ABSTRACT
Using secondary data from a few selected cases in Africa, this qualitative research explores the concept of the Big Man Syndrome in African politics in relation to Internet shutdowns. The main argument is that for most of Africa's Big Men, those who fall prey to the Big Men Syndrome, the Internet is an irritant worth shutting down every time citizens use it for protest. While the Internet makes possible the rituals of deliberative democracy, its ability to provide ordinary people with the ability to speak up to power is antithetical to the Big Man Syndrome. The chapter demonstrates how the Internet impacts the Big Man and how the Big Man instrumentalises the Internet for political survival. The Big Man Syndrome captures the tensions created by the Internet's “facilitation” of conflict between citizens and the leaders and influencing offline politics.
