Modern Day Social Media Slavery: The Monetization Dilemma Facing African Content Creators
Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com In the digital age, social media has become a global equalizer, bridging continents, cultures, and communities. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have revolutionized how we interact, share stories, and even build livelihoods. Yet, beneath this veneer of democratization, a troubling disparity persists, one that many African content creators and digital entrepreneurs are finding increasingly difficult to ignore. The question that lingers: Why are African creators still largely excluded from direct monetization opportunities offered by these very platforms? Recently, media personality Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen voiced his concerns about what he describes as “modern-day social media slavery,” a term that resonates deeply with many across the continent. His frustration and that of countless others stems from the ongoing marginalization of African voices in the digital economy, particularly when it comes to earning money from content creation. Africa’s social media landscape is nothing short of remarkable. TikTok, for example, boasts over 189 million users across the continent, an impressive 11.9% of its global audience. The surge is most notable among Gen Z, with Egypt and Nigeria leading in user numbers at 32.9 million and 27.4 million, respectively, closely followed by South Africa’s 17.5 million. Facebook’s dominance is even more pronounced, with between 290 and 377 million African users as of 2025-2026, representing a staggering 82% market share among all social platforms. Instagram and YouTube also enjoy robust growth, driven by widespread smartphone adoption and improving internet infrastructure. YouTube alone counts roughly 180 million African users, with Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa topping the charts. These statistics highlight Africa’s immense contribution to the global digital community. The continent’s youth, in particular, are not just passive consumers; they are active creators, trendsetters, and influencers. Yet, despite their numbers and creativity, a significant barrier remains: the inability to directly monetize their creativity on major platforms like TikTok. For millions of African content creators, the lack of direct monetization options is not just an inconvenience; it’s a structural disadvantage. TikTok, in particular, has come under scrutiny for not enabling direct monetization for African users, despite the platform’s rapid growth and deep penetration across the continent. While some African countries have recently gained access to Facebook’s monetization features, TikTok’s policies still leave many creators in the lurch. This exclusion means that, for now, the only way for an African TikTok creator to earn from their content is through complex workarounds. Typically, creators must rely on intermediaries based in the US or Europe, who register accounts, enable monetization, and then share the proceeds with their African partners. This not only complicates the process but also perpetuates a dependence on Western gatekeepers, a scenario that many, including Mr. Stephen, liken to a new form of digital servitude. The frustration is palpable, especially when considering the influence of African content creators on global trends. Figures like Mark Angel, Itsyaboymaina, Carter Efe, Ilyas El Maliki, Wode Maya, Mihlali Ndamase, Aisha Yesufu, and others have amassed millions of followers and generated content that resonates far beyond the continent’s borders. They are proof that African creativity is not only vibrant but also commercially viable. Yet, these same heroes are now being called upon to leverage their influence for change. As Mr. Ngamegbulam passionately argues, they have a responsibility, not just to themselves, but to the broader African creator community, to advocate for policy reforms that will allow direct monetization for all African users. Their collective voices could pressure tech giants to recognize Africa’s value not just as a market, but as an essential part of the global creative economy. Describing the situation as “modern-day slavery” is not mere hyperbole. The current dynamics effectively relegate African creators to second-class status in the digital world. While creators in the West enjoy seamless access to monetization features, sponsorships, and brand partnerships, their African counterparts are forced to navigate a maze of bureaucratic hurdles and rely on international connections just to earn a share of the same opportunities. This is particularly egregious when considering that Africa’s youth are among the most engaged and dynamic users of these platforms. The West reaps the benefits, both in terms of advertising revenue and cultural capital, while Africans are left scrambling for scraps. The exclusion is not only economically damaging, but it also sends a troubling message about whose voices and stories are considered valuable in the digital age. For many young Africans, social media represents more than just entertainment; it’s a lifeline to economic empowerment, self-expression, and global visibility. The inability to monetize content directly stifles entrepreneurship, discourages innovation, and perpetuates existing inequalities. It also means that Africa’s digital economy is not reaching its full potential, with billions of potential revenue lost to foreign intermediaries. Moreover, the absence of direct monetization deepens the digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world. It prevents local creators from reinvesting in their communities, building sustainable businesses, or even supporting themselves and their families. This is especially critical given the continent’s burgeoning youth population and high unemployment rates, conditions that make the promise of digital entrepreneurship all the more appealing. The reasons behind this exclusion are complex. Some platforms cite issues like payment infrastructure, regulatory challenges, or concerns about fraud. Others may simply be slow to adapt their policies to regions outside their primary markets. But whatever the rationale, the effect is the same: African creators are systematically denied the same opportunities afforded to their peers elsewhere in the world. This disparity is all the more galling given the relentless growth of social media usage in Africa. The continent is one of the fastest-growing markets for platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Its users are young, tech-savvy, and eager to engage. They create viral trends, generate massive view counts, and shape conversations on a global scale. The data is clear: Africa is not just a consumer market; it is a creative powerhouse. It is both ironic and troubling that, to monetize their creativity, African content creators must rely on Western infrastructure and intermediaries. This not
BREAKING: Facebook Changes It’s Name.Check Out The New Name.
