STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 68

In
the
same
country,
trolling had more profound
consequences, such as a
minister resigning after being
accused of fraud on social
media. (34)
Trolling can also take on a
humouristic approach, like the
Twitter war between Kenya and
Tanzania, where the motive was
apparently to push Tanzanians
to be more active on social
media.
A bot (short for robot) is
a software programme that
imitates human user behaviour
and continuously comments or
shares content on social media
to generate debates.
There are good bots, which
serve communities, but in
many cases, bots are used for
negative purposes.
Superlinear, a company run
by a data scientist, investigated
how bots and Internet trolls
propagate racial and political
division in South Africa.
By assessing the number of
accounts Twitter suspended
relating to politics, social
unrest, and race during 2014
and 2018, the company showed
there was interference in South
African politics by both local
and international forces. (35)
In 2018, as the South African
ruling party prepared to choose
its new leader, there were a few
hundred fake and apparently
American accounts created on
Twitter to post biased messages
promoting one candidate and
attacking another. It is believed
that these accounts were bots.
(36)

Some companies have started
using bots to enhance the
customer’s experience on their
digital platforms, and even the
WHO has started using bots to
provide verified information on
Covid-19. (37)
Media and Information literate
users need the knowledge and

skills to spot fake accounts
and to deal with bots and trolls
immediately.
One way to make the
distinction is to check whether
official company accounts or the
personal accounts of prominent
individuals are verified by social
media sites like Facebook and
Twitter.
They will have a blue tick next
to the names. Another telltale sign is that there are often
spelling errors in the URLs or
profile names of fake social
media accounts or websites.
Reporting the account to
the hosting site will initiate
an
investigation
into
its
authenticity.

MIL EDUCATION IN
SOUTHERN AFRICA
A citizen has the right to access
free, high quality, independent,
and pluralistic media, and
information.
Citizens should be empowered
to make informed decisions and
to contribute meaningfully to
the national dialogue.
To build capacities in the
competencies required for MIL is
a complex, and lifelong process
and requires a structured and
consistent approach to be
impactful.
“The inclusion of Media and
Information Literacy in the
curriculum means that young
people must understand the
functions of media and other
information
providers
and
seek, evaluate, use and create
information to achieve their
personal, social, occupational
and educational goals. They
must also possess basic skills for
critical thinking, to analyse and
use them for self-expression,
for
becoming
independent
learners, producers, informed
citizens, professionals, and for

participating in the governance
and democratic processes of
their societies,” Gichunge, the
MIL practitioner and Africa
Regional
Representative
UNESCO MIL Alliance, said.
A survey on fact-checking
and disinformation education
in Sub-Saharan Africa showed
that there is a semblance of
misinformation education in a
province in South Africa. (38)
In
Namibia,
Information
and
Communication
has
been introduced as a nonpromotional subject from Grade
4 to Grade 12, which is a huge
achievement.
However, there are still
several challenges experienced
with the implementation of this
subject, such as teachers’ lack
of understanding and schools
not having the necessary tools
and infrastructure to adequately
deal with the complex issues
under media and information
literacy.
This requires more support
from stakeholders to bridge the
gap and meet the needs for MIL
education in schools.
In so far, the only known
structured MIL initiatives in
the region are the Media and
Information Literacy Learning
Initiative
(MiLLi*)
projects
in
Namibia
and
Lesotho
coordinated with support from
DW Akademie.
The
various
educational
products focus on out of school
youth, and the interactive and
practical training targets youth
with no formal education, those
who are connected to media,
education or youth development
organisations or professionals
through a certificate course.
Recently a variety of online
training products have also been
developed, including training
on platforms like WhatsApp to
reach youth where they are.
Participants

have

noted

Select target paragraph3