Abstract
The spectacle of digital activism has taken the world by storm as silent voices manipulate the advantages or opportunities provided by social networking sites (SNSs) to organise protests by engaging their audiences using a panoply of digital technologies. The efficacy of such novel engagement as part of social action movements has become common worldwide, and Africa is no exception. The proliferation of digital media spaces has often made authoritarian resilience costly, but it continues to oil the surveillance economy, data capitalism, and global information manipulation. The chapter presents classical case studies reflecting how this phenomenon has engulfed African states. A qualitative research approach unpacks this phenomenon, as it has become deeply rooted in Africa's drive for social change. The chapter enquires about epistemological reasons such platforms have become a threat to the legacy media.
TopIntroduction
Fergusson and Molina (2020) argued that increased access to social media and other communication networks characteristically escalates the likelihood of protests. Mwaura (2017) noted that studies on social media in Africa have focused on social media activism and not on the taxonomy of social media dissidence. Suwana (2019) defined digital activism as using digital media to take part in activism to achieve agendas, push for economic, social, and political change, and organize public campaigns (Edwards, Howard, & Joyce, 2013). On a similar note, Hutchinson (2019) viewed digital activism as an amalgamation of several approaches toward protest, visibility, mobilization, and activity. The author associated digital activism with civil disobedience as denial of service attacks, open-source advocacy, and hashtag activism. Joyce, (2010) states that this form of activism constitutes using digital media to engage in hashtag activism, such as hashtag movements and open-source advocacy. Gerbaudo (2017) argues that netizens connected through digital networks can coordinate action, share information, and develop goals for political activism. Digital activism marks a new phase uniquely distinguished from traditional legacy activism, as discussed below.
Research Questions
The following questions will guide the study;
RQ1. What is digital activism?
RQ2. What are the different forms of digital activism?
RQ3.How have these forms manifested themselves on digital platforms in selected African countries?
RQ4. Why do marginalized groups resort to digital activism?
Research Methodology
The researchers used a literature review to analyze content relating to digital activism in selected countries. Singh & Sahu (2020) highlighted that the ability to develop research by referring or connecting it to existing knowledge is a building block of all academic research activities, notwithstanding discipline. According to the authors mentioned above, integrating findings and perspectives from many empirical findings makes it practical for a literature review to address research questions with no single study’s supremacy. The researchers undertook the following activities as a way to accomplish the literature review:
- •
designing the review,
- •
conducting the review,
- •
analysis; and
- •
writing up the review.
The literature review flowchart is illustrated in Figure 1. This flowchart guided the study concerning digital activism. The literature has been initiated focusing on research in digital activism in selected countries.
Figure 1. Key questions guiding the literature review
The second figure below (Figure 2) presents the key motifs that guided the study on digital activism in selected countries. These motifs are derived from the key research questions of the survey. The motifs start from the general concept relating to the nature of digital activism and progress to an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the phenomenon of digital activism. It also explores the forms of digital activism and how it manifests itself in the modern era. Furthermore, the motifs enabled the researcher to examine the merits and digital activism within the context of selected countries.
Figure 2. Key motifs guiding the study on digital activism in selected countries in Africa
Key Terms in this Chapter
Social Networking Sites (SNSs): Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are online platforms that allow individuals to create a public or semi-public profile, connect with other users, and share content, such as photos, videos, and messages. Examples of SNSs include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn (Olelewe et al., 2020 AU109: The in-text citation "Olelewe et al., 2020" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Social Movements: Social movements are collective efforts by groups of individuals to bring about social, cultural, or political change. Social movements can take various forms, such as labour movements, civil rights movements, environmental movements, and feminist movements, and are often driven by issues such as inequality, injustice, and discrimination (Mathieu 2021 AU108: The in-text citation "Mathieu 2021" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. )
Digital Hacktivism: This refers to the development of new approaches to secure communities from threats and disruptions based on developing collective awareness and responsiveness to changes in fluid contexts, often through developing and applying new digital technologies (Chandler, 2016 AU106: The in-text citation "Chandler, 2016" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. )
Digital Divide: The digital divide is a term used to describe the gap between individuals, communities, and countries that have access to digital technologies, such as the Internet and computers, and those that do not. The divide manifests itself democratically, technologically, and socially. The digital divide can have significant economic, social, and political implications, limiting opportunities for education, employment, and civic engagement (Jamil 2021 AU104: The in-text citation "Jamil 2021" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ; Lythreatis, Singh, and El-Kassar 2022 AU105: The in-text citation "Lythreatis, Singh, and El-Kassar 2022" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Digital and Social Media: Digital and social media refer to online platforms that allow users to create, share, and exchange digital content, such as text, images, and videos. Digital and social media can take various forms, such as social networking sites, blogs, microblogs, and video-sharing platforms, and can be used for multiple purposes, such as communication, entertainment, and information sharing (Suwana 2020 AU102: The in-text citation "Suwana 2020" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ; Earl, Maher, and Pan 2022 AU103: The citation "Earl, Maher, and Pan 2022" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. )
Digital Activism: Digital activism refers to using digital technologies, particularly the Internet and social media platforms, to organize, promote, and participate in social and political activism. Digital activism can take various forms, including online petitions, viral campaigns, social media advocacy, and cyber-activism (Ozkula, 2021 AU100: The in-text citation "Ozkula, 2021" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ; Sorce and Dumitrica,2022 AU101: The in-text citation "Sorce and Dumitrica,2022" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Socio-Political Protests: Socio-political protests refer to collective action taken by citizens to voice their grievances and demand social and political change. These protests can handle various forms, such as peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins, and strikes, and are often driven by issues such as economic inequality, political corruption, human rights abuses, and discrimination. “Social-political protests refer to a type of social sentiment characterized by the dissatisfaction of social groups with the current state of affairs, unjustified expectations, and, at the same time, readiness to take concrete action to change the individual’s situation, which is perceived as unfavourable” (Frants and Keune 2020 AU110: The in-text citation "Frants and Keune 2020" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Coroinfodeluge: The avalanche of the COVID-19 pandemic produced daily at an astronomical pace versus the human mind’s limited capacity to analyze, synthesize, and make sense of it. It also refers to the overabundance of COVID-19 pandemic information and its difficulty for users to analyze and decide on it.
Digital Repression: Digital repression refers to using digital technologies, such as internet censorship, surveillance, and cyber-attacks, to suppress free speech, dissent, and oppositional voices. Digital repression can be used by governments, corporations, and other entities to control information and limit individual freedoms, such as freedom of expression and privacy. Digital repression can be defined as “actions directed at a target to raise the target’s costs for digital social movement activity and the use of digital or social media to raise the costs for social movement activity, wherever that contestation takes place” ( Earl, Maher, and Pan 2022 AU107: The citation "Earl, Maher, and Pan 2022" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).