ISSN 2360-7998
Abstract: Although Kenya had experienced political protest, the events of June 25, 2024, have shaped how protest is viewed by Kenyans. Consequently, it becomes an interesting area of study because the success of the protest is attributed to social media platforms. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social media on national security, with a special focus on X space in Kenya’s anti-financial bill 2024 protest. This study, therefore, seeks to demonstrate that social media platforms, if not regulated, can destroy a country because they can be abused by individuals and terrorist organisations through their attacks. The study utilised hashtags to locate the articles to be analyzed. The study employed a qualitative approach using data obtained mainly from X (Twitter), and diverse Twitter users utilised the hashtags #OccupyParliament, #OccupyCBD, #EconomicShutDown, and #OccupyJKIA. Further studies can be conducted to examine the effects of social media on national security in other regions; little research has focused on Kenyan content. The study findings show that social media can help protesters by spreading propaganda and fake news, mobilising a huge population to join the protest, and allowing protesters to breach security.
Keywords: National Security, Social Media, Protest, Occupy