Oladokun Omojola

Toward Global Ethics: Exploring the Perspectives of Local Media Stakeholders

The search for global media ethics is ongoing, and it is especially relevant for Africa. However, much of the search concerns reconceptualizing the traditional ethical principles, while emphasizing fresh philosophical foundations that use indigenous values alongside global principles. This article contends that in addition to scholars and journalists—the only visible self-motivated search enthusiasts—no fewer than seven other active players exist, and the interests of these players (news makers, media content consumers, media users, media owners, media professional associations, government/media regulators, and media non-governmental organizations) are instrumental in the ongoing global efforts to seek global media ethics. Careful articulation of the stakeholders’ perspectives, to avoid confl ict with any eventual broad-based principles, will ensure that the search for a global ethics from the continent is not lost on the path to reality.

English-oriented ICTs and ethnic language survival strategies in Africa

This paper takes a critical look at information and communication technologies (ICTs) and asserts that the advantages and opportunities which they purportedly offer should not be exaggerated within the context of indigenous populations of Africa, most of which use ICT gadgets and applications that are built into languages alien to them. This scenario is reminiscent of technological determinism which assumes that the target users of ICTs should be able to understand the language in which the technologies are crafted. Unfortunately, the inability of indigenous peoples to adequately comprehend these technologies, as a result of language hindrances, has dramatically eroded the professed socio-economic benefits of ICTs and creates a sore point in the globalisation process, which these technologies drive. Attempted resolution of this colossal deficiency, by a few discerning makers of ICTs, has not succeeded and, in fact, has the potential of complicating the problem. This paper concludes that the solution to the challenge is still feasible within the domain of Afrocomplementarism, which promotes the convergence of indigenous contents and Western technologies. The process should start with local initiatives in developing indigenous languages. By imbuing local and global (such as the Internet) media with indigenous language content, the potential exists for raising awareness amongst ICT producers and encouraging them to develop technologies to accommodate these languages.

Audience Mindset and Influence on Personal Political Branding

Abstract In most researches that touch on consumer behaviour, the bus stops have always been consumer satisfaction and intentions. The intentions of a consumer will normally drive his behaviour on a particular product or service. This will ultimately lead to his satisfaction or dissatisfaction as the case may be. But the question is: if an intention is what you plan or purpose to do, what are those things that drive that plan or purpose? It is the job of this paper to make us understand that a successful branding or brand management does not emerge except the mindsets of the target audience are analyzed and acted upon. These mindsets form the force that propels the intention of a customer to buy or not to buy. This message becomes clearer when we transpose into personal branding, and more specifically, personal political branding.