The politics of Social Media and Peace Building in Ethiopia: Understanding the Nexus

Abstract

 In Ethiopia, especially since the 2005 national election, social media has emerged as one of the prominent tools in shaping and altering the political sphere, particularly in the realm of peace building. While it can serve as a catalyst for violence and escalate political unrest, it also has the potential to foster non-violence change, democratization, and peace initiatives. However, despite the fact that social media plays its own part in influencing and transforming the political sphere, there remains a debate regarding whether it operates as an autonomous entity or merely as a tool. This perspective, in turn, affects our approach to social media. To thoroughly discuss social media in the context of politics, however, much of the existing literature tends to focus on its instrumental perspective. In this paper, I contend that it is overly simplistic to view social media through either of these two philosophical lenses; rather it should be understood in terms of its specific characteristics, types, contexts, and its mediating function. Denying this and approaching social media in isolation would lead us to the doctrine of determinism - the belief that the nature of technological artifacts dictates their impact on society and vice-versa. Indeed, we cannot avert the inherent qualities of social media. But, various factors shape the relationship between social media and peace building. Consequently, to effectively regulate the role of social media and uphold peace within the country, I insist that we must navigate social media comprehensively in terms of its specific mediating role within the Ethiopian context. To achieve this, I will utilize a multi-method philosophical approach to investigate the various issues addressed in the paper