Understanding Social Media’s Role in Propagating Falsehood in Conflict Situations: Case of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis

Abstract

Social media have been welcomed as important tools that contribute to satisfying the daily information needs of citizens in today’s global society. To many, they serve as an open and alternative source of information especially where the conventional media fail to play their role of serving the public’s interest first. Notwithstanding, there have been serious and legitimate concerns about the spread of fake news over social media especially during the 2016 US presidential elections (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). This coincided with the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis (CAC) in which the Cameroon government blamed social media users for spreading false information about the crisis to the extent that government shut down the Internet in the two affected Anglophone regions of the country for 93 days in 2017. This article therefore, examines the content of information (graphics, audios, videos, texts) posted on two widely used social media platforms (WhatsApp and Facebook) during the Anglophone Crisis, in order to understand how falsehood is propagated especially during crisis situations. A qualitative approach to analyse data of falsehood during the crisis was used and three major ways were identified through which falsehood was propagated. Principally, social media activists used computer software to distort pictures and superimpose content that depict the messages they wanted to pass across. They also spread rumours using texts, audio clips and distorted videos. The conclusion is that social media have been awash with falsehood in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis. The major recommendation therefore, is that users of social media should make efforts to verify the authenticity of information obtained from such media before consuming and disseminating to others. The December 2014 Law on Terrorism in Cameroon treats such offences seriously and defaulters are severely punished with heavy jail sentences and fines.

The Social Media, Human Dignity and Linguistic Violence in Cameroon: A Socio-Pragmatic Perception

“…Also, in this age of modern communication (internet) and globalisation, the youths are exposed to different social media, often intended to convey a particular meaning, as in cartoons or newspaper advertisements and unequivocally copy the wrong social, moral and ethical values they watch and hear on these media leading to the deviant social and moral behaviour observed in the youths. Another study carried out in Cameroon has focused on understanding the relationship between the media and violence in Propagating Falsehood in Conflict Situations: Case of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis' [27]. This investigation examines the content of information (graphics, audios, videos, texts) posted on two widely used social media platforms (WhatsApp and Facebook) during the Anglophone Crisis, in order to understand how falsehood is propagated especially during crisis situations.…”

“…They conclude that social media have been awash with controversial reports and falsehood in the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis. The major recommendation therefore, drew attention that users of social media should make efforts to verify the authenticity of information obtained from such media before consuming and disseminating to others [27].…”

Facebook and Fake News in the “Anglophone Crisis” in Cameroon

“…In this case also it was all about fake news, as Joshua Osih was effectively among the nine who ran for president at the 7 October poll (Mefo 2018). These two above-mentioned cases are typical examples of several fake news stories propagated on Facebook by non-traditional journalists in Cameroon with respect to the anglophone crisis (for more examples, see Ngange and Mokondo 2019).…”

“…In fact, the anglophone crisis refers to the conflict between separatists who call for a complete independence of the two anglophone regions of Cameroon and the government military forces fighting to maintain the unity and peace of the country (Ngange and Mokondo 2019). According to the 2020 Human Right Watch report on the anglophone crisis, over 3000 civilians and hundreds of security forces have been killed since it started in late 2016.…”

“…However, studies focusing on the quality of information disseminated on social media by users in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those who claim to be citizen journalists, are very rare. There are, however, a few exceptions (see Shepherd and Shanade 2016;Ngange and Mokondo 2019).…”