2019 Edition vol6 Issue 23 DIGITAL

TECHNOLOGY
New technology boosts life in Africa
By Samuel Ouma
The emergence of technology in communication sector has made life easier globally, especially
in Africa as a continent. Communication in the 21st century is faster and reliable as people
share ideas, engage in public debates, discussions and send messages from where they are.
Communication is a process of exchanging ideas between two or more individuals using a
particular channel. It is affected by various variables such as sender, receiver, message, channel,
feedback.
The African traditional society
had the most complex means of
communication as the message
could easily be interpreted and
misunderstood. The common forms of
passing information from one person
to another were dances, horn blowing,
songs, drums, symbols, cult scripts,
messengers, signals, drums, colour,
appearances, dressing, emotions and
attitudes.
There is a great disparity between
modern and traditional ways
of communication. African
traditional society had the most
complex means of communication
as the message could easily be
interpreted and misunderstood.
The common forms of passing
information from one person to
another were dances, horn blowing,
songs, drums, symbols, cult scripts,
messengers, signals, drums, colour,
appearances, dressing, emotions and
attitudes.
The disadvantages of these methods
outweigh their benefits. Information
could not reach people living in far
places and in time, could easily be
skewed in cases where heralds were
sent to convey the message.
The news could be easily forgotten
since its accuracy depended on the
memory of the emissary. Moreover,
signals like smoke could easily be
tampered with by bad weather.
During windy seasons other regions
were posed to miss what is being
passed on. Drum beaters and
messengers used a lot of energy to
ensure the message got to the right
people thus it was tiresome.
The pace of communication in African
countries has gained momentum
and its positive impacts are eminent.
Introduction of new technologies
has altered how things are done.
One can send information from his
office, home, while travelling without
a requirement to be in a specific
place using faxes, mobile phones,
texting services, video conferencing,
video chart rooms and social media
channels.
Technology is also playing a great
role in carrying out business.
Business owners only need email
to notify their targeted customers
about the launch of new products.
Websites and business social media
pages offer immediate responses to
customers’ queries and solutions to
their problems and Internet enable
business people reach new markets
with no need to travel. It allows
potential customers to view the
company’s products online anytime.
Technology aids companies and
organization in keeping employees’
data, maintaining contacts and data
flow.
28 Kata kata cartoon magazine Issue 23 2019 www.katakata.org