Oct 28 (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) is now called Meta, the company said on Thursday, in a rebrand that focuses on its ambitions building the “metaverse,” a shared virtual environment that it bets will be the next big computing platform. The name change comes as the world’s largest social media company battles criticisms from lawmakers and regulators over its market power, algorithmic decisions and the policing of abuses on its platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking at the company’s live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference, said the new name reflected its ambitions to build the metaverse, rather than its namesake social media service. The metaverse, a term first coined in a dystopian novel three decades ago and now attracting buzz in Silicon Valley, refers broadly to the idea of a shared virtual environment which can be accessed by people using different devices. “Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything that we’re doing today, let alone in the future,” said Zuckerberg. The company, which has invested heavily in augmented and virtual reality, said the change would bring together its different apps and technologies under one new brand. It said it would not change its corporate structure. The tech giant, which reports about 2.9 billion monthly users, has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years from global lawmakers and regulators. In the latest controversy, whistleblower and former Facebook employee Frances Haugen leaked documents which she said showed the company chose profit over user safety. Zuckerberg earlier this week said the documents were being used to paint a “false picture.” The company said in a blog post that it intends to start trading under the new stock ticker it has reserved, MVRS, on Dec. 1. On Thursday, it unveiled a new sign at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, replacing its thumbs-up “Like” logo with a blue infinity shape. Facebook shares were up more than 3% late on Thursday afternoon. Facebook said this week that its hardware division Facebook Reality Labs, which is responsible for AR and VR efforts, would become a separate reporting unit and that its investment in it would reduce this year’s total operating profit by about $10 billion. In an interview with tech publication the Information, Zuckerberg said he has not considered stepping down as CEO, and has not thought “very seriously yet” about spinning off this unit. The division will now be called Reality Labs, its head Andrew “Boz” Bosworth said on Thursday. The company will also stop using the Oculus branding for its VR headsets, instead calling them “Meta” products. This year, the company created a product team focused on the metaverse and it recently announced plans to hire 10,000 employees in Europe over the next five years to work on the effort. The company has had multiple hits to its reputation over recent years, including over its handling of user data and its policing of abuses such as health misinformation, violent rhetoric and hate speech. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has also filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging anticompetitive practices. While it’ll help alleviate confusion by distinguishing Facebook’s parent company from its founding app, a name change doesn’t suddenly erase the systemic issues plaguing the company,” said Forrester Research Director Mike Proulx. Zuckerberg said the new name, coming from the Greek word for “beyond,” symbolized there was always more to build. Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) CEO Jack Dorsey on Thursday tweeted out a different definition “referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre; self-referential.” Zuckerberg said the new name also reflects that over time, users will not need to use Facebook to use the company’s other services. Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in New York and Sheila Dang in Dallas Editing by Ken Li and Matthew Lewis. Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in New York and Sheila Dang in Dallas Editing by Ken Li and Matthew Lewis. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Twitter ban: Facebook, IG unveil free products for content creators
American media magnate and Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, seems to be on a swift mission to attract more social media users in Nigeria when he announced free products for content creators on all Facebook-owned services including WhatsApp and Instagram. According to Zuckerberg, the free products will enable creators to make more money, adding that the offer will be available till 2023. “To help more creators make a living on our platforms, we’re going to keep paid online events, fan subscriptions, badges, and our upcoming independent news products free for creators until 2023. And when we do introduce a revenue share, it will be less than the 30% that Apple and others take,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. Unlike microblogging site Twitter; Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp cannot be said to have ruffled the feathers of the Nigerian government. In fact, in August 2016, Zuckerberg visited Lagos, Nigeria. The trip was his first to sub-Saharan Africa. “This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa,” he had said in a Facebook post. He had met with the Nigerian President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo during his visit. Zuckerberg also met with tech developers and entrepreneurs mostly in the Yaba area of Lagos which has been described as the tech hub of Lagos. “The energy here is amazing and I’m excited to learn as much as I can,” the Facebook chief had said during the trip. But the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has not been in the good books of the Nigerian government since last October over an allegation that he was complicit in the promotion of the #EndSARS protests that ended in the destruction of lives and billions of property in Nigeria. Last week, the Buhari regime suspended Twitter, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”. The Federal Government’s action followed a deletion of a controversial civil war post by the President. The Buhari regime has since come under fire for what many termed as a restriction of the right of expression. The international community including the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, amongst others have since knocked the Buhari regime for the action but the Federal Government has been unyielding in its stance insisting that the sovereignty of the West African nation must be respected by the San Francisco tech giant. Millions of content creators in Nigeria, who earn their living from the microblogging site, have been affected as they are forbidden from using Twitter. Some of them have since embarked on a journey of diversification while exploring other social media platforms. Nigeria, with over 200 million people, had about 33 million active social media users as of January 2021. WhatsApp is the most popular platform used in the country, with over 90 million users according to Statista. Also according to Statista, about 61.4 per cent of Nigerian social media users use Twitter, 86.2 per cent use Facebook, 81.6 per cent use YouTube, 73.1 per cent use Instagram, and 67.2 per cent use Facebook Messenger. Punch Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093