 |
A few weeks ago I started investigating about the use of
mass media in manipulating the tastes and perceptions of children.
This came right off the back of me delving into the power of
propaganda and how the Third Reich indoctrinated German children to loath and
hate Jews, and progressively take part innocently in their annihilation.The
manner in which this was done begins with innocent symbolism and ends with
psychological manipulation to achieve an evil objective.
I wanted to find out how in the same vain social behavior in
Africa can be manipulated today using the Internet to achieve the whims of
organized institutions that have the resources to do so.
Africa has the youngest population in the world. More than
50% of its population is below 20 years.
More than ever before this age group is more educated and knows how to search
for information online.
It is telling when the most respected brands in Africa are
MTN, Nokia, Coca-Cola and Samsung. In
these brands you find the aspirations and the behavior of the continent, tied
to more than 635million mobile subscribers.
 |
| Source: thebftonline.com african-youth |
Youth unemployment is a big problem in Africa and it is potentially
destabilizing in a continent where power is concentrated in the hands of a few
extractive institutions.
Extractive institutions desire control to be placed in the
hands of a few. Internet access on the other hand through affordable mobile
phones and connectivity, is disruptive and defeats censorship. It transfers
certain instruments of power to the masses.
In Africa most censorship is done on print, radio and
television with these forms of media being directly controlled or monitored by
the government of the day. Eritrea, Equatorial
Guinea and North Sudan
are extreme cases, with Eritrea being termed as the least connected country in the world today.
If I look at the Internet; sidestep the political
disruption, innovation and creativity that it brings and focus on oversight.
The question in my mind is what oversight is in place to monitor different
vested individuals, groups, multinationals and foreign governments that are
competing for the attention of this malleable age group in Africa.
Fact: African countries either lack the technical capability
or sensibility to consider this an issue.
Don't get me wrong there is merit in stating that mobile
phones and Internet access can transform how we advance as a continent that has
the least developed basic infrastructure in terms of roads, power and
sanitation. The potential is astounding; from how we apply what we learn on a
daily basis, to how millions of innovative, intelligent Africans are becoming a
force to recon with in any global conversation.
A number of times Kenyans On Twitter #KOT (and there are more than 23 million
Kenyans on the internet) have made American media personalities recant and
apologize for their uninformed statements.
But after all is said and done, what vexes me is the negative
and harmful online activity that African countries are ill equipped to tackle
or combat against.
They include bullying
and harassment, identity theft and online abuse (such as children seeing
harmful and illegal content, or being exposed to grooming for sexual purposes
or the production, distribution and collection of child abuse material).
Not to be ignored also is the addictive nature of the Internet.
When a child (any person below 18) discovers that there is nothing in the
physical world to hold their attention or inspire them to be part of an
inclusive system. And they choose to develop a preoccupation with the Internet as
a means to escape a mundane and boring life.
 |
| Learning in to use laptops |
What this opens up is a Pandora’s box where ideological
manipulation can also take shape. It should not shock anyone that the brand of
terrorism sponsored by Al-Qaida is spreading around the world at the speed of
the Internet. It is not wrong to state that most of the young people in Africa
are disillusioned, in need of a sense of purpose and want to belong to a
community. If they don't get this from the societies they live in they will be
open to the simplicity of the Al-Qaida message and the popularity of its brand in
this Technicolor stage where “David” fights “Goliath” in unconventional
warfare.
What we also need to realize is that the multinationals of
this world have realized that Africa is no longer a ‘dark ‘continent. The
potentiality of it being a market for goods and services is now old news. If
you doubt this kindly read this McKinsey report .
Is Africa open to being manipulated by international brands?
The answer is potentially yes. Coca-Cola has done a wonderful job in aligning
itself with a vibrant advancing Africa, and this touches on our collective
psyche, as most of us believe that the future is bright for our continent.
 |
| Man uses tablet in AfricaCom, Africa largest ICT conference |
Whether an advert is presented to us subliminally in the
movies that we pirate across the continent, or persistently during prime time
news. We are part of the international set of eyes that are now recipients of
marketing strategies set around the world to sell products.
The result of such manipulative advertising is an inherent
desire to acquire things. You name it; from shoes to the clothes we see our
favorite footballer endorsing we are invariably being primed to buy.
Consumerism is on the prowl.
I believe there is need to have strong consumer protection
legislation in most African countries, which is geared towards protecting our
children. The legislation should be maintained and sustained devoid of corrupt
practices. Outright manipulation by multinationals should be frowned upon and
penalized. There is a broad range of activity happening across Africa to this end.
There is a lot that still needs to be done by public and
private institutions, individuals and groups in Africa to protect our children
while they are online. The African Child Online Protection is one such initiative that
seeks
to tackle children online security. From their website one is able to
appreciate relevant guidelines that can be adopted by different stakeholders including
parents, educators, industry and policy makers. My hope is that we become
sensitive to the needs of these vulnerable digital citizens.
Comments
Post a Comment