Paper short abstract:

Driven by the pandemic and the shift towards a ‘scientific election’, the hold of social media channels was just getting firmer as an avenue for economic and social livelihoods in Uganda. However, social media disruptions and a total internet shutdown quickly created an unsettling content vacuum.

Paper long abstract:

Social media is increasingly weaving itself into the social tapestry in Uganda. Driven by the pandemic and the shift towards a ‘scientific election’, the hold of social media channels was just getting firmer as an avenue for economic and social livelihoods, as well as political debate, and civic participation. However, disruptions to these channels of engagement in addition to a total internet shutdown placed a halt to this growth resulting in a content vacuum that extended offline.

The paper seeks to understand the impact of these digital disruptions in addition to further government driven actions including to digital citizenship in Uganda. Through a mix of literature review and social media analysis, it will look at what was shaping online narratives before and after the January 14, 2021 elections which was accompanied by the disruption to digital communication.

The Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 17 include among their targets, the promotion and enforcement of non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development, and, the enhancement of policy coherence for sustainable development respectively. However, the realisation of these SDGs are at risk due to the continued affronts to digital rights - and consequently digital citizenship in Uganda.