Social media trivialization of the increasing participation of women in politics in Ethiopia

Abstract

Social media, Facebook in particular, is increasingly serving as an alternative platform for discussing politics in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, it has also become a public sphere in which not only political views are shared but also discourses that ridicule women’s increasing role in Ethiopian politics are constructed and disseminated through. By analysing a sample of Facebook texts which tease the wave of women’s appointment to political power in Ethiopia, this paper argues that the discursive meanings of the texts are indicatives of a patriarchal society’s deep-rooted resistance towards women’s engagement in the public sphere as well as its strong desire to maintain the status quo. The theoretical foundation of the analytic framework to be employed in analysing the Facebook messages is the post-structuralist and postmodern approach to discourse, particularly the Habermasian view of the complex relationship between texts, their contexts of productions and interpretations and the broader life world.

Identity, Social Media and Politics: How Young Emirati Women Make Sense of Female Politicians in the UAE

“…Often, violence against women politicians is cultural, when traditional beliefs and norms are used to objectify women and to justify mistreatment (Krook and Sanin 2020). For example, in Ethiopian women, politicians are discussed on Facebook as “outlaws” and a threat to religion and culture (Kassa and Sarikakis 2019).…”

Effectiveness of Digital Detox Interventions in Mitigating the Negative Effects of Social Media among Adolescents and Young Adults in Malawi

“…While social media platforms offer opportunities for networking and marketing, they also present challenges such as online harassment and reputation damage. In countries like Kenya and Nigeria, where entrepreneurship is burgeoning, negative interactions on social media can deter individuals from pursuing business ventures or damage the reputation of existing enterprises (Makana, 2019). Additionally, the pervasive nature of social media can contribute to distractions and reduced productivity in the workplace, impacting overall economic performance.…”