Kenya has long been celebrated as one of Africa’s most connected and active nations online. Our internet penetration is high with a huge population of youths online and undeniable digital creativity. Beneath the excitement of being active online, there is an important question we rarely ask. What type of content is the large population of Kenyans online consuming or creating?
Scroll through most social platforms and you will see a familiar pattern of endless entertainment, viral dances, gossip, pranks and trends that come and go within days. There is nothing wrong with entertainment as it brings joy, creativity and sometimes even opportunities.
But if entertainment becomes the main diet of a whole generation, then we risk starving our minds while feeding only our amusement. Are we so idle as a country online until when a person from other parts of the world wants to trend or clout chase, they just mention Kenya. You will give them the attention they are yearning for and they will get the impressions they need as they earn.
Looking at the digital spaces in parts of Asia and other parts of the world reveals something different. Their platforms still have entertainment but their algorithms push a lot of educational, skill-building and value-adding content rather than entertainment. They celebrate creators who teach coding, business, science, culture, arts, technology, innovation, life skills and those who encourage learning. They tend to be producers of content rather than consumers.
This difference in digital culture matters more than we think. Algorithms respond to what people create and consume. If we Kenyan users consistently watch educational content then the algorithm will amplify it.
We can’t lament that the algorithms are feeding our country’s population, especially children, with negative content rather than educational yet we are the creators of the same content. If we produce knowledgeable creators, then the social media platforms algorithms will reward us. It will become a cycle that builds a more informed and skilled society.
As a country, we have brilliant young people with ideas, talent and ambition. Yet many feel pressured to produce only what goes viral such as jokes, trends, gossip and entertainment. Imagine if at least half of our creators chose to focus on education in a fun, creative, entertaining and relatable way.
We don’t lack intelligence but the intention in what we create online. We can shape our own algorithm by shaping our content. When local creators begin producing high-value educational content, young viewers will naturally start consuming it, the algorithms will adjust and the entire digital ecosystem will shift. It is a collective responsibility to ensure healthy surfing.
Honestly, educational content is not boring as it can be made funny, inspiring, dramatic, interactive and highly creative, simplifying the daily complex activities. The only difference is that it leaves viewers better than it found them.
We should not allow ourselves to become a digital generation skilled only at scrolling and trolling. We need to become a generation skilled at learning, creating and building. It is time for us Kenyans to rise as creators of knowledge and not just consumers of entertainment. We must choose to educate our minds and shape the algorithms the way we want, rather than complaining, consuming and creating less impactful content.
