4.3 Locating the media audiences – online and offline access to media A T the start of 2023, Global Digital Insights reported that in Zimbabwe, 5.74 million Zimbabweans were internet users. At the same time, internet penetration was 34.8% [39]. Moreover, 14.08 million cellular mobile connections were active, influencing the social media environment in Zimbabwe in 2023. If this figure is anything to go by, 85.4% of Zimbabwe’s population has mobile devices to access communication material. However, these figures tend to over-simplify the mobile penetration rate and internet penetration. From a mere observation, not everyone owns a smart phone and, therefore, have access to the internet. Furthermore, these figures also do not consider the observation that some individuals may possess more than one mobile device and access the internet via all the devices in their possession. While the available data speaks generally of the national level and is dominated by urban typology, the numbers above demonstrate a large potential for development in internet usage via mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. While mobile penetration has indeed increased, expanding into many rural areas, connectivity and network challenges persist to limit the usage of the new media available through mobile phones and the internet. Despite the huge disparities in access to ICTs and media in general, it is clear that new information and communication technologies have impacted Zimbabwe’s media landscape. The way media organisations and institutions operate is changing in many ways thanks to the internet, which is also altering the technological character of the media sectors and creating new opportunities for access, content, formats, and interactivity. Online access to media platforms DATA Reportal [40] (2023) shows that in 2023, there were 1.5 million social media users in Zimbabwe, representing 9.1% of Zimbabweans. 28 While this is generalised for the urban landscape, the rural landscape has its nuances, also depending on the specific typology in question. A 2020 survey by MISA Zimbabwe and KAF, focusing on rural areas, noted that most marginalised rural communities enjoy the various services and opportunities brought by the