Mechachal: Online Debates and Elections in Ethiopia. Report One: A Preliminary Assessment of Online Debates in Ethiopia

Abstract

This working paper is the first of a series of three and examines how Ethiopians in Ethiopia and the diaspora are using social media to talk about politics, religion, and ethnicity. After illustrating the methodological choices that have been made to understand engagement and antagonism in the Ethiopian online sphere, the report suggests how and to which extent, despite the limited penetration and polarization that has characterized the media in Ethiopia, social media seems to have offered new opportunities for experimentation across divides.

Keywords: Hate speech, social media, Internet, Africa, Ethiopia, political contestation, extremism, innovation in research methods