This exploratory study highlights the significant threats of social media polarization and weaponization in Ethiopia, analyzing the Northern Ethiopia (Tigray) War (November 2020 to November 2022) as a case study. It further uncovers the lack of effective digital peacebuilding initiatives. These issues particularly impact women, who bear a disproportionate burden in the armed conflict. These repercussions extend beyond the digital sphere, affecting women's socio-economic conditions, safety, and well-being. This reality was starkly evident during the war, where women faced gender-based and sexual violence. The research findings disclose the interface between social media polarization, conflict, and gender based violence. It also reveals the marginalization of women's voice in peacebuilding initiatives. This marginalization in peacebuilding efforts can be attributed to hostile online environments, the digital divide, cultural and societal norms, as well as top-down peace initiatives. The study highlights substantial gaps in leveraging digital media for sustainable peace and empowering women's participation. The unregulated landscape of social media in Ethiopia exacerbates these problems, necessitating heightened demands for accountability, especially from major social media platforms. The study recommends enhanced moderation and ethical considerations in algorithmic design gains traction, underlining the urgency for transparent and responsible social media frameworks. It is also recommended that digital peacebuilding initiatives should adopt a gender-sensitive and inclusive approach to address these complexities effectively and sustainably.

翻译：本探索性研究以埃塞俄比亚北部（提格雷）战争（2020年11月至2022年11月）为案例，揭示了社交媒体极化和武器化在埃塞俄比亚构成的重大威胁，并进一步指出当前缺乏有效的数字和平建设举措。这些问题对女性影响尤为显著，她们在武装冲突中承受着不成比例的负担。其影响已超越数字领域，波及女性的社会经济状况、安全与福祉。战争期间女性遭遇基于性别的暴力与性暴力的现实，尖锐地印证了这一状况。研究发现揭示了社交媒体极化、武装冲突与性别暴力之间的相互作用，同时暴露了女性声音在和平建设进程中被边缘化的现象。这种边缘化可归因于充满敌意的网络环境、数字鸿沟、文化与社会规范，以及自上而下的和平倡议模式。研究指出当前在利用数字媒体促进可持续和平及增强女性参与度方面存在显著不足。埃塞俄比亚缺乏监管的社交媒体环境加剧了这些问题，亟需加强问责要求——特别是针对主流社交媒体平台。本研究建议强化内容审核机制，并在算法设计中纳入伦理考量，强调建立透明负责的社交媒体框架的紧迫性。同时建议数字和平建设倡议应采取性别敏感且包容的路径，以有效且可持续地应对这些复杂挑战。