Abstract
This chapter discusses the use of Twitter in mediating Zimbabwe’s 2018 elections. It provides an understanding of how two visible and contesting groups appropriated the platform during this period. The chapter responds to two specific questions: In what ways did the contesting groups make use of Twitter during the election period? What themes emerged from this use of the platform? It finds that Twitter became a space where the physical violence prevalent in Zimbabwe’s previous elections was enacted through discourse. It was also a space where opposition supporters challenged the hegemony of the ruling party and provided a space for political resistance. It further finds that there is an overall decline in civility on the platform with regard to election discourses.
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Munoriyarwa, A., Chambwera, C. (2020). Tweeting the July 2018 Elections in Zimbabwe. In: Ndlela, M., Mano, W. (eds) Social Media and Elections in Africa, Volume 1. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30553-6_5
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