THE NEXUS
Digital Neuromarketing : An Analysis Of Kenya ’ s Electioneering Period !
By Walter Chabala
Kenyans are a resilient people and they have been known to both spring back and come together as one during various calamities facing the nation . Remember Kenyans for Kenya campaign , Bring Zack Back Home , # 147NotJustANumber campaign that honored Kenyans in Garissa terror attack ? The list is endless . From situations that are as local as those , to campaigns such as # boycottkoffiolomide that led to the international Congolese music star being deported , Kenyans have been known to be vibrant on social media platforms . They have advocated for positive causes and even impacted meaningful change such as spirited fights that saw the ‘ high and mighty ’ resigning on corruption allegations .
No doubt ; social media is a powerful platform . Kenyans have even gone further and built a whole army on this platform - KOT ( Kenyans on Twitter ). This army has been known to be brash , quick , creative and many other terms that would fit their description based on the circumstance . Many are warned both in peer discussions , parliamentary debates and even the then presidential aspirant - Donald Trump was warned not to mess with this army . fragility is pronounced by such vices as tribalism and corruption to say the least .
During the 2007 elections , Kenya tore at its hem and more than half the country was up in flames . Food supplies ran short , people turned to beasts , panic and anarchy reigned supreme and thousands of lives were lost . No one was spared in all the madness . A madness that apportioned blame to almost all sections of society . The politicians blamed the church , the church blamed the media , the media blamed the electoral body and the chain of blame just went on and on .
Fast forward to 2013 and 2017 , the same panic that has become the norm around election time filled our hearts again . For the believers , they would say “ through God ’ s grace ,” luckily not much conflict and violence visited the nation . Five years since the last Kenyan elections , talk and jitters of strife and conflict are with us again .
Today , the phenomenon of digital neuoromarketing has found true abode amongst Kenyans , and with it , comes possible danger . Internet connectivity has grown and more Kenyans than ever before own smartphones . These gadgets and connectivity have given rise to a
In all the good , funny and outright creative that can be said of Kenyans and their use of these platforms , there is equally a great deal of stuff to worry about : Cyber bulling , online trolling , terrorism planning and recruitment , blatant and unmonitored mudslinging etc . Also worrying is Kenyans use of these platforms during national electioneering periods . Kenya is a young democracy . Young as it is , its
“ Kenya ’ s mobile and internet penetration is among the highest in Africa at 83 % and 58 % respectively of the close to 50 million people . These figures directly translate to increased digital neuoromarketing ; where all things non-factual , unverified and sensational find common harbor .”
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