Digital activism and social change in Africa: motivations, outcomes and constraints

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, African states have witnessed a surge in digital activism aimed at demanding political accountability and social change. Although there is a budding literature on digital activism in Africa, it is unclear whether it translates into tangible social change on the continent. Similarly, the surge of digital repression by African leaders is yet to be accounted for. Using qualitative data, the author claims that digital activism amounts to `small gains' as against holistic changes in the form of reform and restructuring of socioeconomic and political institutions, systems and policies that engender political repression, human rights violation, and socioeconomic miseries on the continent. The study argues that the surge of digital repression by African leaders is aimed at frustrating use of the internet and digital technologies for mass mobilisation and physical protests considered a threat to the longevity of their repressive rule.