The Uganda Social Media Conference 2021 is almost here! The event, which is organized by the Uganda country office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, aims to bring together key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia, and the media for a constructive exchange on the impact of social media on state and society to highlight both, opportunities and challenges.
This year’s conference shall take place from the 25th to the 26th of August and should provide a unique platform for theorizing, dialoguing, and engaging on how the growing relevance of social media shapes our social and political interactions and changes the way we access and process information.
You can register HERE to be part of the virtual event.
The topics to discuss at the Social Media Conference 2021
The opening remarks shall be delivered by Anna Reismann, the Country Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Uganda and South Sudan office. This should be followed by a keynote speech from Dr. William Tayeebwa on “New Actors, New Voices: The Rebirth of Social Media and Digital Politics in Africa“.
The main plenary of day one will be on “Digital Diplomacy: The rise of algorithms and implications for big tech in African Institutions, Governments, and Individuals“. The panelists on this will include Anna Reismann, Adonia Ayebare, Moses Owiny, Awel Uwihanganye, and Alex Taremwa.
Following these will be virtual parallel workshop sessions on topics such as “Impact of social media on mental health: Hitting the pause button“, “Re-framing the climate change agenda on social media“, and “Citizen journalism vs digital newsrooms: Building a consensus for new media“.
The main plenary for day one’s afternoon will be on “Social media and Elections in Africa“.
The keynote speech on day 2 shall be delivered by Agnes Igoye, a Ugandan social worker and campaigner against human trafficking, on “Tackling emerging digital threats: Extremism, trafficking, and Radicalization“. The same topic will be discussed by a panel including Ojok Okello, Lynna Abaho, Besigye Andrew, and Opolot Nicholas.
Check the list of speakers to grace the event HERE.
