Dar es Salaam. Information and technology experts on Saturday entrusted consumers of online media content with countering online misinformation and disinformation, noting that it was high time people stopped being passive social media users and became active agents of change.

The experts shared such a view during a discussion on digital platforms as a medium for public discourse, one of the panel discussions that occurred during Saturday Digital Freedom and Innovation Day that The Chanzo organised to highlight the relationship between freedom and innovation.

The discussion happened at a time when Tanzania is preparing for civic elections later this year and a general election slated for October 2025, and the experts fear that the democratic processes could be compromised by campaigns of misinformation and disinformation as has been documented in other contexts.

The panelists said that it would be futile to try to stop misinformation and disinformation campaigns from being launched, but expressed confidence in people’s abilities to recognise such campaigns and minimise their reach and therefore their ultimate goal. 

They said people would need a certain set of skills to carry out the task, noting that media literacy, which is the ability to apply critical thinking skills to media messages, is a highly needed skill if efforts to curb misinformation, disinformation, and its associated dangers are to succeed.

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During the discussion, the panellists shared several tips on media literacy that social media users can apply to detect misinformation and disinformation campaigns and, therefore, block their reach.

Tony Alfred, managing editor at The Chanzo, advised participants, many of them under the age of 30, to look out for a coordinated circulation of social media messages, saying that there’s a likelihood of misinformation and disinformation campaigns to peddle through mass circulated and coordinated messaging.

“If you see a dozen people circulating a particular message with similar features, it is time to arm up and examine such a message carefully before circulating it yourself,” Mr Alfred said during the discussion. “You might be running a risk of circulating a maligned campaign without your knowledge.”

He also urged caution in circulating a media message about a particular person with the implicit aim of damaging such an individual. Mr Alfred said the default option in such circumstances is to stop circulating such a message further for you might helping a shadowy group achieve its goals.

“You should pause a little and think about the consequences of the action you want to take, which is circulating such a message,” Mr Alfred advised. “You don’t do anyone a favour by doing that. You just serve your own interest. Vigilance is needed to ensure that you’re not 

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Mr Alfred’s suggestions are consistent with those shared by experts and organisations that train people to detect misinformation and disinformation campaigns, which are critical in preventing malign actors from interfering and influencing critical democratic processes such as elections.

Kennedy Mmari, chief executive officer of strategic communications agency Serengeti Bytes, said that countering misinformation and disinformation should be a top priority for anyone believing in a democracy, given the power of maligning forces to overturn the wishes of the electorates.

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“In the age of the internet, [as a communications strategist] I’m better placed to understand [a social media user] more than they understand themselves,” Mr Mmari said during the discussion. As an advertiser, I have the capacity to mine the data about you, and target my messages to you, in an amazing way.” 

He said if this can be done to serve business purposes, it can also be done to serve political purposes, urging social media users to be vigilant in using the platforms lest they fall victim to such malpractices.

Abella Bateyunga, whose Tanzania Bora Initiative works with young leaders across the country, shared with participants some practical tips that would prevent them from falling prey to online disinformation campaigners, urging people to reject the impulses forcing them to forward messages they don’t know their origins and purpose.

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“You’re not a media outlet for God’s sake, you’re not responsible for informing people,” Ms Bateyunga told participants. “You’re just a consumer. When you receive a particular media message, don’t rush to circulate it. Chill, and reject the impulses forcing you to act like a media outlet.”