Bridging Digital and Democratic Spaces: Social Media’s Role in Electoral Engagement and Peacebuilding in Uganda

Opening remarks and moderation were provided by Aaron Stanley, Senior Program Associate at the Wilson Center Africa Program. The discussion looked at opportunities for social media to advance peacebuilding, governance, and democracy as well as potential challenges arising from political engagement in digital spaces.

Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding scholar Latifah Namutebi underscored the critical role social media plays in accessing and democratizing political spaces. However, she expressed the need to restore trust in the electoral system, protect whistleblowers, and establish independent oversight mechanisms to preserve open discourse and prevent misinformation. Latifah also discussed the innovative ways in which communities in Uganda often have systems in place to help each other navigate misinformation online.

Jared addressed social media's broader impacts, from enhancing democratic outcomes through digital reporting and tracking to increasing the potential risks of censorship and erosion of privacy. Jared called for more transparency from technology companies in how their algorithms and data collections are used. He also emphasized the need for multi-stakeholder coalitions comprising governments, businesses, and civil society to address the challenges of democracy in a digital world together.

Maria brought the conversation back to the Ugandan context, where social media has expanded political discourse from small, localized spaces to larger audiences, increasing political diversity and accountability. She stressed the need to restore trust in electoral systems and safeguard digital transparency. Maria underlined the importance of social media to preserving public discourse and closing the gap between citizens and lawmakers to enable dialogue and participation.

The panel closed with a Q & A session where misinformation, echo chambers, and the evolving nature of digital spaces were further discussed.