The Mt Kenya Times 
By: Dennis Wendo
Worth Noting:
- As we embrace technology, it remains prudent to positively utilize the platforms and shun online fake-news, disinformation, misinformation and computational propaganda. Propaganda is the use of non-rational arguments to either advance or undermine an ideal.
- Disinformation describes politically motivated messaging designed explicitly to engender public cynicism, uncertainty, apathy, distrust, paranoia, all of which disincentivize citizen engagement and mobilization for social or political change.
- Misinformation is the inadvertent sharing of false information. If an information campaign uses falsehoods and emotional appeals not to persuade or attract but to disrupt, divide, confuse or damage target audiences’ understanding or political cohesion, it more closely aligns with disinformation and its undermining function.
Technology, internet and social media has radically altered the world of interaction, considerably influencing all sectors of human ventures.
Kenya is one of the most tech-advanced countries in Africa, with 91% penetration of mobile subscriptions compared to Africa’s 80%.
The growth in mobile internet use in Kenya correlates with a rise in smartphone usage, driven by the emergence of cheaper smartphones and a relatively youthful population actively looking for information and extensively communicating online.The digital revolution has greatly enhanced public vulnerability to manipulation by information, a trend on spiral.
By and large the evolution of ICT has yielded positive societal change with an immense value addition swell, though with extraordinary challenges that are now becoming a threat world-over. Cyber- related crimes such as phishing, cyber extortion, cryptojacking, money laundering and cyber espionage are taking over courtesy of the internet.
As we embrace technology, it remains prudent to positively utilize the platforms and shun online fake-news, disinformation, misinformation and computational propaganda. Propaganda is the use of non-rational arguments to either advance or undermine an ideal.
Disinformation describes politically motivated messaging designed explicitly to engender public cynicism, uncertainty, apathy, distrust, paranoia, all of which disincentivize citizen engagement and mobilization for social or political change.
Misinformation is the inadvertent sharing of false information. If an information campaign uses falsehoods and emotional appeals not to persuade or attract but to disrupt, divide, confuse or damage target audiences’ understanding or political cohesion, it more closely aligns with disinformation and its undermining function.
The role of disinformation has given rise to fake news. This is misleading content found on the internet, especially on social media and includes intentionally deceptive content, jokes taken at face value, large-scale hoaxes, slanted reporting of real facts and coverage where the truth is uncertain or contentious. Much of this content is produced for-profit websites and Facebook pages for advertising revenue. The production of tailor made false content targeting views, concerns and preferences of social media users, has led to these pages generating tens of thousands of interactions, thousands of shillings monthly while either sharing non-factual content.
More often, the motives of fake news are usually financial, not political and it is usually not tied to a larger agenda. Fake news draws audiences by validating political preconceptions, views and capitalizing on media consumers’ confirmation bias.
Social media curates content according to user preferences, it has a polarizing effect that leaves consumers more vulnerable to manipulation. Political actors are capitalizing this to their advantage by producing incendiary content that spreads rapidly through grassroots online networks.
Computational propaganda is the use of algorithms and automated social media accounts to influence politics and the flow of information. It is an emerging challenge to democracy in this digital era.
Using automated social media accounts known as bots or, when networked, botnets, a wide array of actors including authoritarian governments and terrorist organizations are now manipulating public opinion by amplifying or repressing different forms of political content, disinformation and hate speech. There is a need to carefully sort policy paths between firms that serve junk to users and governments that regulate.
Bots are loaded with many different complex messages that sometimes lead humans into semi-serious, engaged conversations. Notably, with the many range of different technologies, these accounts are tied to profiles that include Facebook, SIM cards and Gmail addresses making these fake accounts seem like real users.
Social media and parenting is a critical focal point of discussion. The youthful generation should remain cautious on the massive online fake job- adverts, lotteries, scholarships, porn-site recruitment, cultism-luring, phishing, radicalization, and terrorism recruitment and dating online offers.
Many have fallen prey to these online offers, losing huge amounts of cash; personal data; joining wrong groups and forums, engaging in bizarre dating that is now resulting in the increased strange love-triangles, suicides, homicides and femicides.
Let us use these platforms to unify the country by detesting the circulation of unverified and hate- speeches that are likely to invoke tribal, religious, race and political divisions.
Dennis Wendo
Founder – Integrated Development Network.
Email: dambehi@gmail.com
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