DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64539/sjcs.v2i1.2026.418Keywords:
Social Uses, WhatsApp Status, Digital Vulnerability, Informational Self-Exposure, Critical Plea, Cybersecurity, Democratic Republic of the CongoAbstract
The rapid expansion of digital communication platforms has transformed everyday social interactions in many African societies, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Among these platforms, WhatsApp occupies a central position, particularly through its Status feature, which allows users to share short-lived messages, images, and videos with their contacts. Despite its popularity, the social implications and digital security risks associated with this feature remain insufficiently studied in the Congolese context. This study addresses this research gap by examining the social uses of WhatsApp Status and their relationship with digital vulnerability. Using a qualitative analytical approach based on literature review and socio-digital observation, the research explores how everyday communication practices can unintentionally expose users to security risks. The findings reveal that limited understanding of privacy settings, normalized self-disclosure, and weak digital literacy significantly increase users’ vulnerability. Many individuals share financial, professional, geographical, or emotional information without fully understanding the potential audience or the risks associated with data circulation. Consequently, WhatsApp Status becomes not only a space for social expression but also a potential source of opportunistic cybercrime through social engineering strategies. The study highlights the urgent need to strengthen digital literacy, promote responsible online behaviour, and develop clearer privacy mechanisms within digital platforms. Ultimately, improving digital awareness and governance in the DRC is essential to reduce vulnerabilities and encourage safer digital practices in rapidly evolving online environments.
References
[1] DataReportal, Digital 2024 Global Overview Report. 2024. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report.
[2] International Telecommunication Union, Measuring Digital Development: Facts and Figures. Geneva: International Telecommunication Union, 2023. https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/Measuring-digital-development-Facts-and-figures-2023-E.pdf.
[3] GSMA, The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2023. London, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/sub-saharan-africa.
[4] ARPTC, Rapport annuel sur le secteur des télécommunications en République Démocratique du Congo. Kinshasa, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://arptc.gouv.cd.
[5] World Bank, World Development Indicators: Internet Users and Mobile Cellular Subscriptions. Washington, DC, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.worldbank.org.
[6] J. Donner, After Access: Inclusion, Development, and a More Mobile Internet. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2015. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=BRAqCwAAQBAJ.
[7] N. Couldry and A. Hepp, The Mediated Construction of Reality. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2017. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=yJ9RDwAAQBAJ.
[8] T. Bucher, If...Then: Algorithmic Power and Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=q_pdDwAAQBAJ.
[9] D. Boyd, It is Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=p9u8AgAAQBAJ.
[10] J. Van Dijck, The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=h5PbaKHoih0C.
[11] INTERPOL, African Cyberthreat Assessment Report. Lyon, 2023. https://www.interpol.int/en/content/download/19174/file/2023_03CYBER_AfricanCyberthreat.
[12] UNODC, Cybercrime and Cybersecurity in Africa. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.unodc.org.
[13] D. S. Wall, “Crime, security and information communication technologies: The changing cy-bersecurity threat landscape and its implications,” International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, vol. 51, pp. 1–14, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199680832.013.65.
[14] K. Mitnick and W. Simon, The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2002. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=rmvDDwAAQBAJ.
[15] S. Livingstone, “Developing social media literacy: How children learn to interpret risky openings on social network sites,” Communications, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 283–303, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2014-0113.
[16] J. W. Creswell and J. D. Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2018. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=335ZDwAAQBAJ.
[17] A. E. Marwick and D. Boyd, “I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience,” New Media & Society, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 114–133, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444810365313.
[18] Z. Papacharissi, “A networked self,” in A Networked Self: Identity, Community and Culture on Social Network Sites. New York: Routledge, 2011, pp. 304–318. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=fS0VAAAAQBAJ.
[19] H. Nissenbaum, Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780804772891/html.
[20] V. Braun and V. Clarke, “Using thematic analysis in psychology,” Qualitative Research in Psychology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 77–101, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
[21] A. Acquisti, L. Brandimarte, and G. Loewenstein, “Privacy and human behavior in the age of information,” Science, vol. 347, no. 6221, pp. 509–514, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa1465.
[22] L. Floridi, The Fourth Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=65eAAwAAQBAJ.
[23] A. Markham and E. Buchanan, Ethical Decision-Making and Internet Research. Association of Internet Researchers, 2012. https://pure.au.dk/ws/files/55543125/aoirethics2.pdf.
[24] UNESCO, Global Media and Information Literacy Assessment Framework. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.unesco.org.
[25] A. Mbembe, De la postcolonie: Essai sur l’imagination politique dans l’Afrique contemporaine. Paris: Karthala, 2000. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=VadCCBHLy68C.
[26] T. August, H. Shin, T. I. Tunca, “Licensing and Competition for Services in Open Source Software,” Information Systems Research, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 1068-1086, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2013.0486.
[27] J.-P. P. Kamili, R. M. Taghembwa, and J.-B. K. Mbakula, “Role of media in promoting peace and conflict resolution in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Journalism and Mass Communication, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 101-111, 2024. https://doi.org/10.17265/2160-6579/2024.02.006.
[28] J. Muhindo Kavyavu, “Les incidences du numérique sur la famille : usages et appropriation dans les ménages de Goma,” Mémoire de recherche universitaire, 2025.
[29] CIPESA, State of Internet Freedom in Africa Report. Kampala, Uganda, 2023. [Online]. Avail-able: https://cipesa.org.
[30] Internews, Digital Ecosystem Assessment for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Washington, DC, USA, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://internews.org.
[31] A. Mbuyu, “L’impact des réseaux sociaux sur le comportement des Congolais modernes : cas de TikTok,” Mémoire universitaire, 2023. https://www.memoireonline.com/09/23/14290/Limpact-des-reseaux-sociaux-sur-le-comportement-des-congolais-modernes-cas-de-Tiktok.html.
