These ChatBots Help Zimbabweans Find Fuel During a Shortage


Hashtags and chat apps can notify users when items of vital necessity become available during times of severe shortage. Despite the Zimbabwean government’s pushback against social media, Zimbabweans are turning to platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp to share information about gas availability amid a severe nationwide shortage. Automated chat bots and hashtags used on Facebook and Twitter deliver real-time information to people across the country about fuel deliveries and queue lengths, helping to circumvent group size restriction in chat apps.

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