This book examines the pervasive phenomenon of trauma and its narrative representation in social media platforms. The book specifically explores how, despite its pedagogical gains, the circulation and consumption of information on social media platforms may exacerbate mental health issues. Containing insightful contributions from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda, the book brings together a unique blend of scholarly research that interrogates social media-induced trauma in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby contributing to the current understanding of the effects of emotional contagion and media amplification on human beings. Trauma in the Age of Social Media: Narrative and Representation will appeal to students and scholars from a range of disciplines, including trauma and memory studies, cultural studies, gender studies, popular culture, psychology, digital media technologies and literary studies.

Nick Mdika Tembo holds a PhD in English Studies from Stellenbosch University and is currently a Professor of English in the Department of Literary Studies at the University of Malawi. His teaching and research interest are in trauma and memory studies, holocaust and genocide studies, childhood studies, child soldier narratives, African life writing, and social media technologies. He has extensively published in these research fields.