The increasing threat to democratic institutions posed by disinformation is a global phenomenon. Yet, as Idayat Hassan and Jamie Hitchen reveal in this case study of Nigeria, the local effects of disinformation are shaped as much by offline conventions and institutions as by online interactions.
Jamie Hitchen
Jamie Hitchen is an independent researcher who focuses on politics in the social media age in West Africa. He co-authored a chapter on the use of WhatsApp in Sierra Leone’s election to Social Media and Politics in Africa (Zed Books, 2019), has published research on Nigeria's WhatsApp Politics in the Journal of Democracy, and is currently exploring political organization online in The Gambia and Uganda. He was previously a policy researcher at Africa Research Institute and his analysis has been sought by leading international publications including the Economist, Financial Times, BBC, and the Guardian. He tweets @jchitchen.