The Social or the Media: Platform Mediation of Pan-Africanist Telegram Networks

• In Event: Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 2. Visibility, disability, & Telegram

Abstract

The rise of digital platforms has reshaped political communication, introducing new hierarchies of voice and visibility. While Telegram is often framed as a minimally moderated space for marginalized discourse, its algorithmic recommendation systems, particularly the "similar channels" feature, actively structure which actors gain visibility.
This mixed-methods analysis of francophone Pan-Africanist networks reveals a striking disconnect between Telegram’s algorithmic recommendations and organic communication patterns. By comparing networks generated by platform recommendations with those formed through direct mentions, this research exposes how Telegram's infrastructure amplifies media-style channels while sidelining grassroots organizers and political figures. For instance, Egountchi Behanzin's highly active Ligue de Défense Noire Africaine channel, central in organic discussions, is entirely absent from recommendation networks.
Linguistic homogenization further narrows visibility: recommended channels are exclusively francophone, whereas organic networks include English, Russian, and other languages. This divergence suggests that Telegram's algorithms, though less visible than overt moderation, reshape political discourse by privileging certain editorial strategies and linguistic uniformity.
Applying a postcolonial lens, the findings highlight how digital counter-publics remain dependent on opaque platform logics, raising critical questions about algorithmic neutrality and the limits of digital sovereignty for diasporic movements. The analysis underscores the need to scrutinize infrastructural power in shaping who is heard—and who is erased—in global political debates.

Authors

• Yasmine Houri, CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research)

• Paola Tubaro, Centre national de la recherche scientifique