At least 60 per cent of millennials use social media globally. In Kenya, millions of young people use social media as their primary form of connection with loved ones and the world.
Like many other African youth, young Kenyans engage with politics through WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Although this political engagement marks the height of responsible citizenry, online sites have failed to protect users from disinformation, creating waves of anxiety, fear, anger, and confusion.
Kenyans must stay vigilant online to spot disinformation, so they can make politically sound decisions during the elections in August. Disinformation is the deliberate spread of false information with an aim of influencing public opinion. It is impossible to have genuine elections without free flow of accurate and accessible information to the electorates.
Citizens deserve to know what their leaders stand for to select people who genuinely represent their needs. As one author put it, a lie travels around the world while the truth laces its shoes. Unfortunately, people with influential sway online are using disinformation to obscure the truth and sway opinions in public debates by doctoring and sharing images, screenshots, audios, videos, and print media.
The media can be foundational in countering disinformation, but human rights oganisations have reported about lack of media freedom due to undue influence from the state and others in Kenya.
Disinformation is not new. History shows us that lies and inaccuracies have been used during political shifts to influence the majority around the world. In Kenya, we are still reckoning with the massive scale of disinformation in the 2017 general election.
While television, newspapers and radio remain the most trusted and accessible sources of information, a critical mass of people got their news from WhatsApp and Facebook.
On March 21, 2018, an article in the Washington Post alleged that prominent politicians hired data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica to stew confusion and undermine other politicians by targeting online users with lies and half-truths.
Offline, pamphlets disseminating otherworldly conspiracy theories were distributed. In an environment of falsehood, facts are the key redeemer. The media was heavily influenced by the state, owners and advertisers.
Kenyans were further let down by national institutions that failed to challenge the disinformation campaign. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission struggled to educate voters ahead of the elections. During and after the vote, the IEBC faced several systemic challenges in conveying adequate information to Kenyans, who then filled in the gaps with non-factual information in many circumstances.
Online and offline disinformation campaigns, coupled with an information vacuum from authorities leave Kenyans in dire situations, risking the economical, social and political stability of the nation. The shapes of false information shared daily change just as fast as the constant evolution of social media.
There’s a need to educate the public on how to spot these falsehoods, and promote data verification on institutional and personal levels. Fact-checkers and projects such the FumbuaKE Campaign are encouraging Kenyans to build a culture of always questioning information beyond surface-level before consuming and sharing it.
Fact checking is the process of investigating a claim with an intention of verifying facts. In the fight to keep public debates honest, independent fact-checkers developed fact-checking tools that are easily accessible to the public. These tools include key verification steps, broadcast messages with fact-checked reports from all over the continent, free media literacy trainings and fact-checking research.
Just because information was shared to you by a loved one doesn’t guarantee its trustworthiness. If the news is not being reported by other trusted sources, pause and verify before sharing. Services such as Newsguard rank online source trustworthiness online. You can also ask official organisations and fact checkers for verification on claims surrounding a breaking news story.
Some fact checkers in Africa include Africa Check, Pesa Check and AFP Fact Check. Disinformation can cause serious physical, mental, emotional, economic and political effects on its recipients, especially during the election season. As an individual, be more cautious as you consume information online. Check the facts, and encourage your loved ones to check facts as we debate our candidates’ platforms during this campaign season.
We are all trying to exist in a difficult moment in our collective history. Your participation and information plays a critical role in our democracy and peace this time, take a moment before you click ‘share’ on that exciting meme, video or photo.
Cynthia Adongo is a social media expert interning at FumbuaKE.
