AfricaIntegrity_LogoAfricaIntegrity_LogoAfricaIntegrity_FooterLogoAfricaIntegrity_Logo
  • Who we are
    • In Brief
    • Our team
  • What we do
    • Corporate Investigations
    • Risk Advisory
    • Strategic Intelligence
    • Training and Systems Reviews
  • How we work
    • Case studies
  • Where we work
    • Coverage
  • Why us
    • Why us
  • Contact us
December 6, 2021
Categories
  • Africa Integrity insights
  • Central Africa
  • East Africa
  • North Africa
  • Southern Africa
  • West Africa
Tags

The Uncomfortable Relationship between Politics and Social Media in Africa

As growing rates of internet connectivity across Africa bring widespread social media use to the continent, tech giants are facing an uncomfortable introduction to the political scene. From the companies themselves, to the governments communicating through the platforms, and the citizens coordinating with one another to mobilise, all are struggling to navigate this burgeoning aspect of Africa’s political discourse.

One of the most pressing sources of tension is that politicians in Africa are having their posts deleted by the social media platforms they choose to use. This phenomenon is by no means unique to Africa, but the relatively recent adoption of social media as a means of communication for the continent’s leaders has brought this issue to the fore. Just this year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had a Facebook post removed for “inciting violence”, and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had a tweet deleted for referencing the Nigerian Civil War in a threat to separatists.

Such political figures have criticised US-based social media companies for censoring their messages, contending that companies based outside of their countries should not have the power to interfere with government communications. Some have even characterised this as a form of neo-colonialism. In the case of Nigeria, the government retaliated by banning twitter from operating in the country in June 2021; a ban which remains in place but has been undermined by the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and is set to be lifted soon. The ban has faced significant criticism from within Nigeria, indicating the growing opposition to governments’ attempts to control social media platforms.

This can also be seen in the restriction of access to social media platforms, or internet generally, during periods of political upheaval. In the past two years, this tactic has been deployed across the continent to stifle anti-government activity on social media in Burundi, Chad, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Having joined the party somewhat late, sub-Saharan Africa is now seeing social media play an increasing role in protest activity. And its recent onset makes it a new threat to which governments are struggling to react, hence the move towards censorship. This, in of itself, creates tension between politicians and social media companies, who feel their platforms are being misused for political gain. But, as we have seen, attempts to enforce their own rules lead to angry reactions from the politicians against whom they take action.

And thus, a vicious cycle is in motion, out of which the actors involved are yet to navigate. In treating social media as if it is a modern version of state TV, many African leaders are putting themselves in conflict with social media companies. This is doing damage to their reputations both internationally and domestically, where there is a pushback against such authoritarian control of social media from increasingly tech-savvy populations. Social media is now firmly a part of African political discourse and, as Nigeria’s twitter ban has revealed, attempts to interfere with such platforms are challenging and unpopular. African politicians can no longer ignore this form of communication or treat it like traditional forms of media. Those that do are likely to suffer a loss of support, both internationally and domestically. However, there may be opportunities amidst the confusion for leaders who are able to navigate this challenging new terrain.

This article originally featured in Africa Integrity’s November 2021 Newsletter. To join our newsletter mailing list, please contact us.

Share

Recent Posts

  • Nigeria 2023: A Three Horse Race? November 3, 2022
  • Senegal: A Term Too Far August 11, 2022
  • Seismic Electoral Politics in Africa August 3, 2022
  • Africa Integrity Foresight – Russia & Ukraine: Food Insecurity Feeds Instability May 5, 2022

AFRICA INTEGRITY INSIGHTS

Twitter

#SouthSudan: President Salva Kiir makes a second unilateral decision this month regarding the defence ministry - following the removal of Vice President Riek Machar's wife - by appointing an ally to the key ministry, jeopardising the faltering peace agreement made in 2018

Reuters Africa @ReutersAfrica

South Sudan president appoints own defence minister, breaching peace deal https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-sudan-president-appoints-own-defence-minister-breaching-peace-deal-2023-03-30/

#Kenya: Tensions continue to increase in Kenya, as opposition-led protests show little sign of abating, and government supporters have turned to attacking properties owned by political figures, including former President Kenyatta.

BBC News (World) @BBCWorld

Hundreds of protesters storm property of former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta https://bbc.in/3JRl5Zg

#Russia is seeking to use the Black Sea grain deal to strengthen its position/influence in #Africa. Given the levels of food inflation in Africa and that it only received 17% of shipments from the original deal, this is likely to gain notable traction on the continent

The EastAfrican @The_EastAfrican

Russia laid out conditions on Monday for agreeing to any further extension of the Black Sea grain deal, and President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow could send free grain to African countries if those conditions were not met.
https://bit.ly/3lrkjtW

#Nigeria: A significant result for both #Tinubu and #Obi, ensuring that the president-elect maintains his influence over Lagos, whilst indicating that the Labour Party is struggling to covert Obi's popularity into votes for its governorship candidates #NigerianElections2023

Reuters Africa @ReutersAfrica

The governor of Lagos easily won re-election in low turn-out local voting, a victory for Nigeria's ruling party just weeks after the commercial capital backed the opposition in a disputed presidential election. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/lagos-governor-re-elected-victory-nigeria-ruling-party-2023-03-19/

Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy • Terms and conditions • Contact us

Website by Creative Clinic