The Digital Drumbeat: Impression Management and Political Image-Making on African Social Media

Abstract

This study examines how African political leaders employ impression management strategies on social media to construct and reinforce their political personas. Focusing on Kenyan President William Ruto and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the paper investigates how divergent leadership styles adapt to the affordances of digital platforms such as X (formerly Twitter). The study draws on theories from social psychology and organizational behavior, particularly the frameworks of Leary and Kowalski (1990) and Bolino and Turnley (2003), and then analyzes a curated selection of tweets from 2023 to 2025 to identify patterns of self-presentation. It finds that both leaders primarily utilize impression management tactics of exemplification, ingratiation, self-promotion and supplication while avoiding intimidation. These usages signal a shift away from overt authoritarianism. Now, the trend is shifting more towards soft-power legitimacy, rooted in moral authority, humility, and service. Despite stylistic differences, Ruto and Kagame converge in their strategic homogenization of political language and imagery. Both favor aspirational, formulaic rhetoric and emotionally resonant visuals, and this alignment also reflects the structural logics of social media platforms that reward brevity and positive engagement. The analysis raises questions about the authenticity of digital political communication in contemporary Africa: What bifurcates performative legitimacy and genuine engagement? On one side, impression management enables leaders to project trustworthiness and competence; on the other, it also risks reducing political discourse to ritualized display. Ultimately, this paper argues for a more integrated analytical lens. An angle that combines micro-level insights with macro-level theories of mediatization and political communication. Such an approach is essential for understanding the evolving relationship between digital media, political authority, and public trust in Africa. The cases of these two presidents serve as instructive examples of how social media both enables and constrains modern leadership in an era where image often rivals substance.