What is data coding Data coding, which is a A systematic way in which to condense extensive data sets into smaller

analysable units through the creation of categories and concepts derived from the data, (Lockyer, 2004:1) Lockyer, Sharon. "Coding Qualitative Data." In The Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, Edited by Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, and Timothy Futing Liao, v. 1, 137138. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2004. The process by which verbal data are converted into variables and categories of variables using numbers, so that the data can be entered into computers for analysis.2 Bourque, Linda B. "Coding." In The Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, Edited by Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, and Timothy Futing Liao, v. 1, 132-136. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2004. Systematic way of interacting with data that will help the researcher to organize, retrieve and interpret pieces of information gathered during a study. This makes information manageable. (Miles & Huberman, 1994:56 refer to it as the stuff of analysis or what allows us to differentiate and combine data you have retrieved and reflections you make about this information. Coding is used to notice relevant phenomena, collect examples of them for commonalities and different patterns and structure. It can be used to reduce or expand data (Strauss 1987) Coding is about conseptualising data, asking questions and providing temporary plausible answer about the relationships among and within data. If well done, it opens up the inquiry and help the researcher move toward interpretation. It is used to segment data into simpler general categories and then used to expand the data and formulate new questions, raising levels of interpretation and generalisations. Codes are tags/labels for assigning unit of meaning to data. Levels of coding : Open Break down, compare, and categorize data Axial Make connections between categories after open coding Selective Select the core category, relate it to other categories and confirm and explain those relationship: Strauss, A. and J. Corbin. Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1990 as cited in Lockyer, S., 2004.

Coding facilitates the organization, retrieval, and interpretation of data and leads to conclusions on the basis of that interpretation.1 Lockyer, Sharon. "Coding Qualitative Data." In The Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, Edited by Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, and Timothy Futing Liao, v. 1, 137-138. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2004

Critique of social media

Jason Ben Levi Who is SM really working for? Million can like a cause on FB and have no impact on reality. Reality trumped virtuality when activists stopped talking to themselves and made their presence felt on Wall Street. In Iran, hailed as Twitter Revolution social media gave a false sense of empowerment to the protestors. Yes the world was watching so were the police Mass comm theories Agenda setting characterised by finite news sources uniform across all the few outlets fragmented collectively shared media agenda emerging. Interactive two way communication and increased info flow gives more power to the people whose agenda would not normally be reported in the major mass media. Opportunities for agenda setting through grassroots organisations with interested others (375). Cultivation theory assumes that media content forms a coherent system, a world view limited to certain themes for example violence but with new media, content becomes more diversified, there are more world views and no mainstream. These conditions give new opportunities for various groups to grow into loud minorities who feel empowered by the social support of extreme but similarly inclined others (Sustein, 2000) Critical theory contends that new technology moves power from elites to greater proportion of media users thereby eliminating induced hegemony. However point out that technology (internet included) is toward greater centralised control by groups who already in power. (Similar to what Habermas (1992) said of the public sphere as being bourgeoisie, male dorminated and economically determined) There is also the problem of digital divide less privileged groups will be left behind because of impaired ability to access new technologies. Preston (2001) argues that the new communication order had failed as they reproduce existing socio-economic inequalities (272).

Political Participation in Zimbabwe

Most Zimbabweans are mere spectators in politics because they have no meaningful channels for participating at the national level. So citizens watch things happen while their social misery mounts. The only available form of participation at national level is voting and that is still very underdeveloped in this country. The institution of participation is ZANU-PF and this is unsatisfactory for various reasons. Without participation, development lags behind as the water crisis here readily shows. In order to solve the crisis of participation in Zimbabwe, and to have meaningful community development, we need to reexamine the whole political structure of this country with a view to seeking to establish provincial autonomy. After independence, the ZANU-PF government took over from where the successive colonial

governments left. ZANU-PF was desperate for power. Even though the party played a decisive role in the armed struggle and even though it won a majority in the 1980 elections, we must remember that ZANUPF was not an entrenched party inside the country. It had no support of the workers, youth, women, nor did it really have the support from the chiefs. The support of the peasants was also very questionable. This reality forced ZANU-PF into a number of desperate measures such as:What is needed in order to promote provincial autonomy and facilitate meaningful participation of local communities is devolution of power. Power belongs to the people and the people are found in communities. By Dr Jonathan Moyo December 1991

Makumbe & Sithole (1997:123). Afr.j. polit. sci. (1997), Vol. 2 No. 1, 122-139 While voter turn out was very high in the elections of the 1980s, there was a sharp decline in voter turn out in the 1990s. This decline has not been only in parliamentary and presidential elections, but has also been reflected in local government elections. Since the incorporation of Patriotic FrontZimbabwe African People's Union [PF-ZAPU] party into the ruling ZANU (PF) party, the remaining opposition parties have been very weak. Under these circumstances, it is only independent candidates who have emerged to challenge the electoral hegemony of ZANU (PF). Many authoritative accounts have been written on the fate of the opposition in Zimbabwe's one-party dominant regime. These accounts have been critical of the ruling ZANU (PF) regime's attitude and behaviour towards opposition parties since independence. The use of state institutions, especially the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), police, army, and the media (daily newspapers, radio and television) have been cited. (132) Eddison J.M. Zvobgo, "An Agenda for Democracy, Peace and Sustainable Development in the SADC Region" (address delivered to parliamentarians at the CPA/IPU Joint Dinner, at Miekles Hotel, Harare, 14 November 1995).- Zvobgo called for the re-democratization of the Zimbabwe Constitution, particularly the aspects pertaining to the powers of the Executive President Based on the electoral strategies how can we characterise the nature of the Zimbabwean state? Raftopolous (2003, 2006), Sachikonye (2011) and Sithole (2001) refer to the Zimbabwean state as an authoritarian regime rather than a liberal democracy.

Koznets Ethnography
The online environment offers us nearly unlimited access to consumer-to-consumer communications that are: relevant and detailed from a naturally-occurring context unelicited obtained in an unobtrusive way, and obtainable in a timely, effective, and efficient manner. This data is raw. It is authentic. Spontaneous. Indigenous. Unforced. Unadorned. Powerful. Highly involved and often spectacularly creative. And, like its predecessor ethnography: 1. It is naturalistic, following social expression to its online appearances. 2. It is immersive, drawing the researcher into an engaged, deeper understanding.

3. It is descriptive, seeking to convey the rich reality of contemporary consumers lives, with all of their hidden cultural meanings as well as their colorful graphics, drawings, symbols, sounds, photos, and videos. 4. It is multi-method, combining well with other methods, both online and off, such as interviews and videography. Like all methods, netnography often works even better when triangulated with other sources of insight. For example, complement netnography with targeted surveys to validate the replicability of findings. 5. It is adaptable, moving effortlessly from newsgroups to blogs, wikis, virtual worlds, social networking sites, podcasting and mobile online/offline communities, and whatever else the future has in store.