THE GOMA CRISIS AND SOCIAL MEDIA: BETWEEN MEDIA AMPLIFICATION, MISINFORMATION, AND COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23020642Keywords:
crisis, misinformation, rumors, crisis communication and social mediaAbstract
This article examines the role of social media in the Goma crisis, highlighting their impact on information dissemination, the spread of misinformation, and crisis communication challenges. It demonstrates that these platforms, beyond their informational function, serve as spaces for expression, mobilization, and content production, thereby reshaping communication dynamics in crisis contexts.
Using a qualitative, descriptive approach, the study shows that the speed, reach, and diversity of digital channels enable the massive circulation of information, but also facilitate the spread of unverified content. Misinformation, amplified by virality and cognitive biases, leads to a distortion of reality, collective panic, disruption of humanitarian actions, and a decline in trust toward institutions.
Furthermore, the management of the Goma crisis reveals significant challenges related to actor coordination, institutional communication, and information governance. Social media thus emerges as ambivalent tools, both enabling and disruptive.
Finally, the article emphasizes the need for an adaptive crisis communication strategy grounded in transparency, speed, fact-checking, and platform accountability, to strengthen informational resilience and rebuild trust between institutions and citizens
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