Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the engagement processes of Social Impact Assessment
and public participation. Restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the virus prohibited
face-to-face engagement from taking place and, as a result, digital technology was deployed
in certain contexts as a safe alternative and stopgap replacement to ‘traditional’ in-person
engagement. Although accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital technology
is not new to SIA and public participation. Its use has gradually increased in the last two
decades. It facilitates instantaneous communication that bypasses spatial and temporal
boundaries, enabling engagement to take place by proxy and host multiple stakeholders.
Where deployed effectively, digital technology can increase representation, engagement and
privacy among stakeholders – factors critical to modern-day SIA and public participation
processes. The provision of anonymity and confidentiality via digital platforms can reduce the
influence of power and politics commonly experienced in these processes by providing a safe,
remote channel through which to communicate. The rapidly increasing penetration of digital
technology and devices (in both South Africa and the rest of the world) points to a vast new
terrain of potential for digitally led engagement processes. However, significant penetration
of mobile devices does not necessarily equate to improved levels of engagement and
representation; local conditions can impede the ability and propensity of stakeholders to
engage using this technology, resulting in exclusion, skewed representation and affecting the
reliability of the outcomes. Through conducting thirteen semi-structured, in-depth, qualitative
interviews with experienced SIA and public participation consultants, an analysis is conducted
of the strengths and challenges of using digital technology as a replacement to face-to-face
engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.