One must wonder if the use of East African Social Network sites will be utilized in a way that will benefit the East African people. There is no doubt that they affected the populace of the more developed nations like the United States and Britain but did it become a good thing or has it induced a complacent population that is more concerned with trivial matters? Can social networking provide positive change or will it become the gossip and untrustworthy news source for an entirely new culture and community.
Social networking has rapidly become a staple of most people's lives. A vast majority of the developed nations have a populace that, every morning, checks emails, inboxes, newsfeeds and comments for any number of reasons. With the growing number of people in undeveloped nations gaining access to technology comes the inevitable "internet boom" to the local economies and people.
Social networking has become a medium for advertisements and even propaganda campaigns. After logging into whichever site is being used, it is more often than not impossible to focus on one thing with all of the pop up ads and flashing banners that offer everything from "free holiday delivery" to "instant access to credit scores". One must wonder if an undeveloped nation can be informed quickly enough of the fact that most of them aren't relevant to day to day existence.
With the constant presence of violence in many African nations, families have been scattered across several nations and many hundreds of miles. It has become a medium for finding lost family members. Websites that connect people have the ability to reconnect these folks through the convenience of search features and member lists.
One must also consider the actions of foreign governing bodies. The country of Somalia, for instance, has had a quite rocky governmental history for the last several decades. A country that recently had used Shari'a law may not be open to the ability for its citizens to be influenced by what might be deemed illegal and unconscionable information by whichever faction of government succeeds in maintaining power.
With the power to communicate to a vast demographic that is virtually all inclusive comes the capacity for unlimited growth. People and businesses were formerly crippled by an inability to reach groups outside of their geographical proximity. They can now virtually soar to anywhere in the world instantaneously.
Should these sites use oversight committees or some form of authoritative group to moderate the content? Should they be allowed to run freely? These questions beg to be answered but until the subject itself is allowed to develop a bit more, the only thing that can be contributed is conjecture.
Global communication through the use of East African Social Network websites has allowed for many advances. Users can not only connect with long lost family members and friends but can also spread their messages to a worldwide audience. As the connection grows stronger and the numbers of people online advances onward, the capability to use the information and relationships should impact people in such a way as to grow exponentially more well informed and capable.
Social networking has rapidly become a staple of most people's lives. A vast majority of the developed nations have a populace that, every morning, checks emails, inboxes, newsfeeds and comments for any number of reasons. With the growing number of people in undeveloped nations gaining access to technology comes the inevitable "internet boom" to the local economies and people.
Social networking has become a medium for advertisements and even propaganda campaigns. After logging into whichever site is being used, it is more often than not impossible to focus on one thing with all of the pop up ads and flashing banners that offer everything from "free holiday delivery" to "instant access to credit scores". One must wonder if an undeveloped nation can be informed quickly enough of the fact that most of them aren't relevant to day to day existence.
With the constant presence of violence in many African nations, families have been scattered across several nations and many hundreds of miles. It has become a medium for finding lost family members. Websites that connect people have the ability to reconnect these folks through the convenience of search features and member lists.
One must also consider the actions of foreign governing bodies. The country of Somalia, for instance, has had a quite rocky governmental history for the last several decades. A country that recently had used Shari'a law may not be open to the ability for its citizens to be influenced by what might be deemed illegal and unconscionable information by whichever faction of government succeeds in maintaining power.
With the power to communicate to a vast demographic that is virtually all inclusive comes the capacity for unlimited growth. People and businesses were formerly crippled by an inability to reach groups outside of their geographical proximity. They can now virtually soar to anywhere in the world instantaneously.
Should these sites use oversight committees or some form of authoritative group to moderate the content? Should they be allowed to run freely? These questions beg to be answered but until the subject itself is allowed to develop a bit more, the only thing that can be contributed is conjecture.
Global communication through the use of East African Social Network websites has allowed for many advances. Users can not only connect with long lost family members and friends but can also spread their messages to a worldwide audience. As the connection grows stronger and the numbers of people online advances onward, the capability to use the information and relationships should impact people in such a way as to grow exponentially more well informed and capable.
About the Author:
Our East African social network site at www.africanweb.com allows people from all over the world to become friends online. To sign up today, go to http://www.africanweb.com and fill out the form now.
