Social media platforms provide Africans with a chance to combat negative stereotypes and give them an agency for representation.
A growing number of Africans make use of the internet. In 2000, Africa had an estimated 4,514,400 internet users. Seventeen years later, the number was up to 453,329,534, which gives Africa an internet usage of 35.2 percent. Africans are also more engaged on social media; it was 177,005,700 Facebook users across Africa at the close of 2017.
Social media provides a powerful platform to tell numerous narratives about Africa. Incorporating the power of technological advancements, African social media bloggers and commentators are making use of Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms to challenge long-standing “Afro-pessimistic” stereotypes – – the continent that is characterized as backward by conflict and poverty.
By giving people of all ages a chance to talk about the details of their “everyday” experiences, African bloggers are taking photos of the positive “human moments.” These joyful moments and celebrations, as well as play and human interactions, are creating new stories about Africa.
The new designs could be the catalyst for an Afro-positive change that is not yet seen.
Examples of a different Africa
Diverse and multi-directional narratives of the continent are being formulated in various ways. For instance”Everyday African,” the Facebook blog “Everyday Africa” presents,
Photographs taken by cell phones across Africa to try to give a better depiction of Africa’s life than mainstream media allow.
It also shows, among other things, many pictures of children having fun and laughing while heading to school or in different ways. It depicts men working and plants flourishing, a bustling market for produce, and other typical images.
These images are significant due to their symbolic distancing from the stereotyped, negative image of Africa as a homogeneous blob of violence, despair, human rights violations, and the absence of democracy.
The blog “Voices of Africa” seeks to
Share the stories people don’t hear enough. Everyday stories of Africans going about their daily lives need to be heard more often. From the fashionable women of Dakar to the bachelors who are eligible in Somalia and from the lavish ceremonies that take place in Tanzania to the vibrant nightlife in Nairobi, We want to highlight the lifestyle in Africa through the eyes of those living it.
This lens to see the world implicitly stifles stories that are based on an outsider’s perspective, instead constructing insider stories.
The Twitter hashtag #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou also spotlights the positive stories. They also have posts that are similar to
