Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has raised concerns about the impact of technology, particularly the rise of what he terms the ‘Internet culture’, on the educational landscape in Nigerian society, News About Nigeria reports.
Soyinka conveyed these thoughts during the closing ceremony of the 3rd Intra-African Trade Fair, IATF 2023, held in Cairo on Friday.
Speaking at the CANEX Live Theatre, Soyinka highlighted the dual nature of technology, acknowledging its potential for positive change, as seen in movements like the Arab Spring that leveraged instant communication.
However, he also underscored the darker side of what he termed a ‘tyrannical, insolent, and abusive culture’, referring to the negative aspects of the emerging Internet culture.
Soyinka emphasised the downside of this culture, asserting that it downgrades and despises real creativity in favour of what he described as ‘cheap, populist, nasty, subversive’ content.
He expressed concern that this trend is contributing to the creation of new generations of illiterates who devalue meaningful culture.
The distinguished laureate urged vigilance in addressing this issue, especially within Nigerian society, which he identified as a significant hotspot for the degradation of genuine cultural values facilitated by internet technology.
Soyinka emphasised that it’s a complex subject that requires careful consideration and a commitment to not trivialise the challenges posed by this emerging cultural landscape.
In conclusion, Soyinka stressed the importance of resisting the negative aspects of the Internet culture and preventing the degradation of meaningful cultural values, characterising it as a crucial ongoing task.
“Now we have to watch this network-facilitated abuse of culture. I speak very specifically to my society, especially the Nigerian society, the greatest abusers of that kind of culture, where you have the real degradation of the real meaning of culture, facilitated by Internet technology.
“So that’s why I said it’s a large subject, which we must not trivialise. We shouldn’t take the easy way out. We shouldn’t go on the axial, black and white, and so on. It’s a work in progress, but we must not let the barbarians get away with this new project,” he said.
