Social media a political fuel to social conflicts: A comparative case of Zimbabwe and Indonesia in de-escalation of conflicts in future elections

This paper examines the impact of social media in fuelling political conflicts. Measures to deescalate political violence in the coming elections are also covered. A qualitative research approach is used and documentary analysis is used for data gathering. Theories and concepts are used to analyze how social media fuels political violence and reduction measures are also deduced for the upcoming elections in Zimbabwe and Indonesia. The results show that the use of social media increased during the election period in both countries, though the increase was more noticeable in Zimbabwe. Social media laws should be enacted in the two countries as one of the control measures before the next elections