Africa and social media are not typically associated with one another, as there is a lingering perception and focus on the poverty and underdevelopment of the continent. To be told, only about 120 million Africans use Facebook (up from approximately 100 million in 2014) which is about nine percent of the continent's population. This is a stark contrast from Western societies and cultures where words like "Facebook" and "Twitter" are part of our every day vocabulary.
One may wonder, though, what exactly causes this difference between African social media usage and that of Western societies like the U.S. Is it a matter of lack of resources and technology, or is it a matter of cultural difference? How will it affect the international perception of Africa? Presently, we will try to answer both of these questions.
While it may be tempting to say that the lack of resources is the sole cause of lack of social media usage, we should not assume that this is the lone reason why Africans do not use social media as much as Western societies. Instead, the culture also plays a role,as many African cultures emphasize storytelling and oral communication, rather than in written form. This is evident from the griots who would follow personages, such as the first emperor of Mali Sundiata, born in 1190, as they related ancient stories that would be passed down from generation to generation as well as in the much more modern communal-type of living exhibited in Chinua Achebe's novel, "Things Fall Apart," in 1958. And while Sundiata existed far before the internet and "Things Fall Apart" was likewise before the more modern age, the underlying culture remains pertinent, doubly so, if the majority of the continent's population is still not on social media, one of the leading global ways of communication.
Africa is a continent that the rest of the world does not generally pay attention to or does not appreciate it as it should be. So will an increase in social media usage give Africa a more renowned international standing? Well, while a faint internet presence does not exactly aid Africa's social standing, neither would a greater internet presence, I feel, as this is not a marker of political, economic, or even social progress, at least while there are so many other things holding Africa back. One thing an increased presence on the internet can do, however, is help spread the awareness of other African qualities and the wonders of Africa, rather than focusing on all its maladies.
