Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa
Thesis (PhD (Communication Management))--University of Pretoria, 2026.
Saved in:
| Other Authors: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Pretoria
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1869484060812771328 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Leonard, Anne |
| author_browse | Leonard, Anne |
| author_facet | Leonard, Anne |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD (Communication Management))--University of Pretoria, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108587 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-07-01T04:08:53.728Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108587 Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa Leonard, Anne thembi.tlale@up.ac.za Tlale, Sithembinkosi Social media Higher education institutions Strategic integrated communication Africa UCTD Thesis (PhD (Communication Management))--University of Pretoria, 2026. In an era shaped by digital transformation and globalisation, African higher education institutions (HEIs) are navigating increasing competition and growth both locally and internationally. This evolving landscape calls for a reimagining of communication approaches that align with the unique socio-economic and cultural realities of the continent and HEIs, whether public or private. Recent shifts in the global higher education sector highlight the pivotal role of social media in stakeholder engagement, brand visibility, and reputation management. While notable strides have been made in enhancing institutional competitiveness and recognising the value of communication and marketing, disparities between the Global North and Global South persist. Limited access to digital infrastructure, challenges with internet connectivity, and financial constraints continue to be challenges that many African HEIs and their stakeholders have to navigate. Despite growing global interest in social media's role in higher education, there is a notable lack of context-specific management frameworks for African HEIs, based on a continental perspective. To address this conceptual gap, this study employed a qualitative approach, drawing insights from the most senior social media, communication, and marketing managers at leading HEIs in Africa. The sample included 17 institutions from 11 African countries, selected based on their places in the 2022 and 2023 QS and Times Higher Education Rankings. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate the primary and six secondary research questions. The latter focused on the composition of social media teams, their role in strategic communication and marketing, resource allocation for social media, the skill set of social media specialists, the monitoring and measurement of social media, as well as practitioners’ perspectives on an ideal management framework for the HEI context. The key contribution of this thesis is a conceptual framework for managing social media by HEIs in Africa. This framework is rooted in symbolic interactionism as the grand theory. It further draws on principles of strategic integrated communication. The social media strategist is positioned as both a digital communication leader and educator, requiring strategic vision, advanced competencies, and a deep institutional knowledge. Operating within an institutional advancement division, this role is essential in navigating the complexities of Industry 5.0 and ensuring social media initiatives are agile, forward-looking, and aligned with institutional priorities. In addition, the framework emphasises the need for strategically integrated content to achieve competitive positioning, based on ethical and legally compliant stakeholder engagement. Flexibility in strategy implementation is critical to accommodate centralised and decentralised structures, depending on the needs of different HEIs. Business Management PhD (Communication Management) Unrestricted Faculty of Economic And Management Sciences 2026-02-23T11:03:16Z 2026-02-23T11:03:16Z 2026 2026-02-23 Thesis A2026 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108587 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.31376254 10.25403/UPresearchdata.31376254 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Social media Higher education institutions Strategic integrated communication Africa UCTD Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa |
| title | Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa |
| title_full | Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa |
| title_fullStr | Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa |
| title_short | Social media management by higher education institutions in Africa |
| title_sort | social media management by higher education institutions in africa |
| topic | Social media Higher education institutions Strategic integrated communication Africa UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108587 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.31376254 |