how social media has sifted the social landscape in africa

trends-and-insights-africa by: TIA Editorial

In days gone by, fireplaces were the ultimate social gatherings. Warriors of re-known would spin tales of trials and fortunes, of love, loss and hope gained, news of far-off relations, epic battles against giants and beasts of the jungle, and monsters from the underworld.

The history of the clan would be preserved through song and narration. Songs would be sung of the great heroes and the trials they overcame. Narration would be an account of the history of the clan, its trials, failures, and successes.

Tales would be retold, songs re-sung in subsequent social gatherings in the different communities within that area. That's why, some of these tales, fables, and songs seem similar within distinct ethnic groups all over Africa despite being separated by long distances.

Of course, over time the folklore would become grander with some of the stories personalized by the listeners. Regardless, this led to a rich oral tradition, song, and dance.

Some of this folklore is still shared amongst communities to date, especially in rural areas having been passed down by elders from one generation to another. The social activities surrounding the fireplace as a whole improved social cohesion.

The somewhat equivalent of the fireplace nowadays would be social media. Though in a way it falls short when considering the relative impact, it has had on the community.

Although social media has made it possible to tell and experience stories over long distances, the main challenge is that this information itself may not be curated and that deception normally plays a big role in social interactions.

What social media has done is: to wear down the social fabric that was originally set to protect the communities from outsiders seeking to destroy and destabilize them.

This is because, at the traditional communal level, new information often passed through the hands of the elders to determine which information was verifiable and whether it needed to be further broken down to be understood by minors. This in a way shielded children from negative information and elements that could have easily swayed them into practices that were detrimental to society as a whole.

Due to the exponential increase in the use of internet-based services and social media apps on the African continent, there has been a corresponding increase in the purchase of smart devices registered.

Statistics show that by the close of 2020, 495 million people subscribed to mobile services in Sub-Saharan Africa, representing 46% of the region's population. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) of course have maximized this opportunity by creating internet bundles targeting social media apps and therefore enabling users to be online for nearly twenty-four hours.

But the question remains whether social media offers any tangible benefits compared to the communal fireplace or whether the time invested in using these social apps has yielded any tangible benefits.

The beauty of the communal fireplace is that it mostly happens in the evening, at nightfall. With kin seated, standing in a circle sharing stories, experiences, and sometimes food and drinks over the evening fire. This hugely contrasts against social media apps available twenty-four hours a day. All a person has to do is log in and all the while, users are constantly bombarded with information.

Some information is true, half-true, or lies, and for the rest, one can never really be certain where it falls. And as all this information is being disseminated, social media companies overwhelm you with ads and quietly reap dividends in ad revenue.

Social media companies endeavour to keep the end user glued to their apps, spending nearly 24 hours of screen time.

Armed with proof of user's screen time and interactions, social media companies can easily interest mega corporations into advertising on their platforms by guaranteeing that their goods and services will be viewed by millions of viewers worldwide.

The sad bit is that in most cases, as one browses through an app and is constantly bombarded with endless scrolling content, Big Tech is busy collecting personal data that is then used in targeted ads [an advertisement that is served to a specific audience, which could be a particular demographic, a group, or an individual].

At times, in extreme cases, the ads outnumber the content itself. Then the users end up mentally fatigued and frustrated with their interactions with social media, remorseful for the time wasted. So much time was spent, yet so little was gained. The truth is, a life well lived is one where time is put to the best use.

Maybe it's time to revise our social interactions, especially about social media use, and use communal fireplaces as a blueprint for how to utilize our time. And also relegate social media to minimum interaction, or better yet, completely remove it from our lives.

From time immemorial, closely knit societies involved in in-person physical interactions seem to persevere and prosper far better than those that do not. Because there is something about close physical social interaction that rejuvenates the human spirit-a tap on the back, a smile shared over a secret joke, that overbearing conduct of a close family member that ought to make you mad but somehow amuses you.

As human beings, we constantly yearn for connection, and sometimes it's not the words themselves that hold emotion but rather how they are expressed together with the physical interaction. Technology is okay, but physical human interaction is greater.

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