Digital and Social Media in Africa
London: University of Westminster Press (2025), xi, 194 pp.
Contains index
ISBN 978-1-915445-05-6 (pbk); 978-1-915445-02-5 (pdf)
CC BY-NC
"This book provides case studies on the strategies used by African governments in monitoring and controlling digital and social media, as well as the implications of such actions for claims about media freedom and freedom of expression. Further, the book examines the human rights challenges posed by state control and monitoring of digital and social media forms of communication. In the context of a digital surveillance state, it questions how digital and social media can possibly enhance the democratisation of both the communicative and political spaces. The book focuses on questions of censorship and control of digital and social media in ‘supposedly’ democratic societies. It discusses regulation and how governments have imposed their state power by ‘switching off’ the internet and blocking social media sites under the guise of national security and order maintenance." (Back cover)
Introduction / Henri-Count Evans, Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, and Tinashe Mawere, 1
1 The Materiality and Political Economy of Social Media in Africa: Power Retention and (Dis)Empowerment / Henri-Count Evans, Tinashe Mawere, and Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, 7
2 Digital Communication and Social Media Infrastructures in Eswatini: Legitimating or Challenging the Status Quo? / Nqobile T. Ndzinisa and Reuben Dlamini, 29
3 Regulating Dissent on Social Media during Elections: The Cases of Uganda and Zimbabwe / Carolyne M. Lunga, Sharon Karamagi, and Rosemary K. Musvipwa, 49
4 Instigators, Rebels, Miscreants, and Hooligans: Reframing Social Media Activists in Contemporary Africa / Itunu Ayodeji Bodunrin and Trust Matsilele, 71
5 The Weaponisation of Social Media in Zimbabwe: An Insight into Internet Usage and Government Restrictive Responses / Thembelani Moyo and Mphathisi Ndlovu, 93
6 Wedging Participatory Gaps? Minority Superusers’ Dominance of Discourse on Twitter during Elections and the Perpetuation of Online Discursive Inequalities / Leonard Makombe, 113
7 Social Media, Digital Influencers, and Social Participation in Mozambique: A Case Study of the Digital Influencer Salésio Do Pânico / Tânia Machonisse and Henri-Count Evans, 129
8 Animation and Social Media as Alternative and Counterhegemonic Digital Public Sphere in Zimbabwe / Peace Mukwara, 155
Conclusions. Navigating the Contested Terrain of Digital and Social Media in Africa, 175
1 The Materiality and Political Economy of Social Media in Africa: Power Retention and (Dis)Empowerment / Henri-Count Evans, Tinashe Mawere, and Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, 7
2 Digital Communication and Social Media Infrastructures in Eswatini: Legitimating or Challenging the Status Quo? / Nqobile T. Ndzinisa and Reuben Dlamini, 29
3 Regulating Dissent on Social Media during Elections: The Cases of Uganda and Zimbabwe / Carolyne M. Lunga, Sharon Karamagi, and Rosemary K. Musvipwa, 49
4 Instigators, Rebels, Miscreants, and Hooligans: Reframing Social Media Activists in Contemporary Africa / Itunu Ayodeji Bodunrin and Trust Matsilele, 71
5 The Weaponisation of Social Media in Zimbabwe: An Insight into Internet Usage and Government Restrictive Responses / Thembelani Moyo and Mphathisi Ndlovu, 93
6 Wedging Participatory Gaps? Minority Superusers’ Dominance of Discourse on Twitter during Elections and the Perpetuation of Online Discursive Inequalities / Leonard Makombe, 113
7 Social Media, Digital Influencers, and Social Participation in Mozambique: A Case Study of the Digital Influencer Salésio Do Pânico / Tânia Machonisse and Henri-Count Evans, 129
8 Animation and Social Media as Alternative and Counterhegemonic Digital Public Sphere in Zimbabwe / Peace Mukwara, 155
Conclusions. Navigating the Contested Terrain of Digital and Social Media in Africa, 175
