WhatsApp and Everyday Life in West Africa : Beyond Fake News

We are deeply indebted to the knowledge and insights provided by the authors in this volume who have worked tirelessly with us on their chapters. Particular mention is due for Elena Gadjanova and her co-authors, whose forthcoming work on the application of the notion of 'pavement radio' to the spread of information of WhatsApp, inspired our discussion of the idea in the introduction to this volume. We also wish to place on record our gratitude for the ongoing support that the Open Society Foundation in West Africa has provided to the Centre for Democracy and Development to work on improving the understanding of digital life and interactions across West Africa in the past five years. Special thanks to Su Muhereza and Maggie Dwyer for their invaluable feedback on the introduction that only further strengthened the arguments it makes. Cover Contents Figure and Tables List of contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: A new platform for old networks? WhatsApp and everyday life in West Africa Idayat Hassan and Jamie Hitchen 1 WhatsApp and political messaging at the periphery: Insights from northern Ghana Gabrielle Lynch, Ghadafi Saibu and Elena Gadjanova 2 WhatsApp, youth and politics in the Gambia: An analysis of ‘Democratic Gambia’ Sait Matty Jaw 3 WhatsApp political campaigns in Nigeria Nwachukwu Egbunike 4 Tailored to fit? WhatsApp marketing in Nigeria’s fashion industry Kolawole Talabi 5 ‘The Forum’: A WhatsApp support group for health and social service providers during the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon Kamila Pacholek, Madalina Prostean, Sarah Burris, Lynn Cockburn, Julius Nganji, Anya Nadege and Louis Mbibeh 6 The dynamics of WhatsApp usage among elderly Nigerians Temitayo Olofinlua 7 New media, social relationships and communication imperatives: A study of Christlove Fellowship Alumni WhatsApp groups Feyisitan Ijimakinwa and Fortune Afatakpa 8 Sharing the gospel: How Nigeria’s Catholic community is building a WhatsApp congregation Patrick Egwu 9 Amplifying female voices in northern Nigerian politics: The role of WhatsApp Na’ima Hafiz Abubakar 10 Reinventing the newspaper for the WhatsApp age Simon Allison Further reading Index "WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform in over 80% of countries in West Africa, and a daily port of call for a wide range of information and services. This edited collection seeks to examine the impact that this transformative technology has had beyond the much-discussed role it has played in the spread of misinformation, and explore more widely the fundamental changes that WhatsApp has brought to many citizens' lives in social, economic and political contexts. Ranging across subjects including political organisation, religious practice, and family relations, each author in this volume brings direct knowledge and testimony of the impact of WhatsApp across West African society."-- Provided by publisher

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform in over 80% of countries in West Africa, and a daily port of call for a wide range of information and services. This edited collection seeks to examine the impact that this transformative technology has had beyond the much-discussed role it has played in the spread of misinformation, and explore more widely the fundamental changes that WhatsApp has brought to many citizens' lives in social, economic and political contexts. Ranging across subjects including political organisation, religious practice, and family relations, each author in this volume brings direct knowledge and testimony of the impact of WhatsApp across West African society.