Social media and politics as usual? Exploring the role of social media in the 2022 Kenyan presidential election

Abstract

ABSTRACT How is social media used in African elections and what is its impact? This article builds on existing research on the role of social media in African elections to argue that its impact is linked to its interaction with traditional media and pre-existing political features of a country. Drawing on original survey data, Afrobarometer data, and content analysis of social media pages of the two main presidential candidates – William Ruto and Raila Odinga – and a selection of allied political influencers’ accounts, we explore the use of social media in Kenya’s 2022 presidential election campaigns. This article highlights how a complex media and electoral landscape incentivised candidates to adopt a segmentation strategy online. Through this strategy, the dissemination of negative information was delegated to social media influencers to avoid alienating undecided voters, while candidate’s main pages were curated to publicise policy and cultivate a positive public image. In this regard, African politicians’ innovative use of social media was shaped by both normative and contextual political factors. We outline how social media affords new avenues for electioneering that may mask old habits, and we encourage researchers to look beyond official campaign accounts when assessing the impact of social media on elections.