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Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya
From the upheavals of recent national elections to the success of the #MyDressMyChoice feminist movement, digital platforms have already had a dramatic impact on political life in Kenya – one of the most electronically advanced countries in Africa. While the impact of the Digital Age on Western politics has been extensively debated, there is still little appreciation of how it has been felt in developing countries such as Kenya, where Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and other online platforms are increasingly a part of everyday life.
Written by a respected Kenyan activist and researcher at the forefront of political online struggles, this book presents a unique contribution to the debate on digital democracy. For traditionally marginalised groups, particularly women and people with disabilities, digital spaces have allowed Kenyans to build new communities which transcend old ethnic and gender divisions. But the picture is far from wholly positive.
Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics explores the drastic efforts being made by elites to contain online activism, as well as how 'fake news', a failed digital vote-counting system and the incumbent president's recruitment of Cambridge Analytica contributed to tensions around the 2017 elections. Reframing digital democracy from the African perspective, Nyabola's ground-breaking work opens up new ways of understanding our current global online era.
Written by a respected Kenyan activist and researcher at the forefront of political online struggles, this book presents a unique contribution to the debate on digital democracy. For traditionally marginalised groups, particularly women and people with disabilities, digital spaces have allowed Kenyans to build new communities which transcend old ethnic and gender divisions. But the picture is far from wholly positive.
Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics explores the drastic efforts being made by elites to contain online activism, as well as how 'fake news', a failed digital vote-counting system and the incumbent president's recruitment of Cambridge Analytica contributed to tensions around the 2017 elections. Reframing digital democracy from the African perspective, Nyabola's ground-breaking work opens up new ways of understanding our current global online era.
298 pages, Hardcover
Published December 15, 2018
31 people are currently reading
558 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 29, 2019
This book potentially got me out of a 5 month reading slump. Nanjala is very well researched and articulate and I learnt a lot about the intersection of social/new media and [ethno]politics in Kenya.
I, however, worry that the Book feels curated too much for foreign readers; in the way it over-explains concepts that are obvious to a Kenyan, and it made me think about for whose consumption history should be primarily written for, which has been interesting.
I, however, worry that the Book feels curated too much for foreign readers; in the way it over-explains concepts that are obvious to a Kenyan, and it made me think about for whose consumption history should be primarily written for, which has been interesting.
August 6, 2020
A fascinating book on the impact of social media on the 'partially free' country of Kenya, with many lessons for democracy, development and the use of digital technologies in the process.
Some of the elements that I want to remember:
- Social media offer spaces of expression and of information sharing that did not exist before, especially where media are (self-)censured and states repress critics.
- It gives a voice to those who are not listened to offline, e.g. young women.
- Though social media often enhance 'information silos' and 'echo chambers', twitter is particularly open and permits interaction and alliance-building accross different groups.
- Technology is not neutral and that is also true for social media, owned by private for-profit companies. Digitalisation can be positive or negative, a lot depends on the motivation and the power balance of those who control them. Agency is important.
- Online activism doesn't mean a lot without coupled offline activism: both go hand in hand.
I was surprised to learn how Cambridge Analytics poisoned Kenyan politics: the book is very informative on the dangers and risks of manipulative practices interfering with democracy in countries that don't have regulatory power.
Nyabola's reflexions on ethnicity and tribalism/nationalism are also inspiring: "when (...) differences are used for hate speech (...), they create space for systemic violence that is difficult to contain because they cannot easily be debated away." Not only applicable to the instrumentalisation of ethnicity in Kenyan politics, but also to the west in which the extreme right is using the same tactics to fight "shadows - imagined enemies".
And of course, I learned many things about Kenya's recent history and politics.
Some of the elements that I want to remember:
- Social media offer spaces of expression and of information sharing that did not exist before, especially where media are (self-)censured and states repress critics.
- It gives a voice to those who are not listened to offline, e.g. young women.
- Though social media often enhance 'information silos' and 'echo chambers', twitter is particularly open and permits interaction and alliance-building accross different groups.
- Technology is not neutral and that is also true for social media, owned by private for-profit companies. Digitalisation can be positive or negative, a lot depends on the motivation and the power balance of those who control them. Agency is important.
- Online activism doesn't mean a lot without coupled offline activism: both go hand in hand.
I was surprised to learn how Cambridge Analytics poisoned Kenyan politics: the book is very informative on the dangers and risks of manipulative practices interfering with democracy in countries that don't have regulatory power.
