Social Media Hegemony: A Critical Analysis of Ellie “The Monkey Boy”

This paper discusses how social media dramatically impacted the story of Rwanda's "Ellie, the Monkey Boy." Afrimax documented Ellie's life in a documentary on his tour, showcasing her unique physical behavior and unusual illness. This study illustrates how social media alters people's perspectives and how exposure to certain phenomena in the media and societal movements piques Ellie's interest in helping him become well-known. Theoretical frameworks that function as a guidebook for research problems, such as the Discourse Historical Approach, framing theory, critical discourse analysis, and social identity theory, offer foundations for the study. This study provides insight into how social media spreads news, creates communities, and modifies social behavior. This research focuses on a critical analysis of social media in contemporary society via the lens of activism in Rwanda and Monkey Boy's identity building.