i i PART I GENERAL OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION In today’s digital world, characterized by the use of wireless media and social media that know no borders or limits, misinformation and disinformation can be distributed to scores of people in a split second. Studies have shown that false information tends to spread faster and more broadly online than the truth does (Vosoughi, Roy, and Aral 2018). Social media’s global reach, coupled with improved internet connectivity, means that it has become increasingly difficult for online aggregators and social media companies to stay abreast of what kind of information is shared over their platforms. The resulting “infodemic,” or the phenomenon of “information disorder,” is considered by some to be more pronounced in economically disadvantaged countries than in richer nations (Singh et al. 2021). This is largely owing to disparities in socioeconomic factors, such as the quality of information and communication technology (ICT) systems in rural and urban communities, that negatively impact on the information ecosystems in many African countries. Sub-Saharan African countries have had their fair share of infodemics—a situation of “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak” (WHO n.d.). These have mostly been limited to within national or regional boundaries. For example, during the HIV/AIDS and Ebola epidemics in Africa, false rumors and conspiracy theories were rife, hampering public health efforts to contain the diseases (Allgaier and I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH Svalastog 2015; Fung et al. 2016; Furman 2020; Hellweg 2008; Islam et al. 2020; Sell, Hosangadi, and Trotochaud 2020; Stadler 2003). However, in recent times, there has been a qualitative change in the nature and flow of mis- and disinformation, as the phenomenon has taken on global proportions. This has brought about a new urgency and renewed efforts to address it. Information disorder in Africa predates what is referred to as the “post-truth era” in the Global North, which has been caused largely by the proliferation of contemporary media. The media distrust underlying information disorder in Africa has its roots in the political exploitation of media by repressive governments (Mare, Mabweazara, and Moyo 2019). The current level of information disorder has been accompanied by the dissolution of concentrated state power over the media, resulting in an influx of information which citizens can access to curate their own news consumption, instead of depending on traditional media (Ncube 2019; Ogweno, Oduor, and Mutisya 2021). Unfortunately, while social media have fostered access to important information, they have also been used to spread falsehoods related to many different sectors, such as health (e.g. Covid-19), politics (e.g. elections), and society (e.g. social instability, xenophobia) (Mutahi and Kimari 2020). Information disorder in Africa, much like in the Global North, manifests as modern-day propaganda. Back in colonial times, states used propaganda as a weapon to quell political unrest. This practice Sub -Saharan Africa – 1 39