VERA BWIRE: The rise of online social capital both positive and negative

Many protesters live-streamed from the anti-tax march/SCREENGRAB

The level of online social capital in our Kenyan society today, just as in other societies, is something our leaders should be concerned about while at the same time be happy about.

Social capital has, over the years, referred to the relationships mostly within family and friendship circles, but this is changing.

Last year’s Gen Z protests led to some level of online capital that no leader can undo. During the anti-Finance Bill protests, youth activists, especially Gen Z’s, created decentralised hashtag communities such as #RejectFinanceBill2024, #OccupyParliament, #RutoMustGo, #Maandamano254.

The hashtags have since entrenched some kind of brotherhood, trust and coordination across platforms such as X, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram.

Just as during this year’s anniversary protests, participants shared protest logistics, translated bills, broke down information on the bills using AI, gave legal hotlines, announced safe routes, medical helplines, and updates in real time, even before we mainstream media could report.

When you look at social capital in its true sense, in its simplest of explanations, it is a concept referring to the value derived from social connections and networks.

Social capital encompasses the trust, reciprocity, and shared norms that facilitate cooperation and collaboration within a community or society.

Essentially, it’s the benefits that individuals and groups gain from their relationships with others. Online social capital, on the other hand, refers to the resources and benefits individuals gain through their participation in online social networks, including trust, information exchange, support, and a sense of belonging, which can enhance social engagement and collaboration in digital communities.

Right now, the only thing Kenyans want to hear is #Wantam. The online social capital around the concept of #Wantam is akin to a religious idea.

You basically cannot follow anything that is linked to politics in Kenya online, without coming across the term Wantam.

So basically, Wantam is a tag directed towards our President to consider staying for one term only and those propagating the #Wantam agenda suggest they will vote for an alternative in the 2027 General Election.

Activists and political aspirants are also taking advantage, in a positive way, of the sense of online social capital—former Chief Justice David Maraga, being one of them.

The former CJ reportedly suggested he will use crowdfunding to finance his presidential bid.

Activists such as Boniface Mwangi and Eric Omondi, among others, have widely deployed digital tools and mobile money platforms (such as M-Pesa) to crowdsource funding for transport, protest logistics, and support for participants who cannot afford travel.

They have also used mobile money platforms to fund the less fortunate in society. They have basically leveraged having collective resources through social media networks.

Smartphone-wielding Gen Z protesters and concerned citizen journalists have also come together and collaborated to livestream and shared footage of protests, police brutality, and key events such as the storming of Parliament on June 25 last year.

This kind of word from the street and ground-level visual documentation have created more credibility, contributing to regional and global awareness of the issues many Kenyans have with the current government.

The bottom line is Kenyans have invested a lot of trust on each other online. This is both negative and positive.

The negative online social capital can also be a result of incitement from leaders and politicians, such as the current incitement by the former deputy president, as well as notable leaders in government.

In a nutshell, Kenyan youth have converted online relationships, formed through hashtags, groups, streams, and digital campaigns, into tangible political action.

Even under difficult conditions, their online social capital manifested through mobilisation efficiency, collective trust, real-time information exchange, and mutual support is a spirit of fortitude that can never disappear.

Hopefully, the spirit of online social capital will still be there when we go to the polls in 2027.