Over the past few years Namibia’s political landscape has been shaped greatly by the use of social media and electronic platforms. Digital Democracy refers to the various ways by which electronic platforms can engage and secure the wider and more informed participation of the public in the political environment. Digital democracy involves the greater use of the internet to gauge public opinion by mini referenda and e-petitions, the use of the internet to activate political debate via social media and online forums.
Despite the obvious disadvantages of Digital Democracy, it has made Namibia’s democracy more diverse and transparent, citizens can openly engage in political debates on social media as well as openly criticize and question the governance of the country. Over the past five years we have witnessed the increase in citizen participation and involvement in issues affecting the country, with every situation we found ourselves in as country, from allegations of corruption against government officials to issues such as violence against women and children, Namibians were openly engaging in discussions on social media and calling for a change.
The #ShutItAllDown movement, for instance started on social media and ended in a protest calling onto the legislature and judiciary to take violence against women and children seriously, this movement speaks volumes of the impact social media dialogues have, however the demonstration calling onto the legislature to draft policies protecting women, children and LGBTQ community from violence amounted to just a protest. Another prominent movement on social media was the #ItWillEndInVoting movement, which focused on advocating for the importance of voting, this movement influenced many young people to actually go to the polling stations and let their voices be heard through their votes. Digital democracy grounds are also home to organizations that focus on civil education and advocating for voting such as the I Am Voting Namibia, which has impacted the views on voting greatly and continues to educate the Namibian citizens.
Because of the pandemic we witnessed the online covid-19 updates and discussions which indicate the contribution and importance of the digital world, furthermore the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has also added a social media section to the news, the section reads people’s views with regards to a specific headline, again this speaks volumes of just how important the public’s views are.
As of today politicians are able to communicate to the citizens via social media. In the past few years we started noticing the use of social media as a way of communication by government officials, today one can simply visit the president’s Twitter and get updated on presidential issues in the country. Digital democracy has also enabled politicians to run their political campaigns on electronic platforms, making it very simple to reach the intended audience. However digital democracy also gives citizens a platform to directly question their leaders and comment on their performance, this can quickly get out of hand but it is important for our leaders to be able to answer to their citizens and ensure that they are efficient.
As of today politicians are able to communicate to the citizens via social media. In the past few years we started noticing the use of social media as a way of communication by government officials, today one can simply visit the president’s Twitter and get updated on presidential issues in the country. Digital democracy has also enabled politicians to run their political campaigns on electronic platforms, making it very simple to reach the intended audience. However digital democracy also gives citizens a platform to directly question their leaders and comment on their performance, this can quickly get out of hand but it is important for our leaders to be able to answer to their citizens and ensure that they are efficient.