South Sudan’s social media landscape-December 2020

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According to UNICEF, 7% of South Sudanese within the country have access to the internet. However, many South Sudanese displaced by the past civil wars to various African, European and Western countries, among others, have the highest influence and presence on social media.

Various reports have described South Sudan’s social media landscape as an avenue characterized with vast mis/disinformation content that has normally led to the spread of hate speech which in some cases has amounted to violence. 

This brief social media health report for December researched by #Defyhatenow’s 211Check verification and fact-checking platform in collaboration with Facebook CrowdTangle management picked Facebook platform as a case study of the most used social media avenues by various South Sudanese within the country and abroad.

The report featured prominent media houses such as Eye Radio, Radio Tamazuj, and Radio Miraya. Meanwhile, it also featured renowned online Facebook pages and personalities such as South Sudan NEWS and Mama Amira Ali.

The brief objective is to highlight the interactions of South Sudanese netizens, platform followings, most discussed topics, groups, and page performances in terms of the spread of accurate and false information related content within the month of December.

Insights

1. South Sudan NEWS

Page Members: 237, 690

Most Interactions and dates: 16.4K – 17th of December.

Most topics Discussed:

  • Delayed appointment of proposed Upper Nile governor Gen. Johnson Olony.
  • Return of prominent singer/artist Gordon Koang from Australia.
  • Activist Lorna Merekeje Franco-German Human Award.

Under-Performing interactions and dates: 4th and 7th December with 0 interactions.

2. Mama Amira Ali

Followers: 169, 548

Most Interactions: 7th and 15th – 7.5K and 9.4K interactions.

Most topics Discussed:

  • Amira’s story of having received a V8 from Kur Ajiing.
  • Amira’s story of having been kicked out of the hotel.
  • Amira’s alleged story regarding her planned departure to Sudan.

Under-Performing interactions and dates: 1st of December – 209 interactions.

3. Radio Tamazuj

Followers: 107,693

Most Interactions: 2nd of December – 635 interactions.

Most topics Discussed:

  • Delayed appointment of proposed Upper Nile State governor Gen. Johnson Olony.
  • Uganda’s President Call for elections as ending solutions to South Sudan’s problems.
  • Continuous clashes in Kejo-Keji of Central Equatoria region.

Under-Performing interactions and dates: 12th with 0 interactions.

4. Eye Radio

Followers: 69,388

Most Interactions: 9th – 25.8k

Most topics Discussed:

  • A story related to access to Juba Prison.
  • Appointment of proposed Upper Nile governor.
  • Sentence of Imam over rape.

Under-Performing interactions and dates: 13th with 2.1K.

5. Radio Miraya

Followers: 59,946

Most Interactions: 7th – 1.7K interactions.

Most topics Discussed:

  • The departure of UNMISS Head of the field after 10 years of service work in South Sudan.
  • Crimes related stories within and outside Juba.
  • Activist Wani Michael recognized among emerging leaders.

Under-Performing interactions and dates: 12th and 13th – 0 interactions.

Observations

#defyhatenow has observed the following on the social media landscape:

  1. Some South Sudanese community online and offline have so much belief in the news from social media and online personalities, than true stories on mainstream media, a scenario used by some people to spread fake news, stereotypes and hate speech related contents, that continues to divide South Sudanese and shake the peace agreement.
  2. Some South Sudanese react fast to political and manipulated related information than true information.
  3. In the mainstream media, health, education, governance, human rights news have been dominated by political news, followed by humanitarian news.

Recommendations

  1. There is a need for closure of some Facebook pages that share a lot of fake news, rumours, and claims, particularly mis/disinformation related content.
  2. South Sudanese need comprehensive digital literacy awareness, which should focus much on fact-checking and verification education, in order to sensitize people to avoid becoming victims of mis/disinformation unknowingly.
  3. There is also a need for enactment of Cyber Crime Law that can be used to hold people who spread mis/disinformation related content online accountable.