Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was born and raised in the township of Daveyton in the city of Ekurhuleni, South Africa. Nhlanhla holds a Master of Business Administration qualification and is a decorated graduate from Regenesis Business School (Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management), the University of Johannesburg (Economics), Lyceum College (Traffic Science), and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Nhlanhla has researched and written extensively on the benefits of the Industrial Revolution, township economic development (Township industrialisation), biodiversity on socio-economic growth, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), philosophy, leadership with foresight, the balanced state of emotions (emotional and spiritual wisdom).
He is the director of Redtree Publishers (Pty) Ltd, a publishing company aimed at publishing and promoting the work of aspiring local authors.
The high prevalence of cyberbullying, disinformation, sharing of harmful content such as child pornography, social media addiction, increasing cases of human trafficking, and the disruptive nature of irresponsible use of social media in the learning environment compels us to raise awareness and educate society about the ever-lurking dangers and negative impacts posed by the ‘dark’ side of social media. It is the will to raise awareness that inspired the Redtree Publishers family to write the book.
The main theme of the book is, “If our mission is not to correct, then what is our mission?” This book is about promoting sensible, responsible, and progressive use of social media while harnessing reading and writing skills and improving language proficiency.
This book contains basic guidelines and information aimed at empowering readers with the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with the following:
– Cyberbullying: How to spot a cyberbullied person and how to deal with it.
– The Do’s and Don’ts on social media.
– Moral and legal obligations.
– Preventing and mitigating the transgression of school social policy.
– How to monitor minors on social media without infringing on the right to privacy.
– Social media ‘group’ page management.
– How to curb fake news, misinformation, and ‘doctored’ digital material.
The challenging part of the writing process Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi experienced was producing an intergenerational fit book, a book that will appeal to both parents and children alike while promoting sensible and progressive use of social media. The editing and content development team conducted in-depth research in formulating a book title and a book cover that appeals to both adults and children alike.
The research discovered that the very same digital space used by children, parents, and groups for research and study purposes, sharing cultural and religious content, sharing community development news, business marketing, and job-seeking purposes is also being exploited by cold-hearted online predators, human traffickers, and peddlers of harmful content.
The book contains definitions, guidelines, and information that empower readers with the necessary knowledge and skills required to deal with harmful content such as cyberbullying, social media addiction, school social media policy, and social media group page management. It is also available in various African languages.
The book is not only about promoting sensible and progressive use of social media but also about harnessing reading and writing skills and language proficiency. “We cannot even begin to describe the amount of emotional and psychological pain that cyberbullied children, victims of human trafficking, and victims of fake news go through,” Nhlanhla said.
It is known in the public domain that the learning environment is somehow disrupted by the transgression of school social media policy and that there has been an increase in the number of reported cases of disappearances of people after having befriended and interacted with strangers on social media platforms.
The Redtree Publishers family’s next project is unearthing, publishing, and promoting the work of local authors, and ensuring that our public libraries, school libraries, and bookshops are populated with relevant and rich local content.
“I consider the writing of this book, ‘Kids on Social Media,’ as a meaningful contribution to society and in inculcating a culture of reading into our society. Firstly, I believe that we all have a story to tell, and secondly, my advice to aspiring local authors is to ensure that their work is well-researched and adheres to the standard and principles of authorship” Nhlanhla explains.
The book is available at shop no 17c at Daveyton Mall, Lifestyle Books (Lakeside Mall), or readers can place an order by emailing info@redtreepublishers.org, or WhatsApp 079 843 7814 or call 011 424 0187. We are also reachable through our social media page (Redtree Publishers) and Daveytontv. The book price is R200.
