Thread by @Wamagaisa

1. Earlier I asked people who follow my handle to name handles that they rely on in political matters. I also asked them to name the handles that they thought other people rely on. Thanks to all those who took part. Here are my preliminary observations.

2. First, I must underline that this is not a scientific exercise. Second, the sample is limited to people who follow my handle. Naturally there’s a bias which affects the outcome. Still, I think people who participated gave their free & honest opinions & their views are useful.

3. I asked for 2 lists because what an individual relies on is not necessarily the same as what they think other people rely on. I don’t think this part of the inquiry was understood uniformly & that’s my fault because I should have explained it better.

4. I did this inquiry because I suspected that politicians weren’t not doing nearly enough political messaging on their social media handles. I’m not surprised that the names that dominate are people who don’t occupy official roles in political parties.

5. It means the intellectuals and journalists that have been cited regularly carry important responsibilities. If people rely on their handles, they have a duty to use their handles responsibly. There is a wider audience out there that believes in them and what they say matters.

6. With the exception of a few, politicians feature sporadically. This seems odd. In matters concerning business you would expect business people to feature prominently. It’s a concern that people aren’t relying more on political actors despite their social media presence.

7. However, there are a few exceptions. The most cited is Fadzayi Mahere. It suggests that Fadzayi is doing a good job as spokesperson of the CCC. She is visible and people trust her. She should make greater use of her space & focus on sharper political messaging.

8. Another CCC name that recurs is Tendai Biti which suggests he is engaged with the political market on social media. This should spur him to continue. But it’s also a signal to members of the CCC leadership to re-frame messaging so that it resonates with the political market.

9. Names from the government also appear on some lists. These are spokespersons of the government so it means their presence on social media is recognised. These handles serve as indicators into government thinking and attitude.

10. The names are predominantly male and there is under-representation of women. I don’t know why this is the case. It might be that there are fewer female handles that are as vocal on political matters. Or the respondents have a disproportionate bias towards male voices.

11. While some journalists and media houses feature, the thinness of representation is a concern. The fourth estate is supposed to be a key voice that people rely on for political news and analysis. One would expect them to be more visible among sources that people rely on.

12. It means the few journalists and media houses cited carry an important responsibility. Others might ask serious questions as to why the political market is not relying on them. Perhaps they need to engage more with social media users beyond their traditional functions.

13. Some citizens groups feature prominently but they operate on the periphery of the mainstream and funded civil society sector. These groups have filled a gap & are doing work that is visible to the social media market, something that traditional civil society hasn’t mastered.

14. Overall, parties & politicians have their work cut out. They should engage citizens more actively on social media. If they are active, maybe their messaging is not resonating well with the political market. They should work to make the most of their social media capital.

15. One thing that is apparent is that citizens are smart enough to make choices. It doesn’t matter that the handles they follow have differences of opinion. They are also flexible: if they didn’t rely on you 5 years ago, they might trust you now if you give them reason to.

16. I acknowledge that the data upon which this is based is limited, but hope that even with those limitations there’s something useful. I also accept that there may be better and more nuanced interpretations of the data out there and I would welcome them to the platform.

17. Maybe a follow up on this would be a space on this issue. Over to you @daddyhope for co-hosting responsibilities!