Digital Colonisation in Africa: Continuities of Colonial Exploitation through Knowledge Production

Big Techs such as Google and Meta have changed our lives drastically. They have provided new ways of connecting with others, trading goods and services, campaigning and influencing elections, advertising, and distributing news. These companies have, therefore, enormous influence and power over society, carrying out activities in different areas which can all be situated in the digital landscape. Hence, reference is made to the fact that today’s colonialists are digital. These companies are, however, not focusing on the exploitation of foreign populations to access natural resources and raw materials, but rather creating digital technologies and infrastructures to make sure they exercise control over activities in the digital space.

This new phenomenon, sometimes called ‘digital colonialism’, mainly threatens the developing world (including Africa) by imposing a Western digital ecosystem. This chapter explores whether colonialism is reinvented by the domination of Big Techs in the developing world using primary and secondary sources. This analysis is done by taking diverse perspectives of post-colonial literature and an interdisciplinary approach to examine the complex issues relating to digital colonialism in Africa.

In doing so, the paper highlights the disparities in technology access and the perpetuation of colonial legacies, culminating in a comparative analysis between traditional and digital colonialism. Using an interdisciplinary lens, we integrate insights from various fields to offer a comprehensive understanding of the subject. This article evaluates whether digital colonialism could be considered a new form of colonialism and whether there are similar patterns between traditional colonialism and digital colonialism.