Work

Yi market yama phara: the importance of social media for small business development

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The participatory potential of social media has been taken up in African media studies (see Bosch, 2021). Not much, however, has been written about its potential and use in small business development (especially in townships). The need for small business development to stimulate growth of the economy is something of a truism (Lose and Eze, 2024). A major drawback, however, is that despite inherent economic potential, a majority of micro enterprises are characterized by low‐incomes and poverty. This study explores social media’s potential to boost small businesses. Although largely universal, in the context of postcolonial settings designed to depress economic activity, new media technologies present an opportunity for those limited by social stricture to reverse the flow of movement away from the periphery. Using township economy research as an anchor, the chapter argues that social media offers a greater opportunity to circumvent challenges and access markets beyond their immediate surrounds.

Source: Human Science Research Council SA

DOI: 10.14749/32359683

Author: Human Sciences Research Council

Language: English

Topic: SMEs Development and Digital Marketing

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, No poverty, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Human Sciences Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W7162106975

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