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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

Digitalised Voices of Young South African Women and Girls (aged 13- 24) about Social Taboos on the Springster Platform

presenters

    SunHa Ahn

    Nationality: Republic of Korea(South Korea)

    Residence: Republic of Korea(South Korea)

    University of Glasgow

    Presence:Online

This study, grounded in sociological principles, aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how young South African women and girls (YSAWGs) around HIV or sexual health or sexual activities, which are not easy to openly discuss in South African societies, use digital space in terms of their mental health or emotional management. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this study focused on Springster, operated by the UK-based NGO Girl Effect, this platform exemplifies the digital commentary activities of socially marginalised voices, specifically from YSAWGs living with HIV. Ethical approval from the UK institute with a data use license of Girl Effect was secured in September 2021. Subsequently, data collection spanned four months, from September to December 2021, yielding 135 stories and 12,764 user comments written under each story. Through content analysis, the study quantified the frequency of repetitive words in these comments and identified main themes. Five digital commentaries were identified, as follows: 1) Advising and Suggesting (n=437), 2) Sharing Concerns and Seeking Advice (n=328), 3) Reflection and Critical Thinking (n=299), 4) Inspiration and Learning (n=228), and 5) Representing Themselves (n=94). These digital phenomena emerged as alternative substituting for the paucity of public school or (mental) health services, as well as the deficits of in-person intimate relational support, especially, among those who are struggling to seek non-judgemental peers or mutual relationships to navigate their emotional challenges in their life journey of HIV, sexual practices, and relevant health issues. This implies the need for educationally interactive processes in YSAWGs’ mental health, which have been epistemologically neglected since the apartheid period. Given the digital divide and incommunicative environments in South Africa, this demonstrates digital health practices' potential for managing sexual health or practices for young women. However, there are prevailing risks to them, mitigating the benefits, which means the urgent necessity of systematical interventions.

Keywords:

Digitalised voices, Young women, Sexual Health Practices, South Africa