Digital democracy is still a long way off in Africa: it takes more than technology
NIC CHEESEMAN, Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham LISA GARBE, Doctoral Researcher, University of St.Gallen FROM the mid-2000s onwards, the digital revolution raised hopes of democratic transformation and strengthening in Africa. But it hasn’t quite turned out like that. Now, almost a decade after the “Arab Spring”, techno-optimism has given way to techno-pessimism. African leaders have proved able to blunt the transformative potential of smart phones through censorship and internet shutdowns. When the internet is on, social media attracts more attention for spreading fake news than preventing election rigging. What was once thought of as “liberation technology” has turned out…