Nyabola's reflexions on ethnicity and tribalism/nationalism are also inspiring: "when (...) differences are used for hate speech (...), they create space for systemic violence that is difficult to contain because they cannot easily be debated away." Not only applicable to the instrumentalisation of ethnicity in Kenyan politics, but also to the west in which the extreme right is using the same tactics to fight "shadows - imagined enemies".
And of course, I learned many things about Kenya's recent history and politics.
July 20, 2019
Provides good insight on how social media is deployed for political organizing in Kenya. The book was descriptive (which the author explains was a deliberate move on her part), and it provides a comprehensive well-thought out picture of Kenya’s vibrant online sphere. My favorite chapter was Women at Work, particularly the discussion on women’s dress in colonial spaces (the CBD). I love how the book shows the inextricable connection between online activity and offline engagement.
January 4, 2021
I am going through that phase where you discover an author get completely smitten and go through their gravity capture that you get yourself reading nearly everything they've ever written. The last time this happened to me was when I discovered John N. Gray and thought he was sent by the gods to teach us mere mortals. I wanted to read everything he has ever written, unfortunately for him his books were large tomes that I figured it would take me several months to finish them all and that would turn me into a zealot of an author which was not a good color on me. Ms Nyabola's books are not large treatises and can be read easily without your entire reading time being captured by one author.
The book's title pretty much describes what the book is about. It charts how the internet especially social media has changed the dynamics of power and ruling in Kenya. It is a mash up between anthropology and policy leaning more towards a policy study than an anthropological one. The beauty of this book being written by a native Kenyan rather than a "development expert" is that it told it as it is rather than pushing an agenda. We need more of this.
There are many good things about this book but what I enjoyed most is that I understood completely what she was trying to put across. I have lived through most of the experiences recounted and even know personally some people involved. I rarely get this when I read books about other countries. With America it is easy due to the news cycles being inundated with all things America but with other countries you always get the feel that there is some nuance lost due to you not being from that place. Even the UK you somehow have to get the nuances of who is Tory, who is Libdem and what not. The experience becomes more taxing with African countries where you know that there are undercurrents not captured in GDP figures and electoral results. Home is where you understand all the dynamics at play...This book is highly recommended.
The book's title pretty much describes what the book is about. It charts how the internet especially social media has changed the dynamics of power and ruling in Kenya. It is a mash up between anthropology and policy leaning more towards a policy study than an anthropological one. The beauty of this book being written by a native Kenyan rather than a "development expert" is that it told it as it is rather than pushing an agenda. We need more of this.
There are many good things about this book but what I enjoyed most is that I understood completely what she was trying to put across. I have lived through most of the experiences recounted and even know personally some people involved. I rarely get this when I read books about other countries. With America it is easy due to the news cycles being inundated with all things America but with other countries you always get the feel that there is some nuance lost due to you not being from that place. Even the UK you somehow have to get the nuances of who is Tory, who is Libdem and what not. The experience becomes more taxing with African countries where you know that there are undercurrents not captured in GDP figures and electoral results. Home is where you understand all the dynamics at play...This book is highly recommended.
October 2, 2020
"...the underlying theme in the conversation is not conflict, it is agency."
Nyabola writes an aspect of the Kenyan story with the intention of showing the readers that Kenyans have agency in the stories of their lives. The book is accessible and not overly academic. She may be accused of overexplaining Kenya to a Western audience but as a Kenyan reading this I'm glad she took on the challenge of analyising the digital space affecting offline democracy because the it can be quite overwhelming being in the middle of an election and experiencing in real time the collapse of the electoral system, with a relatively weakened legal system and a traditional media that has been systematically weakened by the state for 30+ years now churning out false or lukewarm information. There are things I certainly learned, considering I spent much of the early social media age in boarding school with not much access to social media or knowledge of politics.
The author is clearly primarily a twitter user so I wonder if some of the stories highlighted aren't a result of the timeline she curated and her social media preference (especially the shoutouts to some accounts lol) but then again I'm not a "superuser" and the author is the expert here. Admittedly the book is dated now because social media moves so fast but there is activism among young people even on Instagram especially with the introduction of livestreams, admittedly with a smaller impact but this is offsetting the "dying university intellectual space" to paraphrase the author.
