Networked Hyperlocal Activists: Digital Democracy and Engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa

IF 4.9 1区文学 Q1 COMMUNICATION

Social Media + Society Pub Date : 2025-05-31 DOI:10.1177/20563051251345945

Nikolaos Toumaras

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Digital activists play a pivotal role in fostering local democracy, civic participation, and social advocacy across sub-Saharan Africa. Using technological, social, and discursive layers of communication, these activists navigate complex socio-political environments to amplify marginalized voices and facilitate local governance dialogues. Platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook enable real-time communication, trust-building, and narrative framing within nano-media spaces, bridging online and offline interactions. Despite their transformative potential, significant challenges persist, including gender disparities, urban-rural divides, and platform-specific limitations that hinder inclusivity and scalability. The commodification of visibility on digital platforms and infrastructural inequities further constrain their impact. Addressing these barriers through improved digital infrastructure, digital literacy initiatives, and institutional support ensures the sustainability of hyperlocal nano-media efforts. These strategies showcase the interplay of local and digital approaches, advancing democracy and civic empowerment while navigating the unique complexities of African contexts.

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网络化的超地方积极分子：撒哈拉以南非洲的数字民主与参与

数字活动人士在撒哈拉以南非洲地区促进地方民主、公民参与和社会倡导方面发挥着关键作用。利用技术、社会和话语层面的沟通，这些活动家驾驭复杂的社会政治环境，放大边缘化的声音，促进地方治理对话。WhatsApp和Facebook等平台可以在纳米媒体空间内实现实时通信、建立信任和叙事框架，架起线上和线下互动的桥梁。尽管它们具有变革潜力，但仍存在重大挑战，包括性别差异、城乡差距以及阻碍包容性和可扩展性的特定平台限制。数字平台可见性的商品化和基础设施的不平等进一步限制了它们的影响。通过改进数字基础设施、数字扫盲倡议和机构支持来解决这些障碍，可确保超局部纳米媒体工作的可持续性。这些战略展示了地方和数字方法的相互作用，在应对非洲独特复杂环境的同时，推进了民主和公民赋权。

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来源期刊

Social Media + Society COMMUNICATION-

CiteScore

9.20

自引率

3.80%

发文量

111

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Social Media + Society is an open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal that focuses on the socio-cultural, political, psychological, historical, economic, legal and policy dimensions of social media in societies past, contemporary and future. We publish interdisciplinary work that draws from the social sciences, humanities and computational social sciences, reaches out to the arts and natural sciences, and we endorse mixed methods and methodologies. The journal is open to a diversity of theoretic paradigms and methodologies. The editorial vision of Social Media + Society draws inspiration from research on social media to outline a field of study poised to reflexively grow as social technologies evolve. We foster the open access of sharing of research on the social properties of media, as they manifest themselves through the uses people make of networked platforms past and present, digital and non. The journal presents a collaborative, open, and shared space, dedicated exclusively to the study of social media and their implications for societies. It facilitates state-of-the-art research on cutting-edge trends and allows scholars to focus and track trends specific to this field of study.