By Lynn Watson and Rutendo Mugodzeri

IN today’s society, technology and online communication are being utilised for both business transactions and personal enjoyment.

And in the last decades, the political electoral cycles have been heavily dependent on social media to market campaigns and ensure that the voting processes are transparent enough to be considered ‘free and fair’.

For instance, in the US, in 2008, former President Barack Obama relied heavily on social media to mobilise votes and win the elections.

Social media and social networks are typically used by the general public to express their thoughts and ideas through platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to mention a few.

Zimbabwe has not been left behind.

Technology is very much in use in the country, which has levelled the political playing field.

No-one, no party or candidate can cry foul and claim lack of media space and exposure.

All candidates now use social media in their political campaigns and to spread political knowledge to gain supporters.

The 2023 elections will definitely be different from previous polls as technology continues to change and will somewhat influence the future political agenda, even in the so-called less developed countries.

Like it or not, social media is playing an indispensable role in the delivery of democracy by enabling full participation of the public, especially the youths before, during and after the electoral process.

This can extend from educating people on exercising their democratic right to vote to reporting and monitoring voting results.

While social media plays a crucial role of being the ‘watchdog’ of society, the question is on whether it will positively influence the processes and outcome of the much anticipated 2023 Zimbabwean elections.

Social media has been widely used to urge people, especially youths, to register to vote in the forthcoming polls.

People have managed to register and even those considered to be disinterested in politics are registering to exercise their constitutional right.

Thus, social media is playing an intrinsic role when it comes to mobilising more voters in Zimbabwe.

Unprecedented access to information which is provided by the use of social media can quickly push people to engage in conversation over important issues.

In Zimbabwe, it has managed to foster and directly engage the public in political discussions and one can only hope that disinformation will not undermine the upcoming 2023 elections.

The country’s use of social media has been on the rise and people have been able to freely engage and share political information, dispelling the notion of the expression ‘no freedom after expression’.

No institution in Zimbabwe can be said to have monopoly over the media as citizens have been able to discuss and criticise political parties’ policies.

Opposition parties’ candidates, using the most common example, the leader of the Citizen Coalition for Change,  Nelson Chamisa, have managed to use Twitter to share their political messages.

ZANU PF, the ruling Party, has also used various social media platforms to showcase and highlight its successes and work it is doing to develop the country.

The general public have also used this same platform to communicate their own concerns and perceptions to the Government and other candidates.

As much as social media has enhanced political campaigns and public participation during elections, there are a few loopholes which tend to tarnish these efforts, such as miscommunication.

This makes it difficult for users to know credible information sources, which creates confusion and constraints.

Social media is basically a source of fake news that can negatively impact candidates’ reputation or even the whole campaign.

They are instances where people have to check with the traditional news sources, such as newspapers and radio stations, to check out the authenticity of some news.

Fake news have also led to some people choosing not to consume political news from social media.

Because there is a lack of viable tools to verify news on social media, some people become disinterested in the political news presented.

Noting how most people are connected on social media on a daily basis, this is the most viable tool that can be used by all political players, promoting free and fair elections.

Social media is an important force when it comes to the democratisation process in Africa, although it can be a double-edged sword.

For the upcoming 2023 elections, it is crucial that people do not spread fake news and lean more towards debating policies and pushing forward the needs of the people.

Lynn Watson and Rutendo Mugodzeri are Africa University students writing in their own capacity