When leaders of weak democracies use social media to connect with their constituents, people feel heard. But Twitter responses won’t give citizens what they need.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering during the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi. November 2016.
Adnan Abidi/Reuters
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows how to use social media in politics. But the rest of his government? Not so much.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev (here in 2012) used to his best interest technology in an attempt to shut down any political uprising.
Shamil Zhumatov /Reuters
Forget old-school state propaganda. Kazakhstan’s government has reinvented itself through social media.
Protesters post a hashtag to social media together to make it trend as they denounce policies of President Donald Trump at the Not My President’s Day Rally in Los Angeles, California February 20, 2017.
David McNew/Reuters
This is election year for several African countries and there’s a need to ensure social media isn’t used to incite violence. But can governments be prevented from restricting citizens’ rights?