Paper short abstract:

This paper overviews the study of the popular in media and communication, and attempts to critically examine the dynamics of the popular in social media.

Paper long abstract:

This paper makes an overview of various approaches to the study of the popular in media and communication, with a particular emphasis on African contexts. The focus then moves to a critical examination of certain aspects of dynamics of the popular in social media in contemporary Africa. Examining social networking sites and popular news sites, the author examines challenges to political power and how the dynamics of social media tie in with the dynamics of the popular. While a number of contemporary studies tend to concentrate on the conventionally political or democracy-enhancing side of the continuum, this paper aims to re-approach the popular with a view to studying the role of popular pleasures in the political significance of social media.