[kictanet] Do social media threaten democracy? - Scandal, outrage and politics

Wed Nov 8 11:09:32 EAT 2017

I agree Ali; the election period has raised a lot of questions especially
of the exercise of freedom of speech (especially on fake news and hate
speech) on social media to boost different political agendas. This also
brought to light some of the issues deeply dividing our society which can
be a positive thing should we choose to learn and positively engage on the
same as opposed to burying our heads on the sand hoping the issues will
disappear.

In an ideal society we would use such platforms only for good but that is
not always the case.  I do not blame the social media companies and further
do not expect them to provide the solution as they are really not the
problem, we are. At some point and for sustainability purposes, we will
have to look into filing the policy gaps resulting from new technology, as
Barrack suggested; for purposes of not only safeguarding them from would be
abusers but to secure them as opposed to hoping there will be less users in
the future or people will be less interested/will not believe what is
online. At the end of the day, we are what we feed ourselves on whether we
believe it or not.

Kind regards,

Esther Kamande

On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 7:33 AM, Barrack Otieno via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> To add,
>
> Technology platforms simply exponse gaps in Policy. It is upon the
> Citizenry through legislative Institutions to decide whether they want to
> fix the gaps or not. When mpesa (which i am yet to resist ) started there
> was no legal framework to support it. It was allowed to thrive based on
> Public Interest.
>
> Regards
>
> On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 7:29 AM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Ali,
>>
>> Are you suggesting that we blame the printing press for propaganda and
>> mwakenya's? , the answer is no, people are always the problem, technology
>> is just a medium. History is never complete without  tells of people who
>> solved puzzles and cracked codes to secure victory over their competitors.
>> As Frenchman Jean Baptise Alphonse Karr The more things change the more
>> they remain the same (plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose :-))
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 4:01 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Listers
>>>
>>> An interesting article from the economist.
>>>
>>> Facebook, Google and Twitter were supposed to save politics as good
>>> information drove out prejudice and falsehood. Something has gone very wrong
>>>
>>> Read on:-
>>>
>>> https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21730871-facebook-goo
>>> gle-and-twitter-were-supposed-save-politics-good-information-drove-out
>>>
>>> What are your thoughts from a local perspective?
>>>
>>> After one of the most highly contentious electioneering periods in
>>> Kenya’s history some hard questions need to be asked.
>>>
>>> 1. Is Ezekiel Mutua after all a visionary in his assertions about Social
>>> Media?
>>> 2. Have we allowed ourselves to be further divided by these platforms
>>> instead of using them to bring us closer together?
>>> 3, Have we allowed politicians and other influencers to literally take
>>> our freedoms to do what’s right?
>>> 4, Shouldn’t the whole world - State and Non-State Players - have taken
>>> Internet Governance (especially the Third Party Liability conversation)
>>> more seriously?
>>> 5. Is it too late to redeem ourselves?
>>>
>>> These and more are important issues to ponder.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>> *Ali Hussein*
>>> *Principal*
>>> *Hussein & Associates*
>>> +254 0713 601113 <0713%20601113>
>>>
>>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>>
>>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>>
>>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>>>
>>> "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but
>>> a habit."  ~ Aristotle
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Barrack O. Otieno
>> +254721325277 <0721%20325277>
>> +254733206359 <0733%20206359>
>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Barrack O. Otieno
> +254721325277
> +254733206359
> Skype: barrack.otieno
> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>
>
>
>
>
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> mailman/options/kictanet/enkamande%40gmail.com
>
> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>
>
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