Introduction All is not well in our digital ecosystem. The social media platforms through which we as citizens engage with what is going on in the world are designed to optimise for engagement. This business model underpinning how news and public debate gets prioritised and framed risks fragmenting users into separate information bubbles. Engagement based … Read more
This report provides an overview of conflict-related social media content in Sudan during the month of November. It focuses on narratives of hate speech, incitement to violence, and expressions of solidarity across different geographies. It highlights how these narratives evolve online and reflect the country’s broader conflict dynamics. The analysis draws on content from Facebook, … Read more
This publication was co-edited by Build Up and ICIP. Fundamentally, social media trends are about a consensus held by a specific group. In the peacebuilding field, we worry about how misinformation erodes truth, damages institutions, and leads to violence. But it’s essential to dig a little deeper into the causes for this erosion of truth. … Read more
The Kenya Polarization Footprint measures how social media is dividing Kenyans. Specifically, we measure “affective polarization”, where people dislike and distance themselves from others based on their identity. This is not the same as a difference of opinion: differences of opinion are good for democratic debate, and for our diverse society. Identity-based polarization is not: … Read more
This report provides an overview of conflict-related social media content in Sudan during the month of October. It focuses on narratives of hate speech, incitement to violence, and expressions of solidarity across different geographies. It highlights how these narratives evolve online and reflect the country’s broader conflict dynamics. The analysis draws on content from Facebook, … Read more
This paper was authored by Helena Puig Larrauri, Megan Grazier, and Rita Costa Cots from Build Up. This report considers different categories of digital harm, and what we know about their impact on conflict. It looks into how people and organizations working in the peacebuilding and mediation fields might identify, track, and understand digital harms … Read more
The 2024 presidential elections in Somaliland showcased the rising role and influence of social media in contributing to shaping political discourse and electoral outcomes. Our analysis indicates that TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) played a role, with local and diaspora influencers driving political promotions and amplifying campaign narratives to shape public perceptions. The report analyses … Read more
The polarization footprint is a cross-platform measure that ranks social media platforms according to the prevalence of affective polarization present on the platform. The polarization footprint relies on observing content and relationships on social media platforms, and is designed in such a way as to be comparable across platforms. The methodology is explicitly designed to … Read more
This snapshot is intended to offer an overview of inter-religious issues present in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, identifying emerging narratives, key actors, tactics, or techniques used in conversations related to communal clashes and religious groups. The overview is the sixth in a planned series of social media analytical reports by the Build Up and local partners … Read more
This paper was written by Julie Hawke and Helena Puig Larrauri. Current platform policies reinforce conflict models that are both dyadic – framing disputes as occurring between two opposing parties – and agentic – treating individuals as the primary drivers of conflict escalation or resolution. In ‘The Third Side’, William Uryargues that we can’t think … Read more