Social Media in Elections: A Glimpse of Mis/Disinformation from Developing Countries

Distor, Charmaine, Đikanović, Danilo and Ben Dhaou, Soumaya, "Social Media in Elections: A Glimpse of Mis/Disinformation from Developing Countries" International Edition of Data for Policy Conference, London, 2024/06/15.

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Conference Publication
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UNU-EGOV Conference Publications

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  • Sub-type Conference paper
    Author Distor, Charmaine
    Đikanović, Danilo
    Ben Dhaou, Soumaya
    Title Social Media in Elections: A Glimpse of Mis/Disinformation from Developing Countries
    Publication Date 2024
    Place of Publication London
    Publisher Zenodo
    Pages V, 5
    Title of Event International Edition of Data for Policy Conference
    Date of Event 2024/06/15
    Place of Event London
    Language eng
    Abstract Technology, particularly social media, plays an essential role in shaping societal perceptions and political discourse in the contemporary political landscape. Scholars like Hendricks and Schill (2017) assert that modern political campaigns are integrally interlinked with social media use, highlighting their critical role in contemporary political communication strategies. Social media’s significance lies not only in its role as a platform for information dissemination but also in its capacity to facilitate engagement and community-building. For instance, Obama’s 2008 campaign leveraged social media platforms to disseminate information, gather data, and strategically foster virtual communities (Cogburn & Espinoza-Vasquez, 2011). The accessibility, interactivity, and immediacy of social media have transformed the landscape of political communication, with contextual factors such as actors, timing, and political systems further amplifying its influence (Zhang, 2016). While existing literature extensively covers the potential benefits of social media for political campaigning, including its cost-effectiveness, lack of traditional media gatekeeping, and impact on electoral outcomes (Strandberg, 2013; Hendricks & Schill, 2017; Gibson, 2015; Smyth & Best, 2013; Brito et al., 2019; Bright et al., 2020), research on its adverse effects, particularly within the democratic frameworks of developing economies, remains rare. Hence, this study aims to contribute to this literature on the intersection of social media and governmental affairs, focusing specifically on the prevalence of mis/disinformation during electoral periods in developing countries. The main objective is to analyze the strategies used by the key stakeholders within this ecosystem and assess their effects on electoral processes
    Keyword Social Media
    Political Campaigns
    Disinformation
    Developing Countries
    Electoral Processes
    Copyright Holder Zenodo
    Copyright Year 2024
    Copyright type Creative commons
    DOI 10.5281/zenodo.12632317.
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    Created: Tue, 10 Sep 2024, 20:18:11 JST by Diogo Ruao on behalf of UNU EGOV