Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities
Apart from compacting the entire world into a global village, the phenomenal breakthrough in technology, with its universally acknowledged impact of fast-tracking an unprecedented knowledge expansion, has, in turn, made the entire gamut of human society and life primarily knowledge-driven to such a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Hradec Králové
2016-12-01
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| Series: | Modern Africa |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uhk.cz/modernafrica/article/view/103 |
| _version_ | 1797194839855464448 |
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| author | Salomon Tai Okajare |
| author_facet | Salomon Tai Okajare |
| author_sort | Salomon Tai Okajare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Apart from compacting the entire world into a global village, the phenomenal breakthrough in technology, with its universally
acknowledged impact of fast-tracking an unprecedented knowledge expansion, has, in turn, made the entire gamut of human society
and life primarily knowledge-driven to such an extent that the most fundamental to the minutest human activities are now propelled by technology-inspired knowledge. Given its quest for development, Africa is inevitably within the fray of this critical bend in human
history. However, the extent to which this seemingly beneficial development has influenced the thinking trajectory and perception of
African youths vis-à-vis their preparedness for the task of development is open to debate. In this context the present paper argues that, in spite of its admittedly beneficial impact, the technology and knowledge expansion has far-reaching negative implications for the socialisation, psychological satisfaction and potential of African youths to contribute effectively to the nation-building process. Identifying family values, language and indigenous marriage system as the hardest-hit African cultural elements, the paper essentially posits that the technology and knowledge expansion represents a furtherance of cultural imperialism, having increased the African youth’s propensity for Western values such that their life-defining decisions are mainly shaped by Western culture as against their indigenous African culture. It concludes that the emergent reality is a deepening of the intensity of underdevelopment of Africa and a widening of the gulf between the Continent and other leading regions of the world, thus expanding the frontiers of African paradoxical contradiction, namely a mix-grill of knowledge expansion and underdevelopment.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:01:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f756fdb60138437ca7618753ec21e443 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2336-3274 2570-7558 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T06:02:40Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Hradec Králové |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Modern Africa |
| spelling | doaj.art-f756fdb60138437ca7618753ec21e4432024-04-23T06:01:04ZengUniversity of Hradec KrálovéModern Africa2336-32742570-75582016-12-0142Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building ResponsibilitiesSalomon Tai Okajare0Obafemi Awolowo University Apart from compacting the entire world into a global village, the phenomenal breakthrough in technology, with its universally acknowledged impact of fast-tracking an unprecedented knowledge expansion, has, in turn, made the entire gamut of human society and life primarily knowledge-driven to such an extent that the most fundamental to the minutest human activities are now propelled by technology-inspired knowledge. Given its quest for development, Africa is inevitably within the fray of this critical bend in human history. However, the extent to which this seemingly beneficial development has influenced the thinking trajectory and perception of African youths vis-à-vis their preparedness for the task of development is open to debate. In this context the present paper argues that, in spite of its admittedly beneficial impact, the technology and knowledge expansion has far-reaching negative implications for the socialisation, psychological satisfaction and potential of African youths to contribute effectively to the nation-building process. Identifying family values, language and indigenous marriage system as the hardest-hit African cultural elements, the paper essentially posits that the technology and knowledge expansion represents a furtherance of cultural imperialism, having increased the African youth’s propensity for Western values such that their life-defining decisions are mainly shaped by Western culture as against their indigenous African culture. It concludes that the emergent reality is a deepening of the intensity of underdevelopment of Africa and a widening of the gulf between the Continent and other leading regions of the world, thus expanding the frontiers of African paradoxical contradiction, namely a mix-grill of knowledge expansion and underdevelopment. https://journals.uhk.cz/modernafrica/article/view/103Knowledge expansionsocialisation processAfrican indigenous valuescultureunderdevelopment |
| spellingShingle | Salomon Tai Okajare Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities Modern Africa Knowledge expansion socialisation process African indigenous values culture underdevelopment |
| title | Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities |
| title_full | Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities |
| title_fullStr | Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities |
| title_short | Technology and Knowledge Expansion in Africa: Implications for Youth’s Socialization, Psychological Fulfillment and Nation-Building Responsibilities |
| title_sort | technology and knowledge expansion in africa implications for youth s socialization psychological fulfillment and nation building responsibilities |
| topic | Knowledge expansion socialisation process African indigenous values culture underdevelopment |
| url | https://journals.uhk.cz/modernafrica/article/view/103 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT salomontaiokajare technologyandknowledgeexpansioninafricaimplicationsforyouthssocializationpsychologicalfulfillmentandnationbuildingresponsibilities |