Users on digital participation in Uganda

The Internet helps young people to learn

Stella Manake is a student at the Islamic University in Uganda in Mable and currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. At the same time she volunteers with the community radio station Step FM

Stella Manake is 21 years old and comes from Mbale. She is a student at the Islamic University in Uganda in Mable and currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. At the same time she volunteers with the community radio station Step FM.

I think life without the Internet would be really boring. The Internet helps young people to learn other things – about life, about politics, about people from other parts of the world. You can also learn about innovative ideas. Life in urban areas is so different than life in rural areas because people (in the countryside) have feature phones and don’t have so much access to the Internet. However, a problem with the Internet and social media is fake news which spreads so fast on WhatsApp. The Internet also changes relationships to other people. Your phone distracts you and sometimes you find yourself busy reading a WhatsApp message instead of interacting face to face with the person you’re actually with.

The #speakup barometer is a DW Akademie project that examines the connection between digital participation, freedom of expression and access to information. Learn more at www.dw.com/barometer

Date 12.11.2018
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Date 12.11.2018
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Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/386Z1

DWA DW Akademie speakup barometer Uganda

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A social media explosion, the dominance of radio and a government in fear of losing control. It can be hard to find your bearings in Uganda’s media landscape—the risks and potential for participation sit side by side.

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Innovation: A country in the starting blocks

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