LIVING
THE INFORMATION AGE IN AFRICA!
By Dulcie Delali Attipoe
The world they say is a global village, when one
part of the world changes it gradually affects the other part as well. Gone are
the stone, bronze and Iron ages where people usually do things manually. Our
fore-fathers worked in hard labor without any technology; however they lived
happily without complaining.
In this information age, things are done much easier;
thanks to the introduction of new technologies.
In Africa, technology plays a very vital role in our
everyday life changing our way of life. Some will refer to this as
modernization or better still, civilization.
There is no doubt that the introduction
of technology has improved creative skills, and many Africans are so engrossed
in creativity in recent times.
Now what do we see on our various social media
platforms. Most people have become creative to the extent that they make fun of
anything they come in contact with by creating funny pictures and sounds.
This has extended to various head of states where
people create funny clips of them without taking into consideration their
status. For instance, people portraying their presidents in indecent acts.
Could this be that, we are losing our values as Africans or it is just another
form of civilization?
Visit various offices today and see, if not all,
most of the workers are online pretending to be researching but rather either
on Facebook or twitter. Is this what we refer to as building efficiency in
work? While this technology is to help improve efficiency at work, it is rather
the contrary because people spend more time on these social media sites than
working.
Well in some instances, there is control over the
use of the net in the office. But lets not forget the most popular of them all,
the famous “whatsApp” which keeps people stick to their mobile devices 24 hours
a day. Do bosses have control over the personal phones of workers too? Most
people are so obsessed that they live their lives around these social media
platforms, as if they cannot do without it.
Hardly would you walk on the streets and see
somebody without a handset or an ipad either chatting or listening to music.
Walk to any internet café, and you hardly find a space to sit or a computer to
use, everywhere is filled with people researching or doing one thing or the
other.
This should tell you how fast Africans are catching
up with these new innovations and technology. Who said Africa is still behind
or not learning fast. Well, that is proof, Africans are really catching up with
the rest of the world with both the positive and the negative.
In Ghana, you see people driving and chatting online
at the same time and one wonders if the laws are working. People sit in buses and miss their destination
because they were busy “Facebooking” or “whatsApping”. It has gotten so bad
that people now post nude pictures of themselves on these platforms. Others
have developed immoral lifestyles such as womanizing.
Have you ever tried posting a developmental issue on
a social network? And how many comments did you receive. Why don’t you try
writing a “silly” comment and see the numerous responses.
This new innovation has caused the lives of people and
their freedom as everybody will want to own a smart phone, some have resulted
to stealing. Not forgetting how it has affected our writing of English. A day
does not go by without people complaining about their problems on social media,
be it fraud, harassment among others.
Interestingly, people spend lots of money on credits
and in cafes. Yet we complain of being the poorest continent in the world!
Oh
you may not know, but in Africa, even the tomatoes seller in the market and the "trotro" mate owns
two phones and the funny part is, both phones perform the same function.
However, the positive surly outweighs the negative.
Well this is not to say this innovation is of no
good, that will be very unintelligent. But the issue here is how people have
defined its use in Africa is the problem at stake and rather focusing on its
disadvantages.
Of course
these platforms has surely enhance the way we think and has made socialization
much more easier, not forgetting the developmental impact in various
businesses, schools and organizations.
Let just move a little bit away from social media,
introduction of digital television has drawn Africa to the global world which
has made most Africans lose focus on their own issues, development and culture.
Watch television today and one particular programme runs through all television
stations, Mexican Soap Opera’s (Tellenovelas).
African women no longer dress like Africans; rather,
they want to look like characters in Tellenovelas because that is what they see
to be sexy and eloquent. To be more realistic, this has come to stay and
gradually Africans are losing their cultural values and what defines them as a
people.
It is not bad to learn or be modern, but what is bad
is to over-learn!
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