The dynamics of ethnic violence and the role of social media in contemporary Ethiopia

Abstract

The paper deals with the role of ethnic affiliated social media platforms as new forms of digital public sphere. It is argued that the social construction of ethnic boundaries through social media in Ethiopian context is detrimental to the peaceful coexistence of diverse ethnic groups in contemporary Ethiopia. This study uses netnography as a method to study the construction of ethnic boundaries among the two economically and politically dominant ethnic groups (‘Oromo’ and ‘Amhara) in Ethiopia. By focusing on various social media platforms affiliated to these two major ethnic group in Ethiopia, the paper uses thematic and content analysis as a methodological tool to understand how social media platforms plays an important role in flaring up ethnic conflict in contemporary Ethiopia particularly during January 2022 to January 2024. Apart from the contents available on social media platforms, this study also supplements the online data with unstructured interviews conducted with key respondents from civil society members of Ethiopia. The study also critically engages with previous works on this topic and tries to understand the nature of public sphere and various conflicting voices within this domain in contemporary Ethiopia. The study reveals how the failure of the political reconciliation as evident in ambiguity with respect to the terms enshrined in the constitution of Ethiopia along with restrictions imposed on opposition parties led to the situation where social media platforms became an avenue to vent out political propaganda leading to constructions of rigid ethnic boundaries in Ethiopia.