Sebola, M. P. (Chief Editor)Sebola, M. P. (Chief Editor)Molokwane, T. S. (Quest Editor)Sybing, R.Mudau, T. S.2023-04-102023-04-102022-09-14Sybing, R. and T. S. Mudau (2022) Exploring the Effects of Social Media Discourse on Public Policy. Proceedings of the International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives. 203-210.<http://hdl.handle.net/11602/2428>.9780992197193 (Print)9780992197186 (e-book)http://hdl.handle.net/11602/2428Journal articles of The 7th Annual International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives, 14 - 16 September 2022The advent of social media has provided non-authoritative users a space to spread ideas and information to vast audiences. Given this paradigm shift, public policy makers and public administrators can benefit from a deeper discussion on the effects of social media platforms and how meaning is contextualized and recontextualized at a rate that can potentially confound public messaging. This paper provides an analysis of social media discourse at the intersection of news dissemination and individual interpretation. Using the concept of grafting which allows language users to make language compatible to suit their goals, the study in this paper examines how language intended to characterize concepts and people in a negative light can be recontextualized to take on more positive meanings. The implications for this phenomenon on public policy and messaging will also be discussed to provide a starting point for the development of real-world applications for authoritative sources of information to address social media discourse.1 online resource (7 pages)enSocial mediaUCTDGraftingDiscourse analysisPublic messagingPublic administrationArticleSybing R, Mudau T S. Exploring the Effects of Social Media Discourse on Public Policy. 2022; http://hdl.handle.net/11602/2428.Sybing, R., & Mudau, T. S. (2022). Exploring the Effects of Social Media Discourse on Public Policy. http://hdl.handle.net/11602/2428Sybing, R., and T. S. Mudau "Exploring the Effects of Social Media Discourse on Public Policy." (2022) http://hdl.handle.net/11602/2428TY - Article AU - Sybing, R. AU - Mudau, T. S. AB - The advent of social media has provided non-authoritative users a space to spread ideas and information to vast audiences. Given this paradigm shift, public policy makers and public administrators can benefit from a deeper discussion on the effects of social media platforms and how meaning is contextualized and recontextualized at a rate that can potentially confound public messaging. This paper provides an analysis of social media discourse at the intersection of news dissemination and individual interpretation. Using the concept of grafting which allows language users to make language compatible to suit their goals, the study in this paper examines how language intended to characterize concepts and people in a negative light can be recontextualized to take on more positive meanings. The implications for this phenomenon on public policy and messaging will also be discussed to provide a starting point for the development of real-world applications for authoritative sources of information to address social media discourse. DA - 2022-09-14 DB - ResearchSpace DP - Univen KW - Social media KW - Grafting KW - Discourse analysis KW - Public messaging KW - Public administration LK - https://univendspace.univen.ac.za PY - 2022 SM - 9780992197193 (Print) SM - 9780992197186 (e-book) T1 - Exploring the Effects of Social Media Discourse on Public Policy TI - Exploring the Effects of Social Media Discourse on Public Policy UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11602/2428 ER -