THE NEXUS
“ Internet connectivity has grown and more Kenyans than ever before own smartphones . These gadgets and connectivity have given rise to a new power base within our society , probably too much power than the average citizen actually realizes .” new power base within our society , probably too much power than the average citizen actually realizes .
If it is actually true that a great deal of the 2007 post-election violence was fanned by hate messages and social media communications , imagine what could happen this year ? Reading into the tone of our social media engagements , there is palpable division , hatred and animosity amongst the people . The risk of impeding election violence is as real as day and night . The accompanying risk of death , destruction and stalled development brought about by such evil is equally staring us in the face .
A Little Flashback
As Kenyans waited for the results of the 2007 presidential election , observers noticed Orange Democratic Movement ( ODM ) candidate Raila Odinga ’ s lead of over one million votes strangely morph into a small margin of victory for the incumbent at the time , Mwai Kibaki . SMSs started flying around as suspicions and tensions grew until December 30 when the now defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya declared Kibaki the winner .
As from January 2008 , Kenyans started receiving frightening text messages that urged readers to express their frustrations with the election outcome by attacking other ethnic groups .
Mass SMS tools were a communication tool widely used by citizens to spread hatred and violence quickly spread . Today , 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 .
Towards Risk Perception
Betty H . Morrow notes that risk is a social construction . She adds that , “ people use interpretive frames to make sense of things and that assessment does not occur in a vacuum , but arises out of social interactions involving values , emotions and power relations .” This is a profound statement especially as regards the risk element of election perpetrated violence triggered by digital neuoromarketing . As the D-day gets closer , you ’ ll keep noticing the many calls for peace and unity laced in every media talk show around this time ; a clear correlation of the potent risk that lies there-in .
In our Kenyan context , professionals in fields such as communication and marketing have a role to play . For the masses to clearly perceive the risk , special effort should be put to make them understand their power to impact at the point of information transfer and their ability to dictate how the public engages with what they have shared . These along with stories , images and memories of the sorry state that our country went through in the 2007 elections would amplify the nature of the risk .
The horrifying tales of death , destruction and disruption of normal life should form key risk perception messages . To paraphrase Kasperson , a communications scholar , such an effort ensures that various understandings of risk are thus constructed and processed by individuals and social amplification stations such as experts and the news media are used to create necessary secondary effects .
From a positive vantage point , digital neuoromarketing can add to the plurality and richness of discourses circulating about events , provide an alternate agenda from mainstream news and bring into question the political and cultural realities that underpin risk incidents . Only concern is , given past experience and reading into the current content , tone and frequency of negativity being spewed by citizen journalists , are we safe ?
So , What ’ s The Point ?
It is clear that change is here with us . The transition from a centralized media to a more dispersed media has happened and there is a new dawn . Yet still , the lines of triumphs or flaws very much remain blurry . While most will see it as a revolutionary good , a critical analysis might present a different picture for instance as regards such sensitive processes as elections .
Whilst the ability to communicate and respond instantaneously through mediated forms is a wonderful thing , it should not be upheld as a virtue in its own right . The fundamental issue is about the quality of information exchange and its subsequent ability to promote shared understandings , peace and unity rather than just the speed at which information travels .
The drive to mediate risk incidents with haste does not ultimately mean that we are able to understand them better . This remains the fundamental challenge for all citizen journalists . How do you communicate early , often and fully ? ■
Chabala Walter is a sales , marketing and communications consultant . Commune via LinkedIn on his page Chabala Walter or drop a line on mail at :
Chabalawalter @ gmail . com .
MAL 47 / 22 ISSUE 73