Facebook-based hate speech and social cohesion in South Sudan: the case of Juba County.

Abstract

This study examined Facebook-based hate speech and social cohesion in Juba County, Central Equatoria State, South Sudan. The study was guided by three specific objectives: to analyze the effects of Facebook-based hate speech on community relationships and social cohesion; to examine the factors influencing the spread of Facebook-based hate speech; and to assess community perspectives on Facebook-based hate speech in Juba County. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design and employed a mixed-methods research approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. The study targeted a population of 130 respondents drawn from three key stakeholder groups relevant to the investigation. Census, simple random and purposive sampling methods were employed to select the respondents. Data were analyzed using appropriate quantitative and qualitative techniques, while the findings were interpreted with reference to Framing Theory and Social Identity Theory. The findings established that Facebook-based hate speech has a substantial negative effect on community relationships and social cohesion in Juba County. The majority of respondents reported that hate speech contributes to misunderstandings among community members (97.0%), increases hostility between ethnic and political groups (94.5%), reduces trust (94.6%), and contributes to conflict and violence (94.6%). The spread of hate speech was mainly associated with ethnic and political divisions (89.2%), inadequate media literacy (87.0%), and Facebook content recommendation algorithms that promote emotionally charged and controversial content (90.0%). The findings also showed strong community support for mitigation measures, particularly community awareness programmes (94.5%), dialogue and tolerance (91.3%), greater responsibility by Facebook to monitor and remove hate speech (89.2%), and government regulation (83.7%). The study concludes that Facebook-based hate speech is driven by interconnected social, political, technological and institutional factors and poses a significant threat to social cohesion in Juba County. The study recommends a coordinated approach involving strengthened digital and media literacy, community awareness, inter-community dialogue, responsible platform moderation, local-language content monitoring, and transparent government regulation that protects both social stability and freedom of expression