Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya

"This book connects well with the previous book, in that it specifically deals with these new forms of internet technology. It looks at the role of these digital platforms within the political life of Africa. The book gives a really lucid account of ordinary Kenyans using platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. They’re accessing internet networks that were previously inaccessible. And those networks transcend race, gender, ethnicity or other kinds of divisions. There is a sense of cross-border connections taking place, both internationally, but within countries, too. At the same time, the book also tells a story about the same platforms being used by the political elites for their own benefit, stifling activism, rigging elections, and spreading fake news. One of the underlying themes of the book is that online activities are not separable from the economic, political and social landscape of the offline world, nor immune from its political influence. There is a passage in the book that talks about how “what is possible online is dependent on what exists offline.” The tension between digital and analogue is made very clear from a number of examples in the book. The book describes how during the Kenyan elections of 2017, screenshots of voting results at polling stations were posted online to be compared with what was being announced by the electoral commission. They were able to broadcast what the reality actually was, bringing some sort of accountability to the public sphere. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . But at the end of the book there’s a really important message, that while the digital world will impact democracy in Kenya through the increasing diffusion of technologies, that does not mean it will lead to more democracy, or a democratic society and politics. In fact, these developments might actually come to undermine Kenyan democracy. There are examples of this not just in Africa, but in other parts of the world, in India and elsewhere. Governments are increasingly using the same platforms for the surveillance of citizens. There is a very optimistic message in the book. She talks about this young, radical, feminist movement emerging. There is this hope that things might change, particularly with the example of online activism taking place. But, having said that, because all of these activities are still embedded in a local context, existing hierarchies are still entrenched. So, while women get a chance to participate in online activism, they are still less represented in online discussions, and still more subject to harassment."