The increase in access to affordable mobile technologies has created an interesting, sometimes complicated, relationship between Internet users and the Kenyan government. On the one hand, the latter is committed to building information and communications technology infrastructure and encouraging technological innovation. On the other, citizens are becoming digitally literate, civically engaged, and more likely to hold the government accountable. The article seeks to discuss varied forms of citizen engagement in the era of Internet viral cultures, ranging from (1) the use of social media for online protest, characterised by political contestation and fleeting outbursts of anger and backlash in the Twittersphere, to (2) the appropriation of protest messages into humorous viral memes (often oversimplified, ignoring the complexities of the situation and more focused on humour rather than underlying core problems). Four select hashtags during the 2017 Kenyan elections are analysed as frames for collective action within the context of playful participation and “spreadable” media.

中文翻译：

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参与式媒体文化：肯尼亚的病毒式传播、幽默和在线政治争论

越来越多的人获得负担得起的移动技术，在互联网用户和肯尼亚政府之间建立了一种有趣的、有时是复杂的关系。一方面，后者致力于建设信息通信技术基础设施，鼓励技术创新。另一方面，公民正在变得具有数字素养、公民参与度，并且更有可能让政府承担责任。这篇文章试图讨论在互联网病毒式文化时代公民参与的各种形式，范围从（1）使用社交媒体进行在线抗议，其特点是在 Twitter 领域中的政治争论和短暂的愤怒和强烈反对爆发，到（2） ）将抗议信息挪用为幽默的病毒性模因（通常过于简单化，忽视情况的复杂性，更多地关注幽默而不是潜在的核心问题）。2017 年肯尼亚选举期间的四个精选主题标签被分析为在有趣参与和“传播”媒体背景下集体行动的框架。