SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARLIAMENTARY ENGAGEMENT
SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARLIAMENTARY ENGAGEMENT: EXPANDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR DEMOCRATIC GROWTH
Hon. Justin B. N. Muturi, EGH, MP is the Speaker
of the National Assembly of Kenya and the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the CPA Africa Region. He holds the record as the longest serving Chairperson of the Public Investments Committee (PIC) in the Parliament of Kenya. Prior to his election to Parliament in 1999, he served in the Kenya Judiciary for more than 15 years, rising to serve as Principal Magistrate and Chairperson of the Kenya Judges and Magistrates Association.
Social media has been, and to continues to be, a key information tool in the everevolving digital era. It holds great influence in the various spheres of life whether social, economic or political. Over time, social media has developed into an avenue not only for entertainment but also for conveying and gathering information, for advertisement, including political advertisement as well as for targeted mass mobilization. ‘Social media’ describes a collection of online systems that allow for the production, storage and distribution of usergenerated content allowing for the creation of a virtual social space where groups of users can come together in synchronous and asynchronous interactions. These interactions can be structured (such as threaded responses to blog posts that are moderated), semi-structured (e.g. the discussion amongst groups of friends within extended Facebook social networks), or unstructured in nature (such as in Twitter, where topics are not ‘owned’ but tied together through the ad hoc application of hashtags that can be used to locate and link together posts by a variety of different users).1 The main social media platforms include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In the political sphere, the use of these platforms has made great impact in the development and entrenchment of political
democracy around the world. From mass mobilisations during elections to vote-pitching by political parties and players, the influence keeps evolving day by day. Politicians especially, have noted the peculiar nature of opportunities that are provided by the various platforms and have taken advantage of these opportunities to advance their political agenda. Political parties use social media to directly and continuously engage with voters. Comparatively, social media provides greater reach and can amplify and mobilise political opinions in the remotest geographical areas.2 The conventional, or what is now called mainstream media, has experienced reduced emphasis especially from political fronts. The fact that social media offers a direct link to the masses serves as an advantage over the often perceived biases in the mainstream media where editorial discretion guides what information is passed on to the masses. Cognisant of this, politicians have invested in formidable social media strategies, well assured that the information they intend to pass is conveyed directly to the targeted mass without any editorial oversight, save for the various community guidelines that ensure conformity to set rules and standards on such aspects as hate speech, violence and terrorism, misogyny, etc. The world over, access to internet continues to grow
308 | The Parliamentarian | 2020: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing 1920-2020
exponentially. In a 2015 report, the UN noted that information and communication technology infrastructure are global and are considered two of the most important drivers of development and growth.3 According to the Communication Authority of Kenya, up to 90% of the population in the country has access to mobile telephony and the attendant internet connectivity. Out of these, more than three-quarters have smart phones or other gadgets that can readily access the internet. This, therefore, puts social media as a potential information tool to a large number of the population. In Kenya, technology, and more so social media, has
“In the political sphere, the use of these platforms has made great impact in the development and entrenchment of political democracy around the world. From mass mobilisations during elections to votepitching by political parties and players, the influence keeps evolving day by day.”
