Social media changing the face of African politics

In mid-July Chad lifted its 16-month social media ban. This ended the longest social media blockage seen in any African country. The government argued that the lengthy ban was necessary for security reasons. A Mail & Guardian report says the Chadian case highlights the way social media has increasingly been framed as a threat, especially by authoritarian leaders. Since the beginning of 2019 at least nine other African countries have also experienced government ordered Internet shutdowns. In Social Media and Politics in Africa, Maggie Dwyer and Thomas Molony have explored the various ways social media has been entangled with politics and security. The study includes cases from nine African countries. The authors note that many government attempts to limit social media occurred during election periods or at unanticipated moments of instability. They point out that in recent years Africa has seen the world’s highest Internet penetration growth rates ‘which means that we should expect social media to play an increasingly prominent role in politics and security on the continent’.