Africans and Digital Communication at Crossroads: Rethinking Existing Decolonial Paradigms

Abstract

This chapter researched on the digital communication’s use by Kenyans, and how these impact their ways of life. The study also explored the current decolonial paradigms being advocated for by different authors. Qualitative data from three Focus Group Discussions and 20 in-depth interviews reveal that Africans (in Kenya) are at crossroads in their use of digital communication because of the negative influence of the digital communication on the African way of life in general. The study further established that various approaches being proposed to decolonize digital communication in Africa are not effective because they are mainly extremist in nature and outward looking. The study advances a hybrid model that objectively retains the positive from both the Western and African cultures.