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Kenya: the double edged nature of personal media

Categories: Sub-Saharan Africa, Lesotho, Disaster, Media & Journalism, Technology

Following the explosion in Nairobi today, Thinkers Room discusses the double edged of personal media [1]: Today has just illustrated the double edged nature of pervasive communication like blogs, email and text messaging. There is no doubt that these platforms are powerful tools for communicating information. There is also no doubt that they are powerful tools for spreading disinformation. The rumours and innuendo that have gotten to me have left me speechless. Some of the accounts have received indicate hundreds dead and the whole block leveled. Blame has been laid at the doors of Al Qaeda, clumsily detonated grenades, Mungiki, time bombs, electronically detonated bombs and mobile phone detonated bombs.