Assessing The Expression of Identity in Propagation of Extreme Speech: A Case Study of The Facebook Page ‘State House Kenya’

Abstract

The dissemination of extreme speech on Facebook has the potential to exacerbate existing ethnic tensions and prejudices and portends the risk of political violence and life loss if not well understood and checked. This study set out to understand the expression of ethnic identity in propagating extreme speech on Facebook in Kenya by analyzing themes, narratives, and interactions. The research questions guiding this study were: RQ1: In what way does the content communicated signalize the formation of an in-group and refer congruence among the individuals?; RQ2: What forms of the content communicated identify categorization for the out-group?; RQ3: How is the content communicated characterized by negative stereotype, prejudice and discrimination?; RQ4; How are the personal, relational, enacted, and communal frames expressed in the content communicated?; RQ5: What other salient themes are present in the content expressed by the in-group towards the out-group? This study employed a qualitative approach to a case study of the Facebook page of the President of Kenya utilizing content analysis of comments thematized in relation to the Social Identity Theory. The study found that the formation of in-groups and the categorization of other people groups into an out-group is rife in online communication. The study also found that there was pervasive use of negative stereotyping stepping over into prejudice against particular people groups. Other salient themes came up including the denigration of political principals, propagation of extreme speech among individuals, denigration by gender and moderation of extreme speech.