EMERGING AFRO-TECHNO SAPIENS: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CORE AFRICAN CULTURAL IMAGINATION
The ubiquity of social media in Africa is leading to an insidious displacement of African cultures and values. A gamut of indicators suggests that social media is not only changing the daily habits of African users, but it is on the verge of redefining the very identity of the African. The reason for this is not far-attached. Every social media platform is laced with the cultural ideals, values, and idiosyncrasies of its originating culture. The most popular social media platforms in Africa today, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube, Linked In, and Snapchat, are products of Western cultural imaginations. Their algorithms are designed, whether explicitly or implicitly, to promote Western cultural ideals. In encountering any social media platform, therefore, we not only encounter technology, but we also encounter the cultures of the creators. This essay investigates the cultural underpinnings implicit in social media and provides cautionary sing posts for users who may be unreflective on the ways in which social media is impacting African personhood, family structures, family traditions, and African sexual ethics.
Keywords: african, afro-techno, core, cultural, emerging, imagination, impact, media, sapiens, social