Social Computing as an E-Participation Tool in South Africa: An Exploratory Study

Social Computing technologies have become prevalent in all spheres of life; businesses, individuals and governments are adopting these technologies at a fast pace. These technologies are interactive and collaborative and therefore present an opportunity to bridge communication gaps between governments and citizens. The main objective of this paper is to explore the use of Social Computing as a tool for public participation in South Africa. Social Computing presents local government with the opportunity to reach out to a larger number of citizens and involve them in policy making while providing them with information relevant to policy making, improve service delivery, improve accountability and transparency. This is especially true with the increase in the number of South African citizens on Social Computing platforms.