purposively selected comments from 1,347 accessible comments on a highly engaged TikTok video associated with the campaign. Comments were classified into three analytical dimensions: perception, emotional engagement, and judgmental evaluation, with positive and negative sentiments identified across each category. Findings reveal that negative sentiments dominate (62.2%), with judgmental evaluations accounting for the majority of responses (60.0%). Audience comments reflect frustration over limited employment opportunities, rising living costs, and dissatisfaction with domestic socio-economic conditions, alongside aspirations for better lives abroad. Drawing on participatory culture theory, collective action theory, and public opinion theory, this study demonstrates that the TikTok comment section functions as a participatory digital space where users collectively express public opinion, construct shared meanings, and negotiate socio-political issues. This research contributes to digital communication studies by illustrating how viral social media campaigns serve as platforms for emotional expression and public discourse formation among Indonesian youth.
Copyright (c) 2026 Reyvani Alika Riksa https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
How State and Non-State Actors Use and Respond to Technological Initiatives for Reporting and Management of Child Sexual Abuse in Selected Schools
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a problematic global issue, with Nigeria being no exception. Despite its widespread nature, CSA often remains inadequately reported due to sociocultural barriers and fear of stigmatisation. The integration of digital technology has emerged as a promising approach to reporting and managing child sexual abuse. This study investigates the potential of digital technology in managing CSA in public secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria, with a focus on the Ondo State Agency Against Gender-Based Violence (OSAA-GBV) Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) at School Campaign. Employing the in-depth interview to obtain data from school administrators in public secondary schools in Ondo State and key staff of the Ondo State Agency Against Gender-Based Violence (OSAA-GBV). The findings reveal that while a digital platform is available to facilitate reporting and management of CSA cases, its adoption is hindered by limited awareness, technology anxiety, infrastructural challenges, and reliance on manual (non-digital) reporting methods. The study suggest that technology can help organise critical data and improve response to CSA.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ogbemudia Peter Michael, Odunayo Sawyerr, Eniola Akinwumi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0