Digital Fluency Today

    By Silvia Tsitsi Mukwindidza The Zimbabwean media has proven to be utterly polarised. Media polarisation is when the media are divided into two camps which support opposed political parties. The media in Zimbabwe is divided into state media, which supports the ruling party and government officials while private media supports oppositional political parties and anti-Zanu PF individuals. The polarisation in Zimbabwe is mainly due to the economic and political situation in the country. It is distinctly clear to note the political party that a medium supports in Zimbabwe. Is the mainstream media still worth our time? If we now know that the mainstream media has agendas to push should we still use it for information or news? Does it benefit us to seat back every time to read, watch or listen to news that we know has a missing voice or a missing perspective? How are we being informed by reports that are biased because of advertisers’, sponsors’ or politicians’ influence on content? Is it

By Silvia Tsitsi Mukwindidza Why should you vote? It is your responsibility as a citizen of Zimbabwe to participate and vote in national elections. Political processes comprise of the politicians, the media and citizens. Therefore, it is a cycle where these players feed into each other to build a nation. Every citizen has the right to participate in political processes so as to determine their own future. If you quest for change, then voting gives you that power to choose who can represent you and your ideologies. If you did not know, voting is your right as a citizen of Zimbabwe. Cliché or not, those that vote have a superior right to criticise political leaders than those that do not. Register to vote This is the most important initial stage of an election. Without registering to vote you are depriving yourself of your right to vote. After registering to vote you still need to verify your details and polling station to avoid missing this vital opportunity of determining your future.