IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-05562276.html

SOCIAL NETWORKS IN MALI: Between political mobilization and censorship mechanisms

Author

Listed:
  • Khalid Dembele

    (USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako)

  • Issa Ballo

    (Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako - USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako, USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako)

  • Bakary Kone

    (Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako - USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako, USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako)

  • Etienne Fakaba Sissoko

    (Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako - USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako, CRAPES MALI - Centre de Recherche et d'Analyses Politiques, Economiques et Sociales du Mali, Faculté des Sciences économiques et de Gestion - USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako)

  • Alexis Dembele

    (UCAO-UuBa - Université Catholique d'Afrique de l'Ouest - Unité Universitaire de Bamako, USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako)

Abstract

This exploratory study analyzes the impact of social networks on political mobilization and censorship mechanisms in Mali, a country undergoing political transition since August 18, 2020. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques, with a sample of 384 individuals selected using quota sampling. The sample included media professionals, activists, videographers, digital experts, government communication officers, communication specialists, professors of political communication, and social media users. The findings indicate that 70% of users-primarily on Facebook and WhatsApp-actively participate in social and political movements. Censorship and selfcensorship affect 68% of journalists, while 95% of users report exposure to disinformation, particularly during periods of crisis. This study sheds light on the social and political dynamics of Mali in the digital age, emphasizing the complex role of social networks and the challenges posed by censorship and disinformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Khalid Dembele & Issa Ballo & Bakary Kone & Etienne Fakaba Sissoko & Alexis Dembele, 2025. "SOCIAL NETWORKS IN MALI: Between political mobilization and censorship mechanisms," Post-Print hal-05562276, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05562276
    DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10582646
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05562276v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-05562276v1/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5281/zenodo.10582646?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05562276. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.