Advancements in online social media platforms and the rise of content creators and influencers have outpaced regulators in South Africa and around the world, as these platforms have long overtaken traditional media.
This is according to submissions heard by parliament’s portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies on Tuesday morning.
The committee heard input during an engagement scheduled as a “roundtable on the regulation of podcasts”, a burgeoning medium estimated to be worth R156bn. But from the beginning of the meeting, it became clear that MPs wanted to understand the social discourse and economic opportunities podcasts presented.
Dimitri Martinis, a principal consultant, told the committee that policymakers should anticipate misunderstandings or different understandings on the dynamics behind the rise of digital media, the first being the need to recognise that South Africa is now working in “a converged environment”.
“This will be something that legislation has recognised as far back as 2005 with the promulgation of the Electronic Communications Act. And we have essentially different industries that are now telephoning and now watching television. It’s that sort of civil perspective.”
He shared numbers which illustrated to the roundtable that the growth of various online digital platforms over the past decade into dominant platforms was accelerating with each year that passed.
“I’d like you to guess how long it took some of these disruptive technologies, like logos, to reach one-million viewers. It took Netflix three-and-a-half years to reach a million subscribers.
Young people are finding entrepreneurship opportunities within that, and it’s a sector that we believe we should actively support as this parliament, and I believe as parliament as well
— Khusela Sangoni-Diko, portfolio committee chair
“It took Airbnb two-and-a-half months. [It took] Facebook 10 months. [It took] Spotify five months to reach a million subscribers. [It took] the iPhone 74 days. [It took] Instagram 25 days. Have you seen the pattern? In principle, ChatGPT took five days to reach a million. And today, ChatGPT, among many other AI systems, have two-billion visits per day. That’s quite a number.”
Portfolio committee chair Khusela Sangoni-Diko said the purpose of the meeting is not to discuss the regulation of podcasts but to get South Africans in conversation about a multibillion-dollar industry, which is digital content creation, with podcasts at the heart.
“I was going through the statistics just the other day, and it says that in the last year, I think it’s the Icasa state of ICT report, ... had more than R156bn, which went to data processing, to social media and access to the platforms that we’re discussing today.
“Now you have a sector that is creating an immense number of jobs. Young people are finding entrepreneurship opportunities within that, and it’s a sector that we believe we should actively support as this parliament, and I believe as parliament as well.”
She said as much as the committee recognised the innovation, the inclusion and the monetisation being stimulated in the sector, it remained a reality that the government would have to look at the challenges presented by the sector.
“I don’t think that I need to explain the impact that social media these conversations we have had in our society. Most of us are old enough to remember Bell Pottinger. We have seen AI undress women on social media.
“And these are some of the harms that I think we need to balance as we warmly welcome innovation and digital inclusion. So the strong thing will be that we demand a significant moment for this parliament.”
She said South Africa was engaging with a medium that’s become a cornerstone of cultural expression, a powerful tool for journalism and storytelling and a rapidly growing engine for digital entrepreneurship.
“That the podcasting sector has grown in South Africa is undeniable. From political commentary to community storytelling, from education to entrepreneurship, podcasts are really enriching our public discourse, and they’re providing platforms for voices that are often unheard in traditional media.”
She said the committee believed this was a success story of innovation and digital inclusion, but the rapid growth of the sector also brings us to a critical juncture.
“The legislative and policy frameworks that govern our communication landscape were, for the most part, designed for a bygone era. If you look at just our Electronic Communications Act, it was built around the concept of linear broadcasting, scarce spectrum, and it does not easily apply to the one-to-one internet-based world of podcasting.
“So this misalignment represents a structural regulatory gap. While the constitution, Popia and the Cybercrimes Act provide a foundational floor of rights and responsibilities, what we believe we lack is a coherent, forward-looking framework for the sector.”
She said the vision of the engagement was to create political purpose around a governance framework that protects public interest, the safety of minors, and the integrity of South Africa’s democratic discourse, “without stifling the creativity, innovation and freedom of expression that makes podcasts so powerful”.
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