By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has raised concerns that large online followings are displacing real-world community ties in Africa, warning that children are being exposed to intentionally addictive digital content.
Speaking at the second day of the 4th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Accra, Mr. George said social media has created vast but shallow networks that lack genuine personal connection.
“Today, we all have thousands, tens of thousands of followers. On X (formerly Twitter), I have over 300,000 followers,” he said. “Truth is, I barely know more than a hundred of them in person, but that’s the community that we’re all building.”
Mr. George argued that the scale of digital communities is coming at the expense of physical interaction. He questioned how often people now visit friends in person.
“We’re building huge communities of following online. But in reality, when was the last time you picked a vehicle, drove to your friend’s house, and sat with them to have a face-to-face conversation?” he asked. “We’re losing that identity which makes us African.”
The Minister referenced the African philosophy of communal identity, saying: “The whole essence of who you are, that I am because you are, no longer exists. It’s replaced by how many clicks I can get and how many likes I can get.”
Mr. George also pointed to the global popularity of the children’s song Baby Shark as an example of what he described as “social engineering” aimed at children.
“I also want you to ask yourself: why does a simple song addict children in Eswatini, Malawi, Ghana?” he said. Singing the tune, he added: “Baby shark, doo-doo-doo-doo… and you see that children, irrespective of their mother tongue, are addicted to that song.”
He claimed the song’s design was informed by research into children’s neurological responses.
“That is social engineering. That’s the power of artificial intelligence,” he said. “The brains of kids and babies were studied to understand the sounds their brains reacted to, and that was used to develop the melody in that song.”
Mr. George argued that significant resources are being directed towards shaping children’s habits.
“That’s the amount of money and investment that’s going into changing the mindset of our children.”
According to him, digital platforms are designed to create dependence and influence children’s preferences and behaviour.
“It’s addictive by architecture. A child will take a tablet instead of a plate of food today simply because of how addictive the brain has been,” he said. “It’s been conditioned to the rush they get from the platform.”
He concluded that these trends are shaping a new generation on the continent. “And that’s the generation of Africans that we’re building.”
