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: increasing dislike, distrust, and animosity towards other social groups results in societal divides that can eventually lead to violence.
The way content is shared on social media makes societal divides wider. Measuring just how much online polarization is present on each social media platform is an important first step to defending our society.
“The Kenya Polarization Footprint reveals deepening societal divides driven by affective polarization on social media where identity-based hostility fuels distrust and animosity. This growing digital harm is largely enabled by the presence of super users who perpetuate a cycle of division and platforms receiving perverse incentives from polarised content further fragmenting public discourse and posing a tangible threat to Kenya’s social fabric. The report underscores that polarization is not merely a digital nuisance but a measurable social harm. Addressing it requires a shift in perspective from individual responsibility to collective action. It demands platform accountability, participatory governance, and systemic interventions to safeguard democratic discourse and social cohesion.” – Rachel Olpengs, Lead Coordinator, National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya (FECoMo)
METHOD OVERVIEW
We contacted 5000 Kenyans, chosen to represent the make-up of the Kenyan population, and measured their online experience in two ways:
- By observing their social media feeds on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X (Twitter), and applying three measurements of polarization to this content.
- By asking them about their experience with positive and negative content on social media over the past 4 weeks, and how it impacted them.
For details of how exactly we conducted this measurement, we have made our full methodology publicly available here.