Effectiveness of social media campaigns put to the test

Calvin Manika

As Zimbabwe heads towards the harmonised elections the role of social media in campaigns may prove crucial.

Since 2015 when Evan Mawarire successfully shutdown Zimbabwe through his social media influential campaign #This Flag, social media has impacted the political space in Zimbabwe. Many campaigns and protests including petitions have been spearheaded online.  Success or failure of these campaigns is another issue altogether.

A quick survey by Community Podium showed that the majority of politicians in Hwange communicate in their spaces via WhatsApp,  an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging and voice-over-IP service owned by US tech conglomerate Meta.  According to local activists, these social media technologies will be put to the test during the upcoming election in rural areas. 

Rural residents are often the last to hear news in terms of media and information reach, and most of the time events in their community are not considered newsworthy, thereby hindering their  participation in civic processes. 

“Some politicians have begun sending us SMS messages. I believe that local councillors and members of parliament in  Hwange district might accomplish more by using WhatsApp to disseminate their various messages and manifestos. Social media is a useful tool, but its use is constrained by the absence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in some areas,” said human rights activist, Perfect Zulu.

Scores of people in Zimbabwe say they have received messages from Zanu PF asking them to vote for President Mnangagwa and ruling party candidates in the upcoming elections.

Facebook and WhatsApp, among other social media platforms, have always been viewed as urban-centric until recently, when residents of Hwange’s rural Matetsi, Lukosi, and other places began using whatsapp. These rural people are restricted to using WhatsApp by the often slow and unreliable network, which prevents them from accessing Facebook and Twitter effectively.

According to Innocent Fungai Chiyadzwa, a researcher and lecturer in the department of English and Media Studies at Great Zimbabwe University, one only needs to be in possession of the necessary handset and sim card, according. Since 2009, mobile telephone service providers have been successful in expanding the reach of internet services in the country.

“More rural residents now have access to social networking sites, particularly Facebook.  In order to do this, it was necessary to examine Facebook usage trends in rural Zimbabwe. Interviews and observations were utilized to determine the growing communication dynamics related to the usage of social media by rural populations who are marginalized in the democratic process,” Chiyadzwa explained.

Zimbabwean politicians use social media as an avenue for voter mobilization, opinion polling, and selling their beliefs. The Internet’s provision for privacy and anonymity have enabled voters to post and participate in political discussions without worrying much about being victimized. 

The Maintenance of Order and Peace Act requires police approval before a demonstration or rally can be convened. However, through the use of social media platforms, politicians are able to get around the restrictive law which seems to be selectively applied against the opposition.

“Most rallies, especially those held by the opposition parties, are either prohibited or interfered with by state agents. Recall last year, when a ZANU PF star rally in Binga was authorized and a CCC rally was not sanctioned. Social media is a better alternative in repressive environments even though not all rural people can be reached,” a resident, Memory Ncube said.

In Matabeleland North, the traditional barriers of poverty, lack of infrastructure, censorship, intimidation and fear to publicly express opinions date back to colonialism and Gukurahundi. Rural peasants were the most affected. This publication observed that most of the elderly in rural areas still use phones that cannot access the internet. In contrast, the younger generation has taken to the use of smart phones just like their urban contemporaries even though the number of urban youths with internet access is higher.

The erstwhile recipients of information, regardless of location, are now active creators and consumers of information of their choice on the internet despite these realistic digital divisions. A pattern of social media usage among the marginalized rural Hwange people reveals the imbalance in public sphere engagement that denies rural residents their constitutional right to freedom of expression and the opportunity to participate in civic processes.

“There has been a change in the amount of phones that the villagers own. In places where there is a network, people now have smart phones. This demonstrates our desire for knowledge and updates as rural residents. Conrad Dube, a citizen and trader in Hwange rural, stated, “I think it also helps us to decide in elections and other civic activities.”

The emancipatory qualities of the Internet may have given the marginalized rural Hwange residents the chance to actively participate in the production and consumption of knowledge. Constraints in accessing radio or newspapers are no longer an issue thanks to the internet. The underrepresented rural citizen has a chance to break free from oppression and make use of the new media’s chances to engage in governance and common  concerns. 

According to a study by the governance think tank Freedom House, most rural areas are economically and geographically isolated which has prevented them from attracting the attention of commercial service providers.

“There are also barriers that prevent residents from accessing resources, such as inadequate infrastructure in urban areas and essentially no infrastructure in rural areas. Despite the obstacles the Internet faced, the traditional media editors’ roles of defining the agenda, gatekeeping, screening, and censorship of other people’s views are redundant and unachievable,” said Freedom House.

According to the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ), the government believes that everyone should have access to ICT and communication, regardless of where they live. This is true notwithstanding the disadvantage that rural residents face when it comes to access to information. The government reportedly intended to establish mobile van units and rural information centers in order to fill the information gap and meet the requirements of the populace for communication.

“The government hopes that bringing information to rural areas will foster development and close the digital divide between urban and rural areas. As part of its vision for rural people’s empowerment, it hopes to provide them with crucial information on electoral, human rights, and other relevant developmental issues. In the same manner that they and their colonial forebears turned the public media into their mouthpieces, authorities must not use these multi-media platforms as propaganda tools,” said MMPZ report.

However,  viability of using social media as a campaigning tool in Hwange rural is challenged by certain WhatsApp groups in the rural areas having few members and very low activity. Due to limited access and the high percentage of internet illiteracy in the area, these communities have minimal membership.

The Postal and telecoms Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), the country’s telecoms regulator, reports that between 2000 and 2019, internet and mobile penetration increased from 5.1 percent to 60.6 percent of the population, respectively. According to reports, social media use in Zimbabwe increased by 19.2 percent as of January 2022, with Facebook having 1.3 million followers and being the most popular.