The book is ultimately descriptive and intended that way. The problem with Kenyan stories is having to explain ourselves again and again, ironically doing what Toni Morrison warned against (and she is quoted here). However, texts like these are important because the questions posed are important. Young Kenyan feminists are being harassed online with no legal recourse, the Cyber Crimes Act doesn't protect individuals online but the state from criticism, digital colonialism is slowly encroaching the country with the state collaborating with multi-corporations to expand that power instead of putting them on the stand (as in UK, US and Singapore) and in the meantime we have weak to no data protection laws.
This is an essential read to push the needle in the legal framework surrounding technology in Kenya, a new way forward for organising and engaging in politics.
Nyabola writes an aspect of the Kenyan story with the intention of showing the readers that Kenyans have agency in the stories of their lives. The book is accessible and not overly academic. She may be accused of overexplaining Kenya to a Western audience but as a Kenyan reading this I'm glad she took on the challenge of analyising the digital space affecting offline democracy because the it can be quite overwhelming being in the middle of an election and experiencing in real time the collapse of the electoral system, with a relatively weakened legal system and a traditional media that has been systematically weakened by the state for 30+ years now churning out false or lukewarm information. There are things I certainly learned, considering I spent much of the early social media age in boarding school with not much access to social media or knowledge of politics.
The author is clearly primarily a twitter user so I wonder if some of the stories highlighted aren't a result of the timeline she curated and her social media preference (especially the shoutouts to some accounts lol) but then again I'm not a "superuser" and the author is the expert here. Admittedly the book is dated now because social media moves so fast but there is activism among young people even on Instagram especially with the introduction of livestreams, admittedly with a smaller impact but this is offsetting the "dying university intellectual space" to paraphrase the author.
The book is ultimately descriptive and intended that way. The problem with Kenyan stories is having to explain ourselves again and again, ironically doing what Toni Morrison warned against (and she is quoted here). However, texts like these are important because the questions posed are important. Young Kenyan feminists are being harassed online with no legal recourse, the Cyber Crimes Act doesn't protect individuals online but the state from criticism, digital colonialism is slowly encroaching the country with the state collaborating with multi-corporations to expand that power instead of putting them on the stand (as in UK, US and Singapore) and in the meantime we have weak to no data protection laws.
This is an essential read to push the needle in the legal framework surrounding technology in Kenya, a new way forward for organising and engaging in politics.
January 20, 2021
We tend to think of social media’s impact on politics solely in a Western context, and of how damaging it has been to elections in the UK, US and Europe.
However, as Nanjala Nyabola documents here, Kenya has had its own difficulties with digital democracy, from the disasters that beset the 2017 election to campaigns run through Twitter and the #KOT (Kenyans on Twitter) hashtag. The country has even been touched by the notorious Cambridge Analytica, seemingly as a testing ground for the company’s techniques (and never mind the possible violence that could result, naturally).
But it’s not all bad news. Nyabola’s detailing of the online mobilisation of Kenyan feminists shows how social media can create new communities and allow people to break out of the - in this case usually ethnic - communities of analogue politics. Partly this was the result of a horrific case in 2013, where a group of boys who savagely raped and assaulted a young girl were punished only with some minor manual labour. The online campaign helped change that.
But, as she acknowledges, it’s difficult for social media on its own to change anything. In Kenya, she says, social media users are a subset of a subset of a subset (you need an internet connection and, obviously electricity before you can begin to get involved), and this skews towards the urban, and especially Nairobi.
Still, things are changing in Kenya just as they are here, and we all have to confront what the internet means for democracy. Something we still haven’t figured out.
However, as Nanjala Nyabola documents here, Kenya has had its own difficulties with digital democracy, from the disasters that beset the 2017 election to campaigns run through Twitter and the #KOT (Kenyans on Twitter) hashtag. The country has even been touched by the notorious Cambridge Analytica, seemingly as a testing ground for the company’s techniques (and never mind the possible violence that could result, naturally).
But it’s not all bad news. Nyabola’s detailing of the online mobilisation of Kenyan feminists shows how social media can create new communities and allow people to break out of the - in this case usually ethnic - communities of analogue politics. Partly this was the result of a horrific case in 2013, where a group of boys who savagely raped and assaulted a young girl were punished only with some minor manual labour. The online campaign helped change that.
But, as she acknowledges, it’s difficult for social media on its own to change anything. In Kenya, she says, social media users are a subset of a subset of a subset (you need an internet connection and, obviously electricity before you can begin to get involved), and this skews towards the urban, and especially Nairobi.
Still, things are changing in Kenya just as they are here, and we all have to confront what the internet means for democracy. Something we still haven’t figured out.
June 26, 2021
Interesting read about contemporary Africa: use of digital technology and it’s impact on politics that is still walking in it’s old (analogue) shoes. It’s mostly focusing on Kenya, but draws similarities between other African countries, western impact (tools) and Arab Spring related events.
Discusses how the typical communication tools invented for western world play a different kind a role in non-democratic information sphere and society. Gives insights how Kenya’s technological inventions such as mobile money, E-health system, crisis mapping platforms etc were developed and why they went so viral in Kenya but not in other developing countries. Provides historical information how NGOs, ethnic/gender minorities, violent groups, ethnic tribes and opposition have used these technologies to stay connected, keep discussions alive and hold the ruling party accountable. Which is often not doable on the streets or via regular Media. But at the same time, government is using the same technology to undermine the efforts.
That all-together helps to understand how somewhat democracy is emerging and the significant role online media is playing in it. She ties the story together by describing elections that took place in last two decades and finishes with the latter one, which was the first digital election and one of the training fields for Cambridge Analytics (before US elections and Brexit). Author brings out pros and cons, therefore it was a complex and interesting viewpoint to read (my book is full of highlights..).
Discusses how the typical communication tools invented for western world play a different kind a role in non-democratic information sphere and society. Gives insights how Kenya’s technological inventions such as mobile money, E-health system, crisis mapping platforms etc were developed and why they went so viral in Kenya but not in other developing countries. Provides historical information how NGOs, ethnic/gender minorities, violent groups, ethnic tribes and opposition have used these technologies to stay connected, keep discussions alive and hold the ruling party accountable. Which is often not doable on the streets or via regular Media. But at the same time, government is using the same technology to undermine the efforts.
That all-together helps to understand how somewhat democracy is emerging and the significant role online media is playing in it. She ties the story together by describing elections that took place in last two decades and finishes with the latter one, which was the first digital election and one of the training fields for Cambridge Analytics (before US elections and Brexit). Author brings out pros and cons, therefore it was a complex and interesting viewpoint to read (my book is full of highlights..).
May 4, 2022
Except for a few typos and grammatical errors, this is quite a good account of how Kenyans are using digital tools to further their agency. Nyabola gives a comprehensive account of the digital era within Kenyan society. The account centres on the disparity between democracy in digital spaces and how that contrasts with real-life situations on the ground.
The insight I deduced is that many times digital spaces are nothing similar to the analogue reality although sometimes they prove effective in creating positive (or sometimes negative) change. This has had implications such as changing election laws and increasing government surveillance and regulation of Kenyan activity in digital spaces. Overall, the sentiment is that the digital space provides a great opportunity to transform the Kenyan society.
The insight I deduced is that many times digital spaces are nothing similar to the analogue reality although sometimes they prove effective in creating positive (or sometimes negative) change. This has had implications such as changing election laws and increasing government surveillance and regulation of Kenyan activity in digital spaces. Overall, the sentiment is that the digital space provides a great opportunity to transform the Kenyan society.
February 14, 2025
The whole time I was immersed in this book, written in 2017, I was wondering about how the analysis would change given the recent events in Kenya including #EndFemicideKenya and #RejectFinanceBill2024. This proved her assertion that ‘a hashtag is no more a movement than a pencil was prior to the digital age’, after all, technology is just a tool.
All in all, I enjoyed how accessible the language is, and how she uses a historical analysis to show how we got here and most importantly, it leaves one feeling hopeful for a better Kenya. Not that technology is an end in itself but the fact that it exposes the agency of Kenyans for a better Kenya.
All in all, I enjoyed how accessible the language is, and how she uses a historical analysis to show how we got here and most importantly, it leaves one feeling hopeful for a better Kenya. Not that technology is an end in itself but the fact that it exposes the agency of Kenyans for a better Kenya.
February 4, 2020
Kiinnostava kuvaus sosiaalisen median ja digitalisaatiopyrkimysten vaikutuksista Kenian politiikkaan niin vaaleissa kuin kansalaisten tilan ottamisen ja erilaisten yhteiskunnallisten keskustelijoiden äänten kuulumisen kannalta. Verkkofeminismiä Keniassa käsitellyt osuus oli kiinnostavin, digitaalisen kolonialismin ja digijättien valvomattoman vallankäytön kuvaus kehittyvissä maissa puolestaan huolestutti. Isosta aiheesta huolimatta hienosti kasassa pysynyt kirja, opin uutta ja laittoi ajattelemaan.
December 21, 2022
An excellent read. I lived through this history but I was at best, a blind consumer of the intrigues surrounding the interplay between advancing digital spaces and an intransigent political system. Now I see!
The author has done a good job explaining to great detail a topic that under other circumstances, I would have considered intolerably boring.
And she introduced me to the term 'kakistocracy'.
Looking forward to reading her other books.
The author has done a good job explaining to great detail a topic that under other circumstances, I would have considered intolerably boring.
And she introduced me to the term 'kakistocracy'.
Looking forward to reading her other books.
October 6, 2025
To me, the book beautifully combined the emerging research on digital democracy (and digital authoritarianism) with an introduction to Kenyan politics. The critical discussion from a Global South perspective on established research inspired new ideas on the role of digital media both in the Global South and North. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone interested in either Kenya or the role of social media and politics in the Global South.
April 18, 2019
I have to admit my intentions to read the book were not all good. I was expecting a bias and somewhat misreporting on key election issues. However, I have to admit that I found the book well researched and somewhat balanced.
One issue though, I found in her using her own tweet as a source and that bugged me more than it should especially because it involved a number that was wrong.
August 2, 2019
Its always fascinating to see internet reaching out to all parts of the world and how everyone on the globe is engaging in one or the other form of social media. The influence of social media isn't just limited to personal lives and online presence, but as we are all well aware of, have a way of sparking a revolution and changing political, cultural and political discourse.
March 4, 2023
A brilliant book that analyses the role of technology in politics in Kenya.
Nanjala is very descriptive and I resonated a lot with the examples she used.
For anyone trying to understand the role of technology in politics this is your book.
It was a bit repetitive in the beginning and conclusion but all in all, an easy and informative read.
Nanjala is very descriptive and I resonated a lot with the examples she used.
For anyone trying to understand the role of technology in politics this is your book.
It was a bit repetitive in the beginning and conclusion but all in all, an easy and informative read.
July 19, 2019
There's so much packed into this little book -- I learned a lot from it, and not just about Kenyan politics in the digital age. Here's a link to my longer review:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...
June 13, 2021
Nanjala Nyabola unpacks the growing role of social media and it's influence on politics in Kenya. I must say that this book is thoroughly researched and beautifully written, it lays bare how the internet is double edged tool in Kenyan society.
March 19, 2024
A readable and solidly convincing argument for taking a politicized view of technology. At its best when deep in specific Kenyan case studies - as in the excellent chapter on Kenyan feminism.
August 11, 2024
Well researched book ! alA book ahead of it's time and very relevant to where Kenya is at present. Gave me a lot of takeways and insights .
May 12, 2020
The information , Literature, and narrative on Africa is primarily focused on four areas: 1) democracy; 2) conflict: 3) post conflict; and 4) encounters with animals.
Failure to regicgnize and imagine “agency”.
Failure to regicgnize and imagine “agency”.
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February 1, 2019Ms. Nyabola points to the sharpened political tension between Kenyan elites and grassroots through the internet. Right now, many people have mobile phones but not smartphones, the sales of which is expected to grow exponentially on the continent though, in the next five years.
Ms. Nyabola suspects social media-linked violence that currently took places in Asia and Europe would reach Africa soon with that smartphone growth. Social media companies are expanding aggressively in Africa, for instance by having cellphone providers pre-install apps on phone. Another tactic is offering discounted data rates when users browse the web through their app. But pushing users into apps that encourage rapid and broad dissemination of connections can come with risks.
“The risk is that people treat WhatsApp and Facebook messenger as SMS,” thinking that they’re talking to their friends and to their families in their private sphere, and they’re showing the ugly sides of themselves, without the awareness of these digital footprints being a kind of public exposure.
Ms. Nyabola suspects social media-linked violence that currently took places in Asia and Europe would reach Africa soon with that smartphone growth. Social media companies are expanding aggressively in Africa, for instance by having cellphone providers pre-install apps on phone. Another tactic is offering discounted data rates when users browse the web through their app. But pushing users into apps that encourage rapid and broad dissemination of connections can come with risks.
“The risk is that people treat WhatsApp and Facebook messenger as SMS,” thinking that they’re talking to their friends and to their families in their private sphere, and they’re showing the ugly sides of themselves, without the awareness of these digital footprints being a kind of public exposure